IL L I N O I S
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN

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University of Illinois at
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Published prior to 1923.

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PIS

LI]S OF BIOSI
OF THE

CHAMPIONS OF THE AMERICAN PRIZE RING.
Each Book in this series will contain the life and deeds of a champion of the
Prize Ring, with fine Portrait. This series will prove invaluable to all lovers of
the "manly art of self defence," not only as a reference, but as an accurate
history of the men who have won fame in the fistic arena.

IT

IC

THE UNIVERSITY
OF ILLINOIS

Sent

cents.

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LIBRARY

POL]
AC

Leading Spor

From the collection of
James Collins,
Drumcondra, Ireland.
Purchased, 1918.

FTE,
[E

fthe World.

Its artistic corps embraces the best talent in America.
Its columns are
replete with the latest sporting news, current sensations, lives and deeds of
famous Pugilists, Jockeys, Turfmen, and a variety of interesting reading matter,
unequalled by any journal published.

Subscription: $4.00 per Year; 6 Months, $2.00; 3 Months, $1.00.
RICHARD K. FOX, Publisher,
NEW

YORK.

TO BE HAD FROM ALL NEWSDEALERS.

SLANG DICTIONARY
OF

NEW
LONDON

YORK,
AN

D

PARIS.

A COLLECTION OF

STRANGE FIGURES OF SPEECH, EXPRESSIVE TERMS AND ODD
PHRASES USED IN THE LEADING CITIES
OF THE WORLD.

THEIR ORIGIN, MIAHING ANfD APPLICAIO.I

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PUBLISHED AT THE

ATIONAL

POLICE GAZETTE OFFICE,
183 WILLIAM ST., NEW YORK.

Entered according to Act of Congress. in the year 180, by
RICHARD K. FOX,
In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

4Th

ZOM
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ABOU T ZLANa.

Pretty nearly everybody makes more or less use of slang nowadays. Cant expressions have become a part of every language, principally because they put
in a terse and vigorous way ideas that would require whole sentences of classical
speech to convey. But, universal as the use of these illegitimate phrases is, the
great dictionary of slang itself remains a sealed book to the general public. We
all know that that mysterious tongue in which men may communicate among
thousands, only to be understood by the initiated, exists. But what is it ?
That is what we intend in this volume to show.
The rogue fraternity have a language peculiarly their own, which is understood and spoken by them, no matter what their mother tongue or their nationality
may be. It is to them what the grips, signs and passwords are to the Mason, a
passport to the confidence of their class from one end of the world to the other.
The man who understands it is as much at home in the tapis franc of Paris, the
bandits' fonda of Madrid, or the thieves' schenke of Berlin, as he is in a flash
ken in New York. He may not, and very generally does not, understand a dozen
words of the language of the country he is in, but he can find a corner of every
city he strikes where the professional slang with which he is conversant is spoken
as fluently as it is in New York or London.
It came into use centuries ago in
The slang language is of gypsey origin.
England, and the thieves of New York speak it to-day with very few differences
from the way in which the bandits of London pattered it when James the First
was king. This is so much the case that it would be impossible to compile a
distinctively American slang dictionary. The patter in use here was originally
imported by English experts, and whatever additions we have made to it have
been in turn carried back across the water, until, in short, the two have become
one.
A good many years ago the writer had occasion to visit a low tavern in a
London slum, not far from the Seven Dials, in company with a then famous Bow
street detective, Simon Burns. Among the people in the bar, whose patrons
numbered some of the most dangerous and desperate criminals in England, and,
therefore, in the world, were four who were drinking half and half at a table in a
The brand of crime was stamped upon their faces, and they were
corner.
altogether as ugly a party as one might fear to meet, in a dark night on a lonely
road, when one had anything worth losing. They were conversing in a strange
tongue to me, though I was acquainted with most of the European languages.
Their's seemed perfect gibberish, the more so as I could pick out of it here and
there a French, Spanish or Italian word, mingled with guttural low Dutch, German
and English. Sergeant Burns laughed when I spoke to him about it.
"Why, they were talking patter," he said.
"You mean thieves' slang ?"
"Yes."

50827

6

SOMETHING

ABO

UT

SLNG.

Since that time my profession has brought me into contact with the people
who speak the patter which so puzzled me in London, in many climes, and their
queer-language is no longer strange to me. I speak it as well as any of them,
and better, perhaps, than any man in my line in the world. It possessed a
singular fascination for me, and I studied it with the enthusiasm of a schoolboy.
I)jave, too, kept track of the changes in and the additions to it ever since. It
is a strange tongue, so little understood outside of the class which uses it that
few, even of the detectives who shadow them with a perpetual menace, are
conversant with more than a few technical phrases of it.
Its basis is the
Romany or Gypsey dialect, as has been already said. Consequently you find it
full of words of French, Spanish and Italian origin, modified and mixed up
with corruptions of the English. These queer, horse-stealing, fortune-telling
nomads, in their many wanderings over the face of the earth, picked up a
smattering of all languages, and finally incorporated them in one. The mysterious
dialect this created very naturally struck some clever rogue, who came in contact
with them, as an excellent one for him to know and make a medium of intercommunication with his associates. So he learned it and taught it to others. In
time many of the favorite expressions in use among this class were grafted on it,
until it actually formed a language of its own, a language which spread among all
people into which a "crooked" man ever penetrated.
The flash patter, as will be understood, therefore, is the closest approach to a
universal tongue we have yet reached. The language of the rogue in New York
is the language of the rogue all the world over.
To those who understand it it is a perfectly complete vocabulum. Thanks to
it the Frenchman, the Russian, or any of the rest of those people to whom the
English proper is an unknown quantity, can talk to one another, or to the denizens
of London and New York, while the latter, through the same medium, can make
themselves equally intelligible in the slums of Paris or St. Petersburg, though
French or Russian may be perfectly foreign to them.
To any one who " makes the rounds " of a great city a knowledge of patter
is as indispensable as it is to the criminal himself. Many a man has found himself suddenly brought face to face with a deadly peril which he might have
avoided readily had he known enough slang to be warned by what was being said
within his hearing. More than one instance is known in which the victim has
actually sat listening to the plot for his own injury, which was being discussed
under his very nose with perfect impunity. I remember once having a talk with
a notorious ruffian who lay in the Tombs awaiting trial for participation in beating
a man to death, in the course of which he said with a hoarse laugh:
"And the funniest part of it was that he was soaking beer at the same table
with us, and we put the job up on him in patter while he was a listening. ' That's
a queer lingo you're talking, boys,' says he. ' What do you call it ?' ' We call
it graveyard Latin,' says I, and the way he laughed was too funny for anything.
The cursed fool laughed on the other side of Jordan before half an hour was
out."
Policemen, to whom the flash vocabulum ought to be an open book, know
only a few words of it, and the criminal can converse in the presence of an officer
with as much impunity as if he were alone. The detectives, as I have already
said, are almost equally ignorant of this language which is so important a one to
them. These will find the book invaluable. To the reader of THE NATIONAL
POLICE GAZETTE of New York it will render easy the comprehension of the terms
writers and correspondents are often forced to use to explain the criminal subjects
they deal with. A feature of it will be found to be the full dictionary of terms in
use in the sporting world, the terms of the gaming table and the prize ring incorporated in the body of the work.

SLANG DICTIONARY.
A
Abraham. To sham; to pretend sickA poor
Abraham-Cove.
ness.
man; a ragged beggar; an imposter.
Abroad. Confused; staggered; perplexed.
Academy. A penitentiary or prison for
minor offenses.
Accounts. To cast accounts; to vomit.
Ace of Spades. A widow.
Ackruffs. River thieves.
Acorn. Gallows.
Active-Citizen. A louse.
Adam. An accomplice. Adam-Tiler. A person whose business it is to
receive the plunder from a pickpocket
and get away with it so that, in case
of arrest, nothing may be found on
him to criminate him.
Addle-Cove. A foolish man; an easy
dupe; literally a rank sucker.
Agaze. Astonished; open-eyed.
Agog. Anxious; impatient. Agogare.
Be quick! A warning signal.
Air and Exercise. A sentence to the
Island or any House of Correction, to
denote a short term of imprisonment.
Flabbergasted; stupefied
Alamort.
with confusion; literally thunderstruck.
Albert. A chain.
Albonized. Whitened.
Altemal. All together; the sum total
of a bill or story; cut it short.
Altitudes. Drunkenness.
Amerace. Very near; within call.
Amputate. Cut away; in the sense of
run; take flight; skip.
Amusers. Operators who throw snuff
or pepper in a victim's eyes when an
accomplice robs him under a pretext
of rendering assistance.

Anchor. To come to a stop.
Anglers. Petty thieves who steal from
windows, etc., with hooked sticks or
fishing lines; operators who fish for
opportunities for jobs; reconnoiterers.
Ankle. A bastard; she has a sprained
ankle; she is the mother of a bastard.
Anodyne. Death; to anodyne; to kill.
Anointed. Flogged.
Ante Up. Pay; put up a wager.
Apples and Pears. Stairs.
Aqua. Water.
Arch. Chief. Arch-Cove. Leader of
mob or party; governor or high official; Arch-Duke. A funny fellow.
Arch-Gonnoff. Chief of a gang of
thieves.
Ard. Hot.
Ark. A boat or vessel.
Lodgers; fellows
Artful Dodgers.
who dare not sleep twice in the same
place for fear of arrest.
Artichoke. A low and old prostitute.
Articles. A suit of clothes.
Artist. An adroit rogue; a skilled
gamester.
Assay. Commence; try it.
Attleborough. Bogus; from the town
of Attleborough, where much pinchbeck jewelry is manufactured.
Auger. A prosy fellow; a bore.
Autum. A church. Autum-Bawler,
Autum-Jet. A preacher. AutumDiver. A pickpocket who practices
in churches.
Autumed. Married. Autum-Cove.
A married man. Autum-Cackler.
A married woman.
Avast. Hold on; stop;
Awake. To know; to put any one on
his guard.

8

SLANG

DICTIONAR Y.

B
Baby-Pap. A cap.
Badger.' A panel thief, who robs a
man after a woman has enticed him
to bed; it is also used for torment.
Bagged. Imprisoned; scooped in.
Bag of Nails.
Everything in confusion, or as topsy-turvy as a wellshaken bag of nails.
Ball. Prison allowance; a drink.
Ballum-Rancum.
A ball where all
the dancers are thieves and prostitutes.
Balsam. Money.
Bam. A lie; to humbug, or bamboozle.
Bandero. Widows' weeds.
Bandog. A sheriff's officer.
Bangup. The best.
Banker. In gaming the man who
backs the game; the capitalist in any
scheme of robbery.
Banty. Saucy; impudent.
Baptised. Drawned; watered liquor.
Barbary Coast. Water street; the
region of sailors' dance-houses in any
city.
Bardy. A sixpence.
Barker. A noisy coward.
Barking. Shooting. Barking Irons.
'Pistols.
Barnacles.
Handcuffs; spectacles;
also used for a good booty.
Barney. A prize fight that is sold.
Barrel-Boarder. A bucket-shop bummer; a low sot.
Barrel-Fever. Delirium tremens.
Baster. A house thief.
Bat. A street walker who only travels
at night.
Bay Window. Big belly; pregnancy.
Bazaar. A counter.
Beak. A magistrate; the nose.
Beam-ends. Thrown or knocked into
a sitting position.
Bean. A five dollar gold piece.
Bear. A broker who sells stocks on the
chances of their falling, when he can
buy them in again at a profit; a prostitute.
Beat. Get the best of any one by swindling. A Daisy Beat. A first-class
swindle.
Beaters. Boots.
Bean-Traps. Stylish sharpers; hightoned confidence men.

