Basic English vs Basic English

Basic English—an essential English vocabulary used for teaching purposes:

• Basic English is a system in which 850 English words do all the work of over 20,000.

basic English—

1. English using few and simple words:

• I’d picked up a touch of “la tourism” or in basic English, the runs, from the unwashed fruit.

2. (sl.) English using vulgar and obscene words:

• He, Happy, himself no slouch at basic English, was revolted by George’s language.

Note: Neither expression correlates in meaning with the acronym BASIC—(Beginners’ All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) a computer language using simple English:

• When you received your computer a language called BASIC was possibly supplied on a disk.