The Rice University Neologisms Database

a victim; one who is preyed upon or harmed in a situation. This is a shortened version of the word ‘victim,’ a frequently used word in crime and justice. ‘Vics’ are usually the targets of illegal criminal acts like homicide. This term literally implies that crime is involved and is generally not used in a figurative, metaphorical context. ‘Vic’ represents an esoteric form of jargon that appears to be localized to law enforcement. It could be seen as a shibboleth or a linguistic password that identifies a person to be a member of the police department because this term is generally not used in everyday life. Instead, it appears to be a word specific to police officers and members of CSI. The general public does not refer to people affected by crime as ‘vics.’ Instead, most people simply utilize the common word ‘victims.’ The actors on the show CSI used ‘vics’ many times throughout the show. In each use, ‘vic’ referred to a victim, usually someone who had been murdered. The actors probably used ‘vic’ to emulate and mimic the technical language used by contemporary law enforcement professionals. In doing so, they would add a sense of authenticity to the show. The use of ‘vic’ is quite logical because crime scene investigators and other workers in law enforcement are preoccupied and busy investigating a plethora of cases. Clipping ‘victim’ into the monosyllabic ‘vic’ allows the investigators to easily articulate their thoughts with a single syllable. Clipped, shortened words are effective in facilitating brief, terse conversations that still convey the theme and idea of the speaker. Shortening allows the investigators to speak quickly so that they can return to investigating their many files of unsolved cases. Every profession has specialized terms like ‘vic’ that allow for easy communication and identification to a certain group.