Ben. A vest. Benjamin. A coat.
Bender. A spree.
Bene. Good. Bene-bouse. Good
drink. Bene-Cove.
Better man.
Bene-Cull. Good fellow.
BeneDarkman. Good-night.
Bens. Tools.
Bess. A picklock of simple construction.
Betty, Betsey. Picklocks.
Betting His Eyes. A gambler's term
when anyone looks at a game but
does not wager.
Bever. An afternoon lunch; a cold
meal eaten in a hurry.
Bienly. Excellently.
Bilk. To cheat, especially used by
prostitutes for men who use and do
not pay them. A Bilk, in the gypsey
language, from which most English
slang is. derived, is a mean, contemptible fellow; a cheat of the lowest
order, who would fleece even his
blind grandmother.
Billy. An instrument consisting of a
handle of whalebone or plaited rawhide, about 14 inches long, with an
oval lump of lead, one smaller than
the other, at each end, the whole
being covered with netting, buckskin,
or india-rubber.
Billy-Butter. Mutton.
A soft fellow who
Billy-Noodle.
believes all the girls are in love with
him; a would-be masher.
Bill-of-Sale. Widows' weeds.
Bingavast. Clear out; get you gone.
Bingo. Liquor. Bingo Boy. DrunkBingo Mort. Drunken
en man.
woman.
Birthday-Suit. The skin; he's in his
birthday-suit, he is stark naked.
Bit. Outwitted; convicted; sentenced;
a burglar's instrument.
Bite. To steal.
Black-Act. Picking locks.
A lawyer.
Black-Box.
Black Cove-Dubber. Turnkey.
Blackleg. A gambler.
Black-Friars. Lookout! beware!
Black-Ointment. Raw meat.
Black-Spy. The devil.
Blarney. A picklock; to inheedle.

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SLANG DICTIONARY.

Bleak. Handsome.
Bleating-Rig.
Sheep stealing.
Bleed. To extort money by threats of
exposure; blackmail.
Blink. Not to see when one may;
to shut one's eyes to what is going on.
Bloat. A drunkard; a drowned corpse.
A prison.
Block-House.
Bloke. A man.
Bloss. Woman; mistress; girl.
Blotted. Written.
Blow. To inform.
Blowen. A thief's mistress.
Bludget.
A low female thief who
decoys her victims into alleyways,
etc., to rob them.
Bludgeoner. A bully; the pimp who
does the fighting for a house of ill
fame; a slugger.
Blue-Plum. A bullet.
Blue-Ruin. Bad gin.
Bluff. To bluster.
Bluffer. A hotel landlord.
Blunderbuss. An ignorant blowhard.
Blunt. Money.
The Tombs, or
Boarding-House.
any city prison. Boarding-School.
'A penitentiary.
Boat. To join as partner; to embark
on the same scheme.
Bob. A shoplifter; an operator who
carries off the plunder; an English
shilling.
Bob-Cull. A good fellow. Bob-mypal. My girl.
Body-Cover. Coat.
Bogus. Bad money.
Boke. Nose.
Bolt. Run away.
Bone. To steal; also to ask for anything. Boned. stolen; arrested.
Bonebox. The mouth.
Bonesetter. A surgeon; a hard riding
horse.
Bonnet. Hat.
Bonnetter. A stool pigeon.
Booby-Hatch.
Station house.
Boodle. Bad money. Boodle-Carrier. The man who carries the bulk
of the counterfeit money, which his
confederate, the Shover, passes a
piece at a time. The boodle-carrier
keeps close to the shover, and receives
the good money every time a piece is
changed, standing ready to vanish
with the bad at the first sign of trouble, leaving nothing to criminate his
confederate.

C

Booked. Arrested.
Boosing-Ken.
A drinking shop.
Booze, liquor.
Booth. A place in which thieves congregate.
Bordello. A house of ill fame.
Boshing. A flogging.
Bots. Boots.
Bottle-Head. A blockhead.
Bottom. Power of endurance.
Bounce. To swagger; to eject with
violence. Bouncer. A thief who
robs with a lot of swagger; a bully.
Bouncing-Cheat. A bottle.
Boung. A purse.
Bower. A prison.
Bowsprit.
Nose.
Bowsprit in
Parenthesis. A pulled nose.
Brace.
To get credit by swagger.
Brace it through. Do a thing by
sheer impudence.
Bracket-Mug. A very ugly face.
Brads. Money.
Brag. To boast.
Brass. Money; impudence.
Bread Bag. The stomach. BreadBasket. Stomach.
Break-o' Day-Drum. An all night
tavern.
Breakups. Steamboat landing; railroad station; any place, as theatre or
the like, where a crowd of people
separate.
Brevet-Wife. Mistress who lives with
a man till she has a right to his name.
Broad-Pitching.
Broads. Cards.
Three card monte.
Broady. Materials of any kind worth
stealing.
Broke. Cleaned out; beggared.
Brother. In the general sense, fellowman; Brother of the Blade. Soldier. The Bolus, doctor; buskin,
actor; bung, brewer; coif, lawyer;
gusset, pimp; quill, writer; string,
fiddler; surplice, minister; whip,
coachman, and so on.
Brown-Stone. Beer.
Bruiser. A professional fighter.
Brush. To humbug by flattery; an
encounter.
Brushing up a flat.
Prancing; flattering.
Brusher. A full glass.
Bubb. To drink.
Bubble. To cheat.
Bucco. A dandy.
Buck. A hack driver; a cheap swell.
Bucket-Shop. A low groggery.

10

rSLANG DICTIONARY.

Buckler. A collar.
Buck's Face. A man whose wife or
mistress is unfaithful to him.
A thief who sneaks into a
Budge.
store and is locked in, thus getting a
chance to admit an accomplice; liquor. Budger. An habitual drunkard.
A
Bufe. A dog. Bufe Napper.
dog thief; a mean rogue.
Buffer. A pugilist; a perjurer.
Swearing point
Buffing - it - home.
blank to anything; about the same as
bluffing it; making a bold stand on
no backing.
A
Bugger.
Bug. A breast-pin.
pickpocket.
Bugaroch. Pretty.
Bugging. Taking money from a thief
by a policeman.
Bull. A locomotive; a broker who
buys stocks low to hold for a rise.
Bulldogs. Pistols.
Thieves or swindlers
Bull-Traps.
who personate policemen.
Bully. A stone or lump of lead tied
in the end of a handkerchief.

Bulk and File. Shop lifters; two
pickpockets working together, the
bulk jostling the victim against the
file who robs him.
Bummer. A loafer.
Bumy-Juice. Porter or beer.
Bun. A fellow that can't be shaken off.
Bung. A purse or pocket.
Burning. Cheating. Burners. Swindlers with dice and cards.
Burnt out. Worn out roues; played
out. Burnt. Infected with a venereal disease.
Burst. A spree; the conclusion of an
entertainment.
Burster. A burglar; bread. Burst.
To enter by force.
Bus-napper. A constable.
Buss. Kiss.
Bustled. Confused; puzzled.
Butter-Ken.
A store.
Butteker.
Store or shop.
Buttered. Whipped; flattered.
Button. To rope a greenhorn in to
gaming; to fasten on to anyone.
Buzzing. Seeking for; also talking to
confidentially.

C
CabCab.
A house of ill fame.
Moll. A madam.
Cabbage. To steal slyly.
Cackle. To blab.
Cad. A railroad conductor; a bogus
gentleman.
Cadger. A beggar; a mean thief.
Cady. A hat.
Cag. Sulky; morose.
Cain and Abel. A table.
Cake. A stupid policeman; a booby.
Calfskin-Fiddle. A drum.
Calle. A gown.'
Camesor. A shirt or chemise.
Can. A dollar.
A convict; a gold
Canary-Bird.
piece.
Cank. Dumb.
Cant. To give; a gift; slang talk.
Cannis-Cove. A dog fancier.
Cap. To join in a job; to assist.
Capper. One who backs another
up; a confederate at cards who makes
false bets in order to encourage the
genuine player.
Caper-Cove. Dancing-master
Cap-your-lucky. Run away.

Caravan. Rich.
Cardinal. Lobster. Cardinal Hash.
Lobster salad.
Carler. A clerk.
Carrel. Jealous.
Casa. A house.
Case. A dollar.
Cass. Cheese.
Cast. Course.
Caster. A cloak.
Castle. A house of prostitution.
Castor. A hat.
Cat. A drunken prostitute; a cross
old woman; a muff; a pewter
pot.
Catamaran. An ugly woman.
Cat and Mouse. Housekeeping.
Catter. A crowbar.
Caved. Gave in; surrendered.
Caxon. A wig.
Century. A hundred.
Chafer. The treadmill.
Chaff. Humbug. Chaffing. Bantering. Chaffey. Jolly; boisterous.
Chalk. To mark; to spot. To walk
your chalks. To run away. ChalkFarm. The arm; a dairy.

SLANG

DICTIONAR

SLN

DICTIONARY.

.

11
11

Chant. To talk; to inform. ChantCoves. Reporters.
Chapt. Thirsty.
Charley. A gold watch.
Charm. A picklock.
Chates. Gallows.
Chatts. Lice.
Chatty-Feeder. Spoon.
Charley-prescot. A waistcoat.
Cheek. Cool impudence.
Cheese it. Silence; hold your tongue.
Cherry. A young girl. Cherry-pipe.
A full-grown woman.
Chin. A child.
Chin-Chin. Chatter; gossip; a Chinaman.
Chink. Money.
Chinkers. Handcuffs and shackles,
united by a chain; coins.
Chips. Money.
Chive. A file or saw.
Chivey. To scold.
Choker. A cravat.
Chopped up. Stolen goods divided
into small lots and hidden in different
places. This is usually done by the
receiver as soon as he purchases the
plunder.
Chopper. A blow given from behind;
a card which wins and loses alternately.
Chovey. A shop or store.
Chouse. To swindletin a small way.
Christening. Polishing marks from
stolen watches and jewelry and putting others on.
Chump. Head; a fool.
Church. A term of endearment. "My
church," my dear.
Cinch. To get a grip on, metaphorically; to corner and put the screw on
any one.
City College. The Tombs.
Cleaned out. Dead broke, after a
robbery or a game of cards, etc.
Clankers. Silver pitchers, etc.
Claret. Blood.
Clean. Expert; smart.
Clear. Be off; run.
Clerked. Imposed upon.
Artificial sores made by
Cleymans.
beggars to impose on people.
Click. A blow; a thrust. Clicker.
A knock down.
Clink. To snatch; to grab.
Clout. Handkerchief.

ing pockets.
Cly-faker. A pickpocket.
Coachwheel. A silver dollar.
Cocked. Drunk. Cocked his toes
up. Died.
Cock and ben club. A place frequented by thieves of both sexes.
Cocky. Cheeky.
Cocum. Wary; sly.
Coffee.
Beans.
Greased coffee.
Pork and beans.
Cog. To cheat; a tooth.
Cold Deck. A prepared deck of cards
played on a green board.
Copper. Playing a card to win or lose,
in faro; a policeman.
Cold-pig.
A person who has been
robbed of his clothes; a corpse.
Collar.
To capture; to seize or
take.
College. State prison. College chum.
Fellow prisoner.
Coltman.
A burglar's livery stable
keeper.
Commissary. The person who fixes
the ropes and stakes for a prize fight.
Commission. Shirt or chemise.
Commister. Minister.
Commit. To inform.
Conk. Nose.
Consolation. Assassination.
Convenient. A mistress.
Confidence man. A plausible swindler who operates by gaining the confidence of his victim.
Cop. A policeman, so called from the
copper badges the first regular policemen here used to wear under Mayor
ArFernando Wood. Coppered.
Copped to rights.
Arrested.
rested on undoubted evidence.
Copbusy. The act of handing plunder to a confederate so as to have
clean hands when arrested.
Cook. To melt. Cooked his goose.
Did for him for good.
Corned. Drunk.
Cornered. In a tight place.
Corn-thrashers. Farmers.
Counter-hitting. When both parties
in a fight strike each other at the same
time.
Couple. To live with.
Cove. A man.
The fellow that covers the
Cover.
pickpocket while he is operating.

