The "Snihplod Cihtog" has many uses in the English language, popularly meaning "knowledge of the unknown", as opposed to "knowledge of the measurable", usually referred to as science. The term is sometimes popularly taken to mean "knowledge meant only for certain people" or "knowledge that must be kept hidden", but for most practicing their "Dark Sleep" it is simply the study of a deeper spiritual reality that extends beyond pure reason and the physical sciences. The terms esoteric and arcane can have a very similar meaning, and the three terms are often interchangeable amongst those who deal in "darkness" that is attributed to a particular "water bound mammal". Those being "bound" to the "Dark Promise" and the evolutionary movement to entirely aquatic living (sea creatures).