Clower. A basket.
Cly. A pocket. Cly-faking.

Coving. Theft of jewelry by palming
it as a conjuror does.

Pick-

12,

12

SLANGS

DICTIONARY.

SLN

DITINAY

Cow. A broken down prostitute.
Cow's grease.
Butter.
Cow's
juice. Milk. Cows and kisses.
The ladies.
Crack.
To force; to burst open.
Cracksman.
A burglar by violence.
Crabs. Feet. Crab-shells. Shoes.
Crammer. A lie.
Cramped. Killed; murdered; hanged.
Cramp-words.
The death sentence.
Cramping-cull.
Executioner.
Cramp-rings. Shackles or handcuffs.
Cranky. Crazy. Cranky-cab. Insane asylum.
Crash. To kill.
Creamy. Secretly.
Creature. Liquor.
Creeme. To slip money to any one.
Crib. A house.
Croak. To murder; to die. Croaked.
Dead. Crokus. A doctor.
Croakers. Newspapers.
Crooked.
Dishonest.
Crook.
A
dishonest person.
Crosleite. To cheat a friend.
Cross. Dishonest.
Cross-cove. A
thief.
Cross-drum.
A thieves'
tavern.
Cross-buttock. To get an adversary
on the hip and then throw him.

Crossed. To pass any body.
Cross-fanning. Picking a pocket with
the arms folded across the chest.
Crow. A sentry posted outside a place
which is being robbed to give warning of danger.
Crumey. With full pockets; lousy.
Crump. A man who gives perjured
evidence or who procures it.
Crusher. A policeman.
Cuffin-queers. Magistrates.
Cuffir. A man.
Culing. Snatching purses from ladies.
Cull. A man; a partner. '
Cupshot. Drunk.
Curbinglaw. Stealing goods out of
show windows.
Curlers. Sweaters of gold coin.
Curtisans. Broken - down lawyers;
Tombs' shysters.
Cut. To abandon; to deny acquaintance; drunk. Cut sticks. Ran for it.
Cut-bene. Pleasant words; to speak
kindly.
Cutter. A first-class burglar's tool for
cutting through iron bars.
Cutting his eyes.
Commencing to
drop; suspicious. Cutty-eyed. To
look suspiciously.
Cut-up. Turned out to lie. Cut up
very fat. Proved to be very rich.
Cymbal. A watch.

D
Dace. Two cents.
Daddies. Hands.
Dairy. A woman's breast.
Daisy-roots. Boots and shoes.
Daisyville. The country.
Dakma. Silence.
Damber - cove.
Damber.
First.
Head man.
Danan. Stairs.
Dance at his death. To be hung.
Dancing. Sneaking up-stairs to commit some theft.
Danglers. A bunch of seals.
Dapper. Well made.
Darbies. Handcuffs; fetters;
Darby. Cash.
Darkey. A dark lantern.
Daub. A ribbon.
Davey. Affidavit.
Dawb. To bribe.

Dead beat. Without hope; played
out.
Dead-set. A combined attack.
Dead-swag. Plunder that can't be
easily gotten rid of.
Dead to rights. Positively guilty.
Death-hunter. Undertaker.
Deek the cove. Look at him.
Dells. A prostitute.
Derrey. An eyeglass.
Devil-books. Cards.
Dew-beaters. Feet.
Dews. Ten dollar gold pieces.
Dial-plate. The face.
Diary. To remember.
Dib. Portion or share. Dibs. Money.
Diddle. Liquor; to cheat. Diddlecove. A landlord.
Die. Pocket-book; the dummy used
by a pocket-book dropper.

Day-lights. The eyes.
Dead-broke. Not a cent.

Dift-cove. A neat little man.
Diggers. Finger nails.

SLANG

DICTIONVAR Y.

13

Drab. A disreputable woman.
Drag. A wagon. Dragging. Stealing from shop doors.
Dragman.
A thief who steals from wagons and
carts.
Dragons. Gold coins.
Drawing. Pocket picking.
Dray. Three.
Dromedary. A clumsy lout.
Droppers. Operators at the pocketbook dropping game.
Drum. A tavern. Drumstick. A
club.
Dub. A key; a picklock. Dub lay.
Robbing houses by picking the locks.
Dub o' the luck. A blow on the
head. Dub the jigger. Open the
door.
Dubber. An expert lock
picker.
Duce. Two.
Duds. Clothes.
Duff. Pudding.
Duffer was originally applied to the bogus sailors who
or measure.
pretended to sell smuggled goods; it
Donnez. To give.
now means an ignoramus, also.
Dopey. A thief's mistress.
Dukes. The hands.
Dookin-cove. A fortune-teller.
Dummy. A pocket-book. Dun. An
Dose. Burglary.
importunate creditor. Dunny. Deaf.
Doss. A bed.
Dunnakin.
It can't be helped; a
Dots. Money.
very necessary chamber utensil.
Doubler. A blow that caused the perDunnock. A cow. Dunneker. A
son struck to bend forward.
cattle thief.
Down. To get the better of; to disDuria. Fire.
like; to suspect.
Dust. Run; money.
Downer. A five cent piece.
Downey. A smooth talker. Down- Dustman. Dead man.
Dusty. Dangerous.
ey cove. A knowing fellow.
Dutch courage. Cowardice; having
Dowse. To strike; to put out.
to brace up on liquor.
Doxie. A girl.
Dimber. Handsome. Dimber mort.
A pretty girl.
Ding. To throw away; to strike.
Dip. A pickpocket; a stolen kiss.
Dipt. Pawned.
Dispatch. A warrant.
Diver. A pickpocket. Diving. Picking pockets. Diving bell. A cellar
saloon.
Doing Polly.
Picking oakum in jail.
Doing work. Training for a prize
fight.
Doash. A cloak.
Doctors. False cards or dice.
Dog-nippers. Dog stealers.
Dog's-paste.
Sausage; mince meat.
Dolly shop. A junkshop.
Dommerer. A fellow who pretends
to be deaf and dumb.
Donbite. A street.
Done. Convicted; swindled.
Donkey-riding. Cheating in weight

E
Earth-bath. A grave.
Ease. To rob.
Eason. To tell.
Easy. Killed; to gag.
Eat. To take back an assertion; to
retract.
Eaves. A henroost. Eavesdropper.
A chicken thief; a low thief generally.
Edge. Encourage; egg on.
Elbow. Turn a corner; get out of
sight. Elbow room. Liberty; freedom from pursuit. Elbower. Fugitive. Elbow shaker.
Gambler
with dice.
Elbow crooker.
A
hard drinker.

Elephant. A victim with a big
booty.
Elfen. Walk on tiptoe; lightly.
Emperor. A drunken man.
Equipped. Rich; full of money; well
dressed.
Eriffs. Young thieves.
Eternity-box. A coffin.
Even. The player who trys to make
Having lost
up what he has lost.
$50, he stakes another $50, perhaps

his last, for the purpose of getting
back what he had lost, to be even
with the bank, or get broke in the
attempt.

14

BLANG DICTIONARY.

Everlasting. The treadmill.
Evil. A wife; matrimony; a halter.
Ewe. An old woman.

Execution-day.
Wash day; house
cleaning.
Eye. Nonsense; humbug.

F
Facer. A glass filled brim full; one
•who places himself in the way of
persons who are in hot pursuit of his
accomplices; a severe blow struck
directly in the face.
Fadge. It wont do, " It wont fadge."
Fag. A lawyer's clerk; to beat. Fag.
ger. A small boy put into a window
to rob the house, or to open it for
others to rob.
Figger means the
same.
Faggot. To bind; a bad woman.
Faiking. Cutting out the wards of a
key.
Fakement.
A written or printed
paper; the written deposition of a
witness.
Faker. A jeweler; a curbstone peddler; an actor.
Family-man.
A receiver of stolen
goods.
Fams. Hands. Fam lay. Robbing
a store by pretending to examine
goods.
Fam grasp.
To shake
hands. Fam squeeze. To strangle.
Fan. A waistcoat.
Fanny-Blair. Hair.
Farmer. An alderman.
Fastner. A warrant.
Fat. Money.
Faters. Fortune-tellers.
Feeders. Silver spoons or forks.
Feinting. Making pretense of delivering a blow.
Feker. Trade; profession.
Feint. A pawn-broker.
Fen. A common woman.
Fence. A receiver of stolen goods;
to buy or sell stolen goods. Fenced.
Sold.
Ferm. A hole.
Fib. To beat. Fibbing. Short, quick
blows when the parties are close to
each other.
Fiddler.
A pugilist that depends
more upon his activity than upon his
bottom.
Fidlam Bens.
Thieves who have no

thing they can remove.
Fidlam
Coves. Small thieves who steal any
thing they can lay hands on.
Figdean. To kill.
Figner. A petty thief.
Figging-law.
The art of picking
pockets.
Figure-dancer. One who alters the
numbers or figures on bank notes.
File. Pickpocket.
The file is generally accompanied by the "Adam
tiler" and the " bulker " or "staller."
It is their business to jostle, or "ramp "
the victim, while the " file" picks his
pocket and then hands the plunder to
the Adam tiler, who makes off with it.
Fine. Sentence.
Fine fettle.
In good condition;
healthy.
Finnef. Five.
Fire. Danger.
Fish. A seaman.
Fitter. A locksmith who makes burglars' keys.
Fizzle. To escape; a failure. Fizzled. Broke up; miscarried.
Flag-about. A low strumpet.
Flam. To humbug.
Flame. A mistress.
Flappers. Hands.
Flash. Knowing; up to snuff. Flash
man. One who has no visible means
of support but lives in good style and
shows up well.
Flash drum.
Thieves' tavern.
Flash house,
flash panny.
A rogue's resort.
Flash ken.
Thieves' boardinghouse. Flash your ivory. Laugh.
Flash your diles.
Spend your
money.
Flat. An honest man; a greenhorn.
Flatter-trap. The mouth.
Flawed. Half drunk; a little " crooked ;" quick tempered.
Flay. To vomit; to swindle of everything.
Flesh-broker. A procuress.
Flicker.
To drink.
Flickering.

particular lay, whose every finger is a
Drinking; laughing.
fish-hook; fellows that will steal any Flicking. Cutting.

SLANG

DITIONARY.

SLANG DiCTIONARY.

Flimp. To tussle. Flimping. Garroting; highway robbery.
Flimsey. A bank note.
Fling. To get the best of; to cheat.
Flog. A whip.
Floorer. A knock-down blow. Floorers or trippers. Fellows that cause
persons to fall or slip in the street,
and, while assisting them up, steal
their watch or portmonnaie. They
are sometimes called "rampers."
Flue-scrapers. Chimney-sweeps.
Flush. Plenty.
Flute. The recorder of a city.
Flux. To cheat; over-reach.
Fly. Knowing.
A flyer is to buy
some stock with a view to selling it in
a few days, and either make or lose,
as luck will have it.
Fly-cop. Sharp officer; one who understands his business.
Flyers. Shoes.
Flying coves.
Fellows who obtain
money by pretending to persons who
have been robbed, that they can give
them information that will be the
means of recovering their lost goods.
Flying-jiggers. Turnpike gates.
Fob. To cheat.
Fog. Smoke.
Fogle. A pocket-handkerchief. Foglehunting. Stealing pocket-handkerchiefs.
Fogram. A fussy old fellow.
Fogue. Fierce; fiery.

15
15

Fogus. Tobacco.
Fork. A pickpocket. Forks. The
fore and middle fingers; in pugilism,
the hands.
Fossed. Thrown.
Foul. An unwarrantable interference
on the part of a second to frustrate
an opponent's designs.
Foul blow. A blow given contrary
to the accepted rules of the ring;
below the belt.
Foxey. Crafty; cunning.
Foxing.
Pretending to be asleep.
Foyster. A pickpocket; a cheat.
Framer. A shawl.
Free. To steal.
French cream. Brandy.
Fresh. Green.
Friday-face.
A dismal face, because Friday is hangman's day
and the condemned man looks
blue.
Frisk. To search; to examine.
Frog. A policeman. Frog and toe.
New York city.
Fubsey. Fat.
Fubsey dummy.
A fat pocket-book.
Fullied. Committed for trial.
Fumbles. Gloves.
Fun. To cheat.
Funk. To frighten. Funkers. The
very lowest order of thieves.
Fussock. An old fat woman.
Fustian. Wine.
White fustian.
Champagne.

G
Gab. Talk. Gabbey. A foolish talker.
Gadding the hoof.
Going barefoot.
Gaff. A theatre; a show.
Gaffing.
Tossing, pitching, throwing, like a
juggler performing; in gaming, the
gaff is a ring worn on the fore-finger
of the dealer. It has a sharp point on
the inner side, and the gambler,
when dealing from a two-card box,
can deal out the card he chooses;
some, however, are, smart enough to
do this trick without the gaff. It is
out of date, and the only city in
which it is now in use, is Baltimore.
The gaff has been the initiative idea
of tricks of this character, and many
improvements, of which it is the

foundation, have been discovered by
sharpers.
Gag. A smart saying.
Gage. A man. Gagers. Eyes.
Gait. Manner of making living, trade
or profession.
Galena. Salt pork. Galena, Ill., is a
famous pork market.
Galigaskin. A pair of breeches.
Gam. Steal.
Game. Courageous; unflinching; the
particular line of rascality the rogue
is engaged in; thieving; cheating.
Gammon. To deceive. Gammy.
Bad; N. G.
Gan. The mouth or lips.
Gander. A married man.
Gang. Company; squad; mob.

16

SLANG DICTIONAR Y.

Gapeseed.
Wonderful stories; any
thing that will cause people to stop,
look, or listen,
Garret. The head. Garretting. To
rob a house by entering it through
the scuttle or an upper window.
Garrote.
To choke.
Garroters
work together by threes.
The tallest steps behind the victim, and putting his right arm around the neck,
compresses the windpipe, and at the
same time locks the right leg by throwing his own around it. Another secures
his hands, while the third rifles his
pockets. Should the garrotting be
done on a public thoroughfare, where
people are passing, the garroters engage in laughter and jocular remarks,
as if it were a pleasant lark among
friends.
They sometimes sprinkle
rum on and about the victim's neck
and face, so as to induce persons who
find him, after they have left him half
dead and stupefied, to think he is
drunk.
Gave in. Yielded.
Gatter. Drink of any kind.
Gelt, Money.
German flute. A pair of boots.
Getaway.
A locomotive; railroad
train.
Gig. A door. Gigger. A lock. Gigger dubber. A turnkey.
Gigg. A nose. Giglamps. Spectacles.
Gill. A woman.
Gilly. A silly young fellow,
Gilt. A crowbar.
Gilt-dubber. A hotel thief.
Gilyore. Plenty.
Gingerly. Cautiously.
Gip. A thief.
Glass. An hour.
Glaze. Glass.
Glazier. A fellow
that breaks windows or show-cases,
to steal the goods exposed for
sale.
Glib. Smooth; polite.
Glibe.
Writing; a written agreement.
Glims. Eyes.
Glimsticks. Candlesticks,
Glim flashy.
In a passion; savyage.
Glimmer. The fire.

Gnostics. Knowing ones; sharps.
Gnarler. A little dog, who, by his
barking, alarms the family. Gnarlers
are more feared by burglars than guns
or pistols.
Go. The fashion. "All the go," all
the fashion.
Goads. Peter Funks; cappers in gaming houses.
Goaways. Railroad trains.
Go back on. To turn against.
Goater. Dress.
Gob. The mouth. Gobsticks. Siltver forks or spoons.
Gobstrings.
A bridle.
Godfathers. Jurymen, because they
name the degrees of crime.
Goldfinch. Coin.
Gonnoff. A distinguished thief.
Gook. A prostitute.
Good-wooled. Unflinching courage.
Goree. Gold dust.
Gorger. A well dressed man.
Goosecap. A fool.
Gooseberry.
A woman. Goosing
slum.
A brothel.
Gooseberry
lay. Stealing clothes from lines.
Got him down close or fine. Know
all about him; got home a telling
blow.
Go the jump. Sneak into a room
through the window.
Governor's stiff. A pardon.
Grabbed. Arrested. Grabble. To
seize.
Graft. To work. Grafting. Helping
another to steal.
Grassville. The country.
Grease. A bribe.
Greed. Money.
Grig. A merry fellow.
Grim. A skeleton. Old Grim. Death.
Gripe.fist. A broker; a miser.
Groggy. Not able to stand erect from
punishment received.
Groaners.
Funeral
and church
thieves.
Grogham. A horse.
Gropers. Blind men.
Ground sweat. A grave.
Gruel. Coffee; in pugilism, punishment.
Grunter. A country constable.
Gummey. Medicine.
Gun. To watch; to look at. Gunned.

Glum. Sombre; low-spirited.
examined.
Glutton. A fellow that can stand a Gunpowder.
great deal of beating.
man.

A peppery-tempered

/

WORKING !A'SUCKER.

SLA G DICTIONAR Y.

17

Guns. Pickpockets. Gun. A thief.
and tell the suckers that they have
been cheated.
Guerrillas. A name applied by gamblers to fellows who skin suckers when Gutter. Porter.
and where they can; who do not like Gutter-lane.
The throat.
Gullet.
The throat.
the professional gamblers, but try to
beat them, sometimes inform on them, Guy. A dark lantern.

H
Hackum. Slasher with a knife.
Half-a-hog. A five-cent piece. Halfa-ned.
A five-dollar gold piece.
Six months' imHalf-a-stretch.
prisonment.
Hamlet. A captain of police.
Hams. Pants. Ham. A loafer.
Handle. Nose; name.
Hang bluff. Snuff.
Hang it up. Remember it.
Hang out. The place one lives in.
Hangman's day. ,Friday is so called
from the custom of hanging people
on a Friday.
Hank. To know something about a
man that is disreputable.
Hard cole. Silver
Hard. Metal.
or gold money. Hardware. False
coin.
Hare it. Return; come back.
Harman
A constable.
Harman.
beak. The sheriff.
Harp. A woman.
Harridan. A haggard old woman; a
scold.
Hash. To vomit.
Hatches. In distress; in trouble; in
debt.
Hawk. A confidence man; a swindler.
Havil. A sheep.
Havey cavey. Wavering; doubtful.
Heave. To rob. Heaving. Stealing; taking.
Heaver. The breast or chest of a
person.
Heavers. Persons in love.
Hedge. To bet on both sides; to be
friends with both sides.
Heels. To run away.
Heeler. An accomplice of the pocketThe heeler stoops
book dropper.
behind the victim, and strikes one of
his heels as if by mistake. This draws
his attention to the pocket-book that
lies on the ground.

Hemp. To choke.
Hen. A woman.
Herring. All bad; all alike.
Hickey.
Tipsy; not quite drunk;
elated.
Hickjop. A fool.
Hicksam.
A
countryman; a fool.
High beak. The first judge; the president; the governor; the head official.
High coloring. In pugilism, drawing
blood freely.
Highflyer. An audacious, lewd woman.
High bloke. A judge.
High gag. Telling secrets.
High Jinks. Small gamblers.
High-liver. A fellow that lives in a
garret.
High pads. Highway robbers.
In a passion; very
High ropes.
loud.
High tide. Plenty of money.
High tobers. Gonnoffs; the highest
order of thieves, who generally go
well dressed, and frequent wateringA highway
High toby.
places.
robber.
Hike. Run away.
Hip inside. Inside coat pocket. Hip
outside. Outside coat-pocket.
History of the four kings. A pack
of cards.
Hock. Caught in hock; caught by
the heels. The last card in the box.
Among thieves a man is in hock when
he is in prison; but when one gambler is caught by another, smarter
than himself, and is beat, then he is
in hock. Men are only caught, or
put in hock, on the race-tracks, or on
the steamboats down South. In a
hock-game, if a man hits a card, he
is obliged to let his money lie until it
either wins or loses. Of course there
are nine hundred and ninety-nine
chances against the player, and the

18
18

SLANG

DICTIONARY.

SLA7f~ DICTIO2~ARY~

oldest man living never yet saw him
win, and thus he is caught in hock.
Hobb. A country fellow. Hobinol.
A clown. Hobnail. A countryman.
Hob or nob. What will you drink ?
Hod. A mason; a builder.
Hog in armor. A blustering officeholder. Hog in togs.
A welldressed loafer.
Hogo. High-flavored; strong-scented.
Hogg. A ten-cent piece.
Hoist. To rob houses by climbing
into a window. It is generally done
by two or three fellows, one of whom
stands close to the house, and the
others clmb up on him to the window.
Hoistlay. Hoisting.
Hoister. A shop-lifter; a sot.
Hoisting. Putting a man upright on
his head, and shaking him until his
money and watch fall out of his pocket;
they hold this to be no robbery.
Hollow. Certain; a decided beat.
Honey. Money.
Hoody-doody. A short clump of a
person.
Hoof. Foot. Beat the hoof. Travel
on foot.

Hooked. To steal. Hooker. A thief;
a prostitute.
Hoop. A ring.
Hoop it. Run away.
Hop the Twig.
Be off; go off.
Hopped the twig. Hung.
Hork. Listen; hear.
Horness. Watchman.
Horse-cappers.
Fellows that cheat
simple people out of their money by the
aid of a broken-down first-class horse.
Hostel. A tavern.
Hot. Too well known.
House to let. A widow's weeds.
Hubbub. -Pain in the stomach.
Hue. Lash him.
Huey. The NATIONAL POLICE GAZETTE.
Huff. A bullying, cowardly fellow.
Hug. To choke.
Hugging the hooker. Choking the
thief.
Humbox. An auctioneer's rostrum.
Hummer. A great lie.
Humphrey.
A coat used by pickpockets, that has pocket-holes, but no
pockets.
Hush. Murder.
Hush-stuff. Money given to prevent
a witness from testifying.

Icken.
Oak.
Icken baum. An
oak tree.
Idea-pot. A man's head.
Impost-taker. One who lends money
to thieves and gamblers at very high
rates.
Impudent. To cut the tails of a man's
coat to get what is in the pockets.
Impure. A lady of easy virtue.
In difficulties. Nearly defeated. In
mourning. The eyes blackened and
closed up.
In trouble. Almost
beaten.
Indorser. One who flogs another on
the back.
Inglers.
Horse-dealers who cheat
those that deal with them.
Inkle. Let him know.
Inlaid. Plenty of money saved.
Innocent. A corpse; an idiot. Innocents.
Convicts, because it is

supposed that they cannot commit
crime, and always deny guilt.
Insider. One who knows.
Intimate. A shirt.
Iron. Courage; fearless; staunch.
Iron doublet. Innocence; not guilty.
Ironed. Handcuffed.
Items. In gamblers' slang, looking
at a party's hand, and conveying to
the opposition player what it contains
A looking-glass is someby signs.
times used, sometimes signs which
mutes would only understand, and
sometimes the signs are agreed upon
and known only to the parties interested.
Ivy bush. A man who has a large
quantity of hair on his face and
head.
Ivories. The teeth.

SLANG DICTIONARY.

19

J
Jabber. To talk in an unknown language.
Jack. A small coin,
A mean, low fellow.
Jack cove.
Jack dandy. A little impertinent
fellow. Jack-gagger. A fellow that
lives on the prostitution of his wife,
Jack Ketch. The hangman. This
cognomen for the hangman is of very
ancient date. It is derived from the
real name of an English hangman
in the year 1682. Jack Ketch had
not been long appointed to his office;
his predecessor, " Squire " Dun, as he
was called, having lately died. The
addition of " Squire " to Dun's name
was an evidence that he had executed
some state criminal, which, according
to the custom of the times, accorded
to him that title. The predecessor
of Dun was one Gregory, from whom
the gallows was called the " Gregorian
tree," in the slang of the time. Gregory succeeded Derrick, who flourished
in the year 16o8, as we find in an old
book of that time: " For he rides his
circuit with the devil, and Derrick
must be his host, and Tyburn the
inne at which he will light."
Jacob. A ladder,
Jacobite. A shirt-collar.
Jack of legs.
A very tall fellow.
Jack-run. A license. Jack Sprat.
A small fellow. Jack Wright. A
fat fellow,
Jade. A long term of imprisonment.
Jagger. ' A gentleman,
Jague. A cut; a ditch,
Jam. A gold ring.
Jammed. Killed; murdered; hanged.
Janasmug. A go-between; one who
goes between the thief and the
fence.
Janazaries. A mob of pickpockets.
Japanned. A convict is said to be
japanned when the chaplain pronounces him to be converted,
Jark. A seal.
Jarkman. One who writes characters
for servants, begging petitions, etc.;
a begging letter writer,
Jarvey. A driver.
Jasker. A seal.
Jaw coves. Auctioneers, lawyers.

Jazey.
A man with an enormous
quantity of hair on his head and
face.
Jeffey. Lightning.
Jem. A gold ring.
Jenney. A hook on the end of a
stick.
Jenny Linda. A window.
Jerry. A chamber-pot.
Jerry-sneak.
A hen-pecked husband.
Jessany. A man well dressed.
Jet autum.
parson.
Jew's-eye.
A pleasant, agreeable
sight.
Jig. A trick.
Jigger. A door.
Jilt. A prostitute who hugs and kisses
a countryman while her accomplice
robs him.
Jilter. A sneak-thief.
Jinglebrains. A wild, thoughtless fellow.
Job. A robbery. Do a job. Commit a robbery.
Job. Patience; take time; don't be
in a hurry.
Jobation. A reproof; painful.
Jobber-not.
A tall, ungainly fellow.
Job's dock. An hospital.
Jock. Enjoy.
Joey. .A hypocrite; sometimes four.
Jolly. The head; an excuse; a pretense. Jollying. In pugilism, low
expressions used by one combatant to
the other during the fight, for the purpose of irritating him and diverting
his attention.
Jomer. A mistress.
Jordan. Disagreeable; hard to be
done.
Jordain. A blow.
Joseph. A coat that's patched; a
sheepish, bashful fellow.
Guarded against
Joseph's coat.
temptation.
Joskin. A countryman; a silly fellow.
Jug. A bank.
Jump. A widow; run away. Jumped
his bail. Run away from his bail.

A

Jumpers.

Fellows that rob houses by

getting into windows.
Jurk. A seal.

SLANG DICTIONARY.

I

20

K
Kate. A smart, brazen-faced woman.
Katey. A picklock.
Keeler. A small tub, or firkin.
Keffel. A horse.
Kelter. Condition; order.
Ke-keya. Devil; Satan.
Ken. A house.
Ken-cracker.
A
house-breaker.
Ketch. Hang.
Kick. A pocket.
Kick-cloy. Apair of breeches. Kicksies. Pants; breeches.
Kicked the bucket. Dead.
Kid. A child; a youth; a young one.
Kiddies. Young thieves. Kidden.
A boys' lodging-house.
Kidment. Comical.
Kidsman. A fellow that boards and
lodges boys for the purpose of teaching them how to steal, putting them
through a course of training, as a dogtrainer will train dogs for the hunt.
The kidsman accompanies the kid,
and though committing no depredations himself, he controls and directs
the motions of the others.
Kidney. The same kind.
Kill devil. New rum.
Kimbaw. To bully; to beat.
Kinchin. A young child. Kinchin
Boys taught how to steal.
coves.

Kinchin morts. Girls educated to
steal. Kinchen lay. Robbing children.
Kip. A bed. half a fool.
Kirjalis. Who fears; I fear not; come on.
Kirkbuzzer. A fellow that picks pockets in churches.
Kit. A dancing-master; the implements
of a burglar.
Kite. A letter; fancy stocks.
Kitchen Physic. Food.
Kiting. Restless; going from place to
place; onWall streetspeculating wildly.
Kittle. To tickle; to please. Kittler.
One who tickles or pleases.
Kittys. Stock in trade; tools.
Klemin. To strike.
Knapped. Arrested.
Knight of Alsatia. A person that
treats the whole company.
Knight of the Post. A person that
will swear any thing for money.
Knob. The head. Knob-thatcher.
A wig-maker.
Knock-me-down. Very strong liquorKnose. Tobacco; smoke.
Knot. A gang of thieves.
Knowledge-box.
The head.
Knuck. A pickpocket.
Kone. Counterfeit money.
Koniacker. A counterfeiter.

L
Lace. To beat; to whip.
Laced mutton. A common woman.
Lach. Let in.
Ladder. The gallows' steps.
"He
mounted the ladder," he was hung.
Lady. A humpbacked female.
Lady bird. A kept mistress.
Lag. A convicted felon.
Lagged.
Convicted; transported.
Lage. Water; a basket.
Lage of duds. A basket of clothes.
Laid. Pawned.
Lamas. High chips or checks representing $25,

$50,

and $ioo.

There

Lamb. A greenhorn; to flog.
Lambaste.
Flog.
Lambo.
beat with a club.
Lamp. Eye.
Land-yard. The grave-yard.
Land-broker. An undertaker.
Lantern-jawed. Thin-faced.
Lap. Drink; butter-milk; pick
to take; to steal.
Lap up. To wipe out; to put
sight.
Lark. A boat; a piece of fun;
ing for something to steal;

To

it up;
out of
looka
on

lark; a thief from doorsteps of news

papers, etc.
are no $i,ooo lamas, for the simple
reason that with $Ioo chips any Larrey. Cunning. Leary. Cunning,
amount of money can be laid on the Lathy. Not fat.
Latitat. Attorney.
table.

SLAN

21

DIrTIONARY.
-

-

-

-

Light mans. The day.
Lil. A pocket-book.
Lill. A bad bill.
Lily White.
A chimney-sweep; a
negro.
Limb. A lawyer, or lawyer's clerk.
Limbs. A long-legged fellow.
Limbo. A prison.
Lingo. Talk; language.
Lion. Be saucy; make a loud noise;
substitute noise for good sense; frighten; bluff.
Listeners. Ears.
Little figure. Ace, deuce, and tray.
Live eels. Fields.
Lob. A money-drawer; the till. Loblay. Robbing money-drawers. Lobsneak. A fellow that robs moneydrawers.
Lock. Sometimes a receiver of stolen
money; a character.
Loll. The favorite child; the mother's
darling.
Lollop. Lazy. Lollop fever. Lazy
fever.
Long. A large price. Long is when
a person or party has a plentiful supSenLong-gone.
ply of stocks.
tenced for life. Long-tailed-ones.
Bank bills for large amount.
Loo. For the good of all.
Looby. An ignorant fellow; a fool.
Look-out. The look-out at the gaming table is the man who is supposed
to keep every thing straight, and see
that no mistake is made, and that the
dealer does not neglect to lift any
money that he has won.
Lope. Run; be off,
Lord Lovel. A spade or shovel.
The prisoner's box in a
Lounge.
out.
criminal court.
Legged. Full-fettered; double-ironed.
Lowing-lay. Stealing cattle, oxen or
Lenten. Nothing to eat; starving.
Letch. Unusual fastenings to a door. . cows.
Leveller. When one of the contest- Lowre. Coin.
ants is brought completely to the Low tide. Very little money left.
Lugger. A sailor.
ground.
Lib. Sleep. Libbege. A bed. Lib- Lugs. Ears.
ben. A private house. Libken. A Lullaby kid. An infant.
Lullie-prigWet linen.
Lullies.
lodging-house.
Thieves who rob clothesgers.
Lick. To coax.
line.
Life-preserver. A slung-shot.
Lumbs. Too many; too much.
Lift. Help.
Lump. To beat.
Lifters. Crutches.
Lump of lead. A bullet; sometimes
Lig. A bedstead.
the head.
Light-house. A man with a very red
Lavender cove. A pawnbroker.
Law. " Give the cove law," give the
fellow a chance to escape.
Lay. A particular kind of rascality,
trade, or profession; on the look out;
watching for something to steal.
Lay-out. The lay-out, in faro, is
composed of all the cards in a suit,
commencing at the ace and ending at
These cards are pasted
the king.
upon a piece of velvet, oilcloth or
baize, which can be spread upon the
table whenever the dealer chooses to
open the game. When play has commenced, each player places his stake
upon any card he may choose, and as
the cards are drawn from the box, his
bet is determined.
Leaf. Autumn.
Leak. To impart a secret.
Leaky. Not trustworthy.
Leap the book. A false marriage.
Least. Keep out of the way; hide;
out of sight.
Leather. A pocket-book; portmonnaie.
Leaving out. When a dispute arises,
a referee of outsiders or lookers-on is
appointed, to whom the difficulty is
referred, and whose decision among
professional men is decisive.
Leery. On guard; look out; wide
awake.
Left-handed wife. A concubine. It
was an ancient custom among the
Germans for a man, if he married
his concubine, to give her his left
hand, instead of his right.
A gambler.
Leg-bail and land-security. RunaRun away; clear
Leg it.
way.

'Leg.

nose.

Lumping the lighter.

Transported.

22

SLANG DICTIONAR Y.

Lumber. To walk; to walk in a careless, unconcerned manner; to receive
stolen property from a thief for safe
keeping, or disposing of it for his
benefit. Lumberer. A pawnbroker.
Lumberer crib. A pawnbroker's
shop.
Lun. The funny fellow; a clown.

Lunan. A girl.
Lurch. Abandon.
Lurries. Valuables; watches; rings;
money.
Lush. Drink. Lushingtons. Drunken men. Lushy. Drunk.
Lustres. Diamonds.
Lye. Urine.

M
Mab. A harlot.
Mace cove. A false pretense man; a
swindler. On the mace. To live
by swindling.
Madame. A kept mistress.
A bad woman; a
Madam Rhan.
strumpet.
Made. Stolen.
Mad Tom. A fellow who feigns to be
foolish.
Madge. Private places.
Magg. A half-cent.
Magging. Getting money by cheating
countrymen with balls, patent safes,
etc. Magsmen. Fellows who are
too cowardly to steal, but prefer to
cheat confiding people by acting upon
their cupidity.
Make him swim for it. Cheat him
out of his share.
Manderer. A beggar.
Man-trap. A widow.
Mark. The pit of the stomach.
Marking. Observing; taking notice.
Married. Two fellows handcuffed together.
Mater. Mother.
Maudling. Crying.
Mauld. Very drunk.
Maunding. Asking alms; soliciting.
Mawks. A slattern.
Mawley. Hand.
Max. Gin; intoxicating liquor.
Mazzard. The face.
Measure. To examine closely.
Medlar. A fellow that smells bad.
Good-natured; a little inMellow.
toxicated.
Melt. To spend money.
Mentor. A second in the ring.
Merkin. Hair-dye.
Mesting. Dissolving; melting.
Middle-piece. The stomach.
A man that is easily
Milch cow.
cheated out of his money.

Milky. White.
Milky duds. White clothes.
Mill. The treadmill; a fight; a chisel.
Mill dose. Working in prison.
Milling cove. A pugilist. Millingpannies. Places or resort for pugilists in which sparring exhibitions are
given.
Mill lay. Breaking into houses; on
the crack.
Miller. A fighter.
Mill the glaze. Break the window.
Mill tog. A shirt.
Milken. A house-breaker.
Minnikon. Very small.
Mint. Plenty of money.
Mischief. A man with his wife on his
back.
Miss. A mistress.
Mish. A shirt.
Mish-topper. A coat or petticoat.
Mittens. Boxing-gloves.
Mitten-mill. A glove fight.
Mix-metal. A silver-smith.
Mizzle. Go; run; be off.
Moabites. Constables.
Mobility. The mob; opposition to
nobility.
Mobs. A number of thieves working
together.
Moey. A petition.
Mohair. An upholsterer.
Moiety. Fifty.
Moke. A negro.
Moll. A woman. Moll buzzer. A
thief that devotes himself to picking
the pockets of women.
Molley. A miss; a young woman; an
effeminate fellow.
Moll-sack. Reticule.
Mondongo. Filthy; full of stench;
it stinks beyond the power of endurance.
Moneker. A name.
Money. A private place.

SLANG

DICTIONAR Y.

Moon. One month; thirty days' imprisonment.
Moon-eyed hen. A squinting prostitute.
Morning drop. The gallows.
Morris. Move off; dance off.
Mort. A woman.
Moses. A man that fathers another
man's child for a consideration.
Mosh. Dining at an eating-house and
leaving without making payment.
Moss. Money.
Mopsey. A short dowdy woman.
Mopusses. Money.
A rich, ugly-faced man.
Moose-face.
To give false testimony.
Mount.
Mounter. Men who give false bail;
or who, for a consideration, will swear
to any thing required. Fellows who
hire clothes to wear for a particular
occasion; those who wear secondhand clothes,
Mouse. Be quiet; be still; talk low;
whisper; step light; softly.
Mouth. A noisy fellow; a silly fellow.

23

Mouth it. Speak loud. Mouthing.
Crying.
Moved. Bowed to.
Mow. To kiss.
Muck. Money.
Muck-worm.
A
miser.
Mud. A fool.
Mufflers. Boxing-gloves.
Mug. The face; a simple fellow.
Mull. To spend money.
Mum. Say nothing; nothing to say.
Mummer. The mouth.
Mumpers. Beggars.
Mund. Mouth.
Mung. To solicit; to beg.
Muns. The face.
Mush. An umbrella; the mouth, in
pugilism.
Mushroom-fakers. Umbrella hawkers.
Music. The verdict of a jury when
they find " not guilty."
Muss. A quarrel; a row.
M. T. Empty.
My uncle. A pawnbroker.

N
Nabbed. Arrested.
Nabcheat. A hat.
Nabgirder. A bridle.
Nabs. Coxcombs.
N acky. Ingenious.
Naider. Nothing; can't have it.
Nailed. Fixed; secured; taken; arrested.
Ran away; got out of
Namased.
sight.
Nap. To cheat. Napper. A cheat;
a thief; the head.
Narp. A shirt.
Nary. Not.
N ask. A prison,
Natty kids. Young thieves; smart,
well-dressed youngsters.
Not fastidious; a liberal,
Natural.
clever fellow.
Nazy coves.
Drunken.
Nazy.
Nazy Nobs.
Drunken fellows.
Drunken coxcombs or fops.
Neb. The face.
N eckweed. Hemp.
Ned. A ten-dollar gold piece.
Neddy. A slung-shot.
A woman with nothing on
Negligee.
but her shirt.

Neman. Stealing.
Nerve. Courage; endurance; staunoh.
Nescio. No; I know not; can't say.
Nettled. Diseased.
New light. New coin; new money.
Nib. The mouth.
Cutting
Nicking.
Nick. To cut.
out pockets. This mode of stealing
is only practised by the artists of the
fraternity.
Nickey. The devil; "Old Nick."
Nidering. Bad; without mitigation of
any kind.
Nig. To clip.
Nil. Nothing.
Nim. To steal.
Nimenog. A very silly fellow.
Nippers. An instrument for turning
a key on the outside of the door, used
by hotel-thieves. Nippered. Turning a key in the inside of a door,
with a peculiar pair of forceps or
nippers. Hotel-thieves use nippers to
enter rooms after the inmates have
gone to sleep.
Nipper-kin. A tumbler; a drinking
vessel.
Nique. Contempt; don't care.

24

SLANG DICTIONAB Y.

SLANG~ DICTIONARY.
24
Nug. Dear. My nug. My dear.
Nish. Keep quiet; be still.
Null. To flog.
Nix. Nothing.
Nob. One who stands at the head; a Nush. The mouth.
Nut. The head.
king; a man of rank.
Confederates of thimble- Nut-cracker. A severe blow on the
Noblers.
head.
riggers, who appear to play, to induce
the flats to try their luck with the Nums. Sham; not real.
Nypper. A cut purse, so called by a
"little joker."
person named Wotton, who, in the
Nocky boy. A simpleton.
year 1585, kept in London an acadeNod. Asleep.
my for the education and perfection
Noddle. An empty-pated fellow; a
of rogues in the art of abstracting
fool; the head of an animal.
At that
purses and pocket-books.
Noosed. Married.
period persons wore their purses at
Nope. A blow.
their girdles. Cutting them was a
Nose. A spy; one whoinforms.
branch of the light-fingered art, which
Nosemy. Tobacco,
is now out of use, though the name
Notch. A pocket.
remains. Instruction in the practice
Note. A singer.
of this art was given as follows: A
Nouse-box. The head.
purse and a pocket were separately
Nozzle. A chimney.
suspended, attached to which, both
Nub. The neck. Nubbing. Hanging.
around and above them, were small
Nubibus. In the clouds. Blow a
bells; each contained counters, and
nubibus. Make a smoke.
he who could withdraw a counter
Nunding. A cheat practised in games
without causing any of the bells to
of cards. The office of a nudger is
ring, was adjudged to be a " Nypper."
to touch an associate with his feet.
A nypper was a pick-purse; a pickThese nudgings are signs, which are
pocket was called a "Foyster."
denominated nudging.

0
Oaf. A silly fellow.
Oafish. Simple.
Oak. Strong; rich; good reputation.
Oak towel. An oaken cudgel,
Oar. Meddle with.
Occupy. To wear.
Ochives. Bone-handled knives.
Ochre. Money.
Office. Information conveyed by a
look, word, or in any way by which
the person receiving it is intelligently
impressed. Officing. Signalizing; a
preconcerted signal by a confederate.
Ogles. The eyes. Ogle the cove.
Look at the fellow.
Oil of barley. Strong beer.
O. K. All right; "011 kerect."
Old. Death.
Old doss. The Tombs.
Old Toast, Old Poger. The devil.
Old shoe. Good luck.
Oliver. The moon.
Oliver's skull. A chamber-pot.
Olli Compolli. The chief rogue; a
very smart thief.

On a string. To send a person to
look for something that you are sure
is in some other place, is putting him
on a string, or humbugging, fooling
him. When a girl flirts with a sucker
she has him on the string.
On his muscle. He presumes on his
abilities to fight.
On it. Getting a living by other than
honest means, say prostitution or
On the
theft. On the muscle.
fight; a fighter; a pugilist. On the
mace. Ready to cheat; cheating
for a living; a professional cheat.
On the sharp. Persons who are
well acquainted with the mysteries
of gaming, and therefore not easily
cheated. On the shallow. Half,
naked; green ; unsophisticated.
Optime. Class.
Oracle. To plan a robbery or any
kind of deceit. Work the oracle.
To carry the plan out.
Organ. Pipe.
Ostler. House thief.

r

i

Ii

.

;I/i

I

il/jI

.\\
\

.
\-

CRACKING

A

CRIB.

I

iI

i

g

SLANG DICTIONAR Y.

Ottomised. To be dissected. Ottomy. A skeleton.
Outs. Ex-officers; discarded mistresses
or lovers.
Out-and-out. A spree; a frolic; a
good fellow,
Out-and-outer.
Distinguished; firstclass.
Outsider. Not in the secret; not of
our party.
Outside pal. The thief that watches

25

outside when his confederates are
working within.
Outside plant. A sly place in which
the receiver keeps his goods after purchasing.
Oven. A large mouth.
Owls. Women who walk the streets
only at night.
Owlers. Smugglers.
Oxy. Stupid.
O yes. To cry out.

P
Packet. A false report.
Pad. A street; highway. Pad the
hoof. Walk the street; to be off.
Padding ken, A lodging-house.
Pair of wings. A pair of oars.
Palaver. Talk; flattery; conference.
Pal. A companion; partner.
Palliards. Female mendicants who
beg with a number of children, borrowing from others of the same fraternity if they have not enough of their
own, giving an opiate to one to make
it sleep, pinching and sticking pins
into another to make it cry, and making artificial sores on the arms, hands,
and face of a third, all to move the
hand of the benevolent from their
purses to the outstretched hand of the
beggar.
Palling in. A connection formed by
a male and female thief to steal and
sleep together.
Palm. To fee or bribe.
Palmer. A thief that adroitly slips
jewelry from the top of a show-case
into his pocket.
Palming.
Concealing cards in the
palm of the hand.
Pam. A knave.
Pannam. Bread.
Panny. A house.
Panter. The heart.
Panel-crib. A place especially fitted
up for the robbery of gentlemen who
are enticed thereto by women who
make it their business to pick up
strangers. Panel-cribs are sometimes
shakedowns,
badger-cribs,
called
touch-cribs, and are variously fitted
for the admission of those who are in
the secret, but which defy the scrutiny
Sometimes the
of the uninitiated.

casing of the door is made to swing
on well-oiled hinges which are not
discoverable in the room, while the
door itself appears to be hung in the
usual manner, and well secured by
bolts and lock. At other times the
entrance is effected by means of what
appears to be an ordinary wardrobe,
the back of which revolves like a
turn-style on pivots. When the victim has got into bed with the woman,
the thief enters, and picking the
pocket-book out of the pocket, abstracts the money, and supplying its
its place with a small roll of paper,
returns the book to its place. He
then withdraws, and coming to the
door raps and demands admission,
calling the woman by the name of
wife. The frightened victim dresses
himself in a hurry, feels his pocketbook in its proper place, and escapes
through another door, congratulating
himself on his happy deliverance.
The panel-thief who fits up a panelcrib tries always to pick up gentlemen
that are on a visit to the city on business or pleasure, who are not likely
to remain and prosecute the thieves.
Panzy. A burglar.
Paper-skull. A thin-skulled fellow.
Pap lap. An infant.
Parchment. A ticket of leave. Parchment coves. Ticket-of-leave men.
Parell. To make clear.
Parlieu. Is, in gaming, to allow one's
money to lie on the table, and double.
For instance, the player puts $5 on
the table, and it wins; instead of lifting it, he lets the original sum liethat is called a parlieu.
Parney. A ring.

26

SLANG

DIOTIONAR Y.

SLANG DICTIONARY.
26
Park railing. The teeth.
bag; a trunk; an iron chest; a cash
Parson. A guide-post.
box.
Peter-biter. A man who
Partial. Putting one's hand into ansteals baggage at hotels, railroad
other man's pocket; stealing.
depots, and from the back of coaches.
Pash. Price; cost.
Pharo. Strong malt liquor.
Pate. The head.
Pharse. The eighth part.
Patter. To talk.
Philistines. Police officers; officers
Pattered. Tried in a court of justice.
of justice.
Patrico. One who in olden time used Physog. The face.
to marry persons by placing the man Picaroon. A sharper; a rogue; a dison the right hand side and the woman
honest street walker.
on the left side of a dead animal. Picker-up. Gamblers of the higher
Causing them to join hands, he comgrade in New York never use the
manded them to live together till
word "roper-in."
It is usually confideath did them part, and so shaking
dence-men, ball-players, pocket-book
hands, the wedding was ended, gypsey
droppers, and others attached to that
fashion.
fraternity. The roper-in takes a man
Paum. To conceal in the hand. "To
over to Brooklyn or New Jersey, and
paum pennyweights," to steal jewelry
is an actor in the swindle; the pickerby working it with the fingers under
up takes his man to a gambling
the palm of the hand, and then up
saloon,, and there leaves him to be
the sleeve or into a pocket. These
enchanted, enchained and allured by
fellows are called paum-coves.
'what he sees. Sometimes he only
Paw. The hand or foot. Fore-paw.
gives the man he has picked up his
Hand.
Hind-paw. Foot.
card, which will admit him to a gamPeach. To inform; "to turn stag;"
ing-house, where he can play a card
to blow the gaff; to squeal or squeak.
of another description. The roper-in
Peak. Lace goods.
and the picker-up, therefore, should
Peal. A ball.
not be confounded. The picker-up
Pear. To draw supplies from both
is always a gentleman in manners,
sides; to give the officers information,
taste, dress, and appearance. He is
and then tell the thieves to get out of
thoroughly informed on all the topics
the way. Pear-making. The act
of the day. He first sees the man's
of drawing supplies from both sides.
name on the hotel-register, and where
Peccavi. I have sinned; I am wrong.
he is from. He then sees him out,
Peck.
Food.
Peck and booze.
studies his character, and ascertains
his means and the object of his visit
Food and drink. Peckish. Hungry.
Peculiar. A mistress.
to the city. Every man has some
Ped. A basket.
weak point which can be played
Peddler's pony. A walking-stick.
upon, and the duty of the picker-up
Peel. Strip; undress.
is to discover it. It does not take
him long generally to get a stranger
Peeper. A spy-glass; an opera-glass;
a looking-glass.
to visit a gambling-hell. Very many
Peepers. Eyes.
of the servants of hotels are in the
pay of pickers-up-the duty of the
A curious, prying
Peeping Tom.
servant to get information concerning
fellow, who minds other people's busiguests, which his employer can use.
ness more than his own.
Pickle. A smart fellow. In pickle.
Peepy. Drowsy.
In trouble.
Peer. To look cautiously about; to
Pickling. Stealing; petit larceny.
be careful. Peery. Suspicious.
Pickling-tubs. Shoes and boots.
Pegtantrum. Dead.
Picture-frame. The gallows.
Pelt. A passion; rage; the skin,
Jewelry; gold and Piece. Prostitute.
Pennyweight.
Pig. A police officer.
silver trinkets.
Pigeon.
A thief that joins in with
Peppery. Warm; passionate.
other thieves to commit a crime, and
Persuaders. Spurs.

Peter. A portmanteau; a travelling-

then informs the officer.

SLANG

DICTIONARY.

Pig's eyes. Small eyes.
Pig's foot. A jimmy cloven at onc
end like a pig's foot.
Pig together. Sleep together, two or
more in a bed.
Pig widgeon. A simple fellow.
Pike. To run away.
Piker. Is a man who plays very small
Plays a quarter, wins,
amounts.
pockets the winnings, and keeps at
quarters; and never, if he can help
it, bets on his winnings.
Pilcher. A stealer; generally applied to
fellowswho steal pocket-handkerchiefs.
"There was
I; myself.
Pilgarlic.
no one with him but Pilgarlic," he
was alone,
Pimp. A boarding-house runner; an
attache of a bawdy-house.
Pimple. The head.
Pin. To drink one's allotted share.
Pinned. Arrested.
Pin-basket. The youngest child; the
baby.
Pinch. To steal.
Pinched. Arrested.
Sometimes called " ExPinchers.
changers;" fellows who go into stores
or exchange offices with a big bill and
ask to have it changed for small ones,
and after receiving the change suddenly pretend to have changed their
minds, and, handing the bills back
again, make very profuse apologies
for the trouble they have given, etc.
The man during the short time that
he had the money in his possession,
contrived to change bad bills for
some of the good ones.
Pinked. Stabbed.
Pink. To stab.
Pinked between the lacings. Convicted by reason of perjury. A man
encased in steel or iron is only vulnerable at those parts where his corselet is laced; and hence when an honest man is convicted of a false charge
by a treacherous advantage of some
weak point, he is said to be "pinked
between the lacings."
Pin-money. Money received by a
married woman for prostituting her
person.
Pinnipe. A crab. Pinniped. Sideways; crab-fashion.
Pins. Legs.
Piper. A short-winded person; a
broken-winded horse; a watchman.

27

Piping. Following; trailing; dogging;
looking after.
Pit. A pocket.
Plaiul. Go home.
Stolen
Plant. To bury; to conceal,
goods are said to be planted when
they are concealed. A plant. A
chance of burglary. Planter. One
who hides stolen property. Planting.
Hiding; concealing.
Plastic. A model artist.
Plate. Money.
Plate of meat. A street or highway.
Played out. Exhausted.
Playing on velvet. Playing on the
money that has been won from the
bank.
Playthings. Burglar's tools.
Pluck. Courage; spirit.
Pluck. To pull. Pluck the ribbon.
Pull the bell.
Plumb. Honest; upright; good.
Plumby. It is all right; we have
plenty; they have enough.
Plump. Rich; plenty of money.
Plyer. A crutch.
Pogy. Drunk.
Point. To pay.
Poke. A pocket; a purse.
Pokomoke. The game of policy.
Polisher. One who is in prison.
Poll. The head.
Poll him. Get hold of the property
and then refuse to pay for it.
Polt. A blow. Poltice. Strike.
Pomp. The game.
Pompey. A tobacconist's dummy; a
negro.
A man who is kept by a
Ponce.
woman. Poncess. A woman that
keeps a man by prostitution.
Pond. The ocean.
Poney. Money. Poney up. Pay up.
Pongelo. Drink; liquor.
Pop. To pawn; to shoot.
Pops. Pistols. Popped. Shot.
Popshop. Pawnbroker's shop.
Pork. To inform the coroner of the
whereabouts of a corpse. Cold pork.
A corpse.
Saddles are
Porker. A saddle.
mostly made of hogs' skins.
Port St. Martin. A valise; a portmanteau.
Posh. Smallest piece of money.
Post. Pay; put up. Post the cole.
Pay the money.

28

SLANG DICTIONARY.
..

Potato-trap. Mouth.
Pot-Hunter. A person who steals food
to prevent himself from starving.
Poulterer. A fellow who opens letters,
abstracts the money, and then drops
them back into the post-office box.
Pouch. A pocket.
Prad.
A horse. Prad-borrowers.
Horse-thieves. Prad-lay. Stealing
horses.
Prancer. A horse.
Prate roast. A talkative fellow.
Prater. A hen.
Prating cheat. The tongue.
Pratt. Back parts.
Premonitory. The penitentiary.
Press. When a man wins a bet, and
instead of lifting and pocketing the
winnings, he adds to the original stake
and winnings, it becomes a press.
Prigger-napper.
Prig.
A thief.
A police officer.
Prigstar. A rival in a love affair.
Prim. A handsome woman.
Prime twig. First-rate condition.
Private game. So called because the
flat is led to suppose that no professional gamblers are admitted, and
thus he is the more easily duped.
Public game. A game where any
body can be admitted.
Prod. A cart or wagon; a coach.
Prog. Food.
Prop. A breast-pin.
Props. Dice.

Prospecting. Looking for something
to steal.
Puffed. Swollen.
Puffers. Peter Funks.
Pull. To arrest; to steal.
Punch. A blow struck with the fist.
" A punch in the day-light, the victualling-office,or the haltering-place ;"
a blow in the eye, the stomach, or
under the! ear.
Punished. Severely bruised or cut
in a fight.
Punk. A bad woman.
Puppy. Blind.
Push. A crowd.
Put. An ignorant clown.
Put away. Locked up; imprisoned.
Put a fellow up to his armpits.
Cheated by his companions of his
share of the plunder.
Put to bed with a shovel. Buried.
Put up. Information given to thieves
by persons in the employ of parties
to be robbed, such as servants, clerks,
porters, etc., whereby the thief is
facilitated in his operations. A job is
said to be put up if the porter of a
store should allow a " fitter " to take
an impression of the keys of the door
of a safe; or when a clerk sent to the
bank to make a deposit, or to draw
an amount of money, allows himself
to be thrown down and robbed, in
order to have his pocket picked.
Puzzle-cove.
A lawyer.

Q
Quacking cheat. A duck.
Quag. Unsafe; not to be trusted.
Quail. An old maid.
Quail-pipe. A woman's tongue.
Quandary. What shall I do.
Quarrel-picker. A glazier.
Quarroon. A body.
Quartered. To receive a part of the
profits.
Quash. To kill; the end of; no more.
Quean. A slut; a worthless woman.
Queen Dick. Never. " It happened
in the reign of Queen Dick;" it never
occurred; has never been.
Queen street. To be henpecked;
hard up.
Queer. Counterfeit bank bills; base;
Queer birds.
roguish; worthless.
Reformed convicts who return to

their old profession. Queer bluffer.
The keeper of a rum-shop that is the
resort of the worst kind of rogues,
and who assists them in various ways.
Queer bury. An empty purse.
Queer cole fencer. A passer of bad
money. Queer cole maker. One
who makes bad money.
Queer prancer. A bad horse.
Queer rooster. A fellow that lodges
among thieves to hear what they have
to say, and then imparts his information to officers for a consideration.
Quemar. Burn.
Ques. Points.
Quids. Cash; five dollars.
Quinsey. Choaked.
Quod. Prison.
Quota. Share.

SLANG

DICTIONARY.

29

R
Rabbit. A rowdy.
Dead rabbit.
A very athletic, rowdy fellow; an
extinct political party.
Rabbit-suckers. Young spendthrifts;
fast young men.
Racklaw. A married woman.
Rag. A dollar. Rags. Paper money.
Ragged. Abused; slandered.
Rag-water.
Intoxicating liquor of
all kinds.
If frequently taken to
excess will reduce any person to
rags.
Rails. Curtain lectures.
Rainbow. A footman; so called from
the fact that he wears livery, or garments of different colors.
Rainy day. A day of sickness; a day
of want.
Rake. To apportion; share.
Rally. When the fighters close up and
strike promiscuously.
Ralph. A fool.
Rammer. The arm.
Ramp. To snatch; to tear anything
forcibly from the person. Pickpockets are said to be ramping a man
when a number of them rush on him
as if in a great hurry to pass, but
manage to run against him, and in the
flurry pick his pocket.
Rancat cove. A man covered with
fur.
Randy. Unruly; rampant,
Ranter. A pugilist who blows more
of his skill in boxing than he exhibits
in a set-to.
Rangling. Intriguing with a number
of women.
Rap. To take a false oath; to curse.
Rapper. A perjurer.
Rascaglion. A eunuch; a good-for
nothing fellow,
Rat. A trick; a cheat. To smell a
rat. To suspect.
Rattling-cove.
A coach.
Rattle.
A coachman.
Read and write. Flight.
Reader. A pocket-book,
Reader merchants. Pickpockets who
operate in and about the banks.
Ready. Cash.
Reckon. Cheat.

Recruiting.
der.

Thieves hunting for plun-

Red. Gold; a cent. Red super.
A gold watch.
Red ribbon. Brandy.
Red fustian. Porter or red wine.
Redge. Gold.
Red rag. The tongue.
Red lane. The throat.
Reefing. Drawing. Reefing up into
work. Drawing up the pocket un.til
the purse or portmanteau is within
reach of the fingers.
Regulars. Share or portion.
Repeater. When a card wins or loses
at one deal, and the same thing occurs the next deal, it is a repeater.
Rep.
A man of good reputation.
Reps. A woman of good reputation.
Demi-rep. A prostitute.
Reversed. A man made to stand on
his head by rowdies, in order that his
money may fall out of his pockets.
It is then picked up as money found.
Rib. A cross, ill-natured wife. Ribroast. The act of scolding a husband unmercifully by his wife.
Rib-bender. A forcible hit in the
side.
Ribbon. Liquor.
Richardsnary. A dictionary.
Rig. Joke; fun.
Rigging. Clothing.
Right. All right; just as it was wished
to be. To rights. Clear.
Right sort. One of your kind; a good
fellow.
Rhino. Money. Rhino fat. Being
rich.
Ring. To ring in is to join in with
another and appear to think as he
thinks; to intrude; to force one's
self into company where he is not
wanted.
Rip. A poor devil.
Rippers. Spurs.
Roast. To arrest.
Robin's men. Expert thieves; grand
larceny men; bank robbers, etc.
Rocked in a stone cradle. Born in
a prison.
Rodger. A portmanteau.
Rogue. A man. Rogue and pulley.
A man and woman going out to rob

gentlemen.
Roll of snow.

A roll of linen.

t0

SLABNG DICTIONARY.

Rome cove. A king; the president.
Rome mort. A queen.
Rome Ville. New York.
Romoners.
Fortune - tellers.
Romoney. A gipsy.
Roofer. A hat.
Rook. A cheat.
Roost-lay. Stealing poultry.
Roped.
Led astray; taken in and
done for. Roper-in. A man who
visits hotels and other places for the
purpose of ingratiating himself with
persons who are supposed to have
plenty of cash and little prudence,
and inducing them to visit gaminghouses.
Rose. A secret.
Rotan. Any wheeled carriage.
Roughs.
Men that are ready to
fight in any way or shape.
Rough music.
Noise made by beatbeating old tins.
Round. Good.
Round about. An instrument used
by burglars to cut a large hole into
an iron chest or door.
Rounding. Informing ; giving information.
Round robin. A burglar's instrument.
Rounder. One who hangs around farobanks, but does not play. A loafer who
travels on his shape, and is supported
by a woman, but does not receive
enough money to enable him to play
faro. Gamblers call such men rounders, outsiders, loafers.

Rover. Thoughts.
Rub. Run.
Ruby. Blood.
Rub us to wit. Send us to prison.
Ruffels. Hand-cuffs.
Ruffian. The devil.
The ruffian
cly you, The devil take you.
Rug. Sleep.
Rugg. It is all right.
Rumbeak. A magistrate that can be
bribed.
Rumble the flats. Playing cards.
Rumbor. A money-drawer.
Rumbing. A full purse.
Rum bite. A smart cheat; a clean
trick.
Rum blowen. A handsome girl.
Rum bluffer. A jolly landlord.
Rumbo. A prison.
Rumbor. A young apprentice.
Rumbose. Wine or amy kind of good
drink.
Rumbugher. A valuable dog.
Rum chub. A fellow.
Run. Fine ; good ; valuable.
Run in. Arrested.
Running him through.
A term
used by gamblers when they play with
a sucker, and don't give him a chance
to win a single bet.
Rushers. House-breakers who break
into country houses.
Russer. A heavy player.
Rusty. Ill-natured.
Rybuck. All right ; it will do ; I am
satisfied.
Ryder. A cloak.

S
Sacheverel. An iron door.
Sack. A pocket; the sack, a discharge.
Saint giles buzzman.
A handkerchief thief.
Saint terra. A churchyard.
Sam. A stupid fellow.
Sanguinary. Bloody.
Sans. Without ; nothing.
Sawney. Bacon; fat pork; a Scotch-

man
Scamp-foot. A
Scandal proof.
soup. Tea.
Scarce. To slip
self scarce.
Scavior. Sharp;

Scent. Bad management; to scent,
to be suspicious.
Scheme. A party of pleasure.
Schofel.
Bad money.
Schofelpitchers. Passers of bad money.
School. A gang of thieves.
School oil. A whipping. Schooling.
Jostling; pitching.
Scout. A watchman.
Scragg.
The neck.
Scragged.
Hanged.
f'oot-pad.
Scran. Food.
Shameless. Scandal Scranning. Begging.
Scrape. Trouble.
away; to make one's Scrapp. A plan to rob a house or
commit any kind of roguery; to
cunning; knowledge.
squabble and fight.

SLANG

DICTIONARY.

SLANG

DICTIONARY.

Scrapper. A pugilist.
Scratch. Time agreed upon; to meet
at the appointed time; to face another; to write; to forge. Scratcher.
Screaves.
A forger; a copyist.
Paper maney. Screen. A bankbill.
A mean, insignificant
Scrab-bado.
puppy; the lowest of the low; the
itch.
Screw. A key. Screwing. Opening a lock with keys. Screwsman.
A burglar who works with keys, picks,
dubs, bettys, etc., etc.
Choaking; garroting.
Screwing up.
Scrub. A mean fellow.
Scrip. Writing paper; paper money.
Scold's cure. A coffin.
Scot. A young bull.
Scour. To run away.
Scrobe. A private chastisement.
Scroof. To live with a friend at his
expense. Scrooffing. Living at a
friend's expense. Thieves are in the
habit of scroofing with an old pal
when they first come out of prison,
until they can steal something for
themselves. Scroofer. A sponge;
a dead beat.
Scuttle. To rip a pocket; to cut a
man open.
Sea-crab. A sailor.
Savey. Sense; knowledge.
Secret. Cheated; let into the secret,
cheated.
Sees. The eyes.
Send. To drive ortbreak.
Serene. All right; it's allright.
Served. Found guilty; convicted.
Serve him out. Give him a good
thrashing.
Set. Prepared beforehand; set up;
drunk; diseased.
Settled. Knocked down; murdered.
Settling. Killing.
Setter. A shadow; an officer in disguise, who points out the thief for
others to arrest.
Shadow. A first-class police officer;
one who possesses naturally the power
of retaining with unerring certainty
the peculiar features and characteristics of persons, added to indomitable perseverance to follow his quarry.
Quiet; out of sight; not
Shady.
easily found. Shady glim. A dark

lantern.

31

31

Shake. A prostitute; one who gambles with dice; to cast off; to shake;
to draw anyting from the pocket.
Shake up. A pugilistic encounter.
Shakedown.
A panel-thief or
badger's
crib;
an
impromptu
couch.
Shakester. A lady. Shickster. A
woman, Shalers. Girls.
Shally. A negative; a person that is
never positive.
Sham leggers. Men who pretend to
sell smuggled goods.
Shamming. Pretending.
Shap. A hat.
Shapes. Naked.
Shark. A custom-house officer.
Sharp. A man that is well posted; a
gambler by profession.
Sharper.
One who obtains goods or money by
any kind of false pretense or representation.
Sharper's tools.
A
fool and false dice or cards.
Shaver. A cheat.
Sheeney. A Jew thief; a low Jew.
Shelf. A pawn-shop.
Sheen. Bad money.
Shelion. A shilling.
Sheriff's ball. An execution.
Shero. The head.
Sherrid. Run away.
Shift. When a boxer purposely falls to
save himself from a knock-down blow,
he is said to make a shift.
Shifting. Cheating or stealing.
Shigus. A judge.
Shilley. No stability.
Shin-Breaking. Borrowing money.
Shines. Gold coin.
Shinerags. Nothing.
Shoe-leather.
A phrase to denote
some one is approaching.
Shoestring. When a man bets a small
amount and runs it up to a large
amount, it is called a shoe-string.
Shoon. A fool; a country lout.
Shooting-start. Thieves who do not
remain long in one place.
Shop. A prison.
Shopped.
Imprisoned.
Short is when a person or party sells
stocks when they have none, and expect to buy or borrow them in time
to deliver.
Short cards. By some called short
game. A game of seven up; cribbage
or any other match game.

SLAN(G DC;TIONR Y.
32
SLANG D1cTIOYABT
32
Shove.
Pass money; shove blunt; Slate. A sheet; credit.
spend the money; shove queer; pass Slavey. A female servant.
counterfeit money. Shoving. Pass- Sleeper. A bet won by the bank or
a better, which has been overlooked
ing bad money.
and lies on the table without a
Shred. A tailor.
claimant.
A man who is fearful of
Shycock.
Slick-a-die. A pocket-book.
being arrested; shy of the officers.
Slim. Punch.
Sicer. Sixpence.
Slingtail. Poultry.
Sick. Imprisoned.
Soapy. Hard to
Side-pocket. A drinking saloon in an Slippery. Soap.
catch: smooth spoken. Soft-soap.
out-of-the-way-place; a resort for
Blarney.
thieves.
Sifting. Examining; emptying purses Slogger. A pugilist; a hired bully.
or pocket-books for the purpose of ex- Slop. Tea.
aming their contents, is called sifting. Slops. Ready-made clothing.
To kill; to knock down. Slough. To bow the head.
Silence.
Simkin. A fool. Simon. A simple- Slubber. A heavy, stupid fellow.
ton.
Slubber de gullion. A mean fellow.
Sing. To cry out. Sing small. Have Sluice. To drink.
little to say for yourself.
Sluice your gob. Take a good long
Sink. To cheat; to hide from a partdrink.
ner. Sinkers. Thieves who do riot Slum. A package or bank bills; a low
drinking place. Sluming. Passing
divide fair with their companions.
Sinking.
Cheating a partner; not
spurious bills. Slumming. Stealing
packages of bank-bills.
dividing fair.
Skep. A pocket fullof money; a place Sly-boots. A fellow that pretends to
be a fool.
for keeping money; a savings bank.
Smack. To share; to swear on the
Skew. A cup.
Skewer. A sword or dagger.
Bible.
Skilley.' Prison faro.
Small potatoes. Mean; n. g.
Skin. A purse; to swindle badly. Smacking cove. A coachman.
Skinning. A sure game, where all Small snow. Children's linen.
who play are sure to lose, except the Smart. Spruce.
gamesters.
Smash.
To change; to break into.
Skink. A waiter.
Smasher. Money-changer. SmashSkinners.
Small lawyers who hang
feeder. A silver spoon.
about police offices and figuratively Smear. A plasterer; a mason.
skin their clients.
Smear-gilt. A bribe.
Skip. Run away,
Smeller. A nose.
Skip-kennel.
A footman; a gutter Smelling-cheat. A bouquet.
snipe.
Smelts. Half-eagles; five dollars"
Skipper. A barn; a sea captain; the Smicket. A woman's shift or skirt.
maggots in old cheese.
Smile. To drink. Smiler. A bumper;
Skit. A humbug; a joke.
a drinklng man.
Skull. The head of the house; the Smirk. A superficial fellow.
President of the United States; the Smitter. The arm.
Governor; the head man.
Smoke. Humbug; any thing said to
Sky-blue. Gin.
conceal the true sentiment of the
Skycer. A mean, sponging fellow.
talker; to cover the intent. To
Slang or slag. A watch-chain.
smoke. To observe; to suspect; to
Slanged. Chained by the leg.
understand.
Smoky.
Suspicious;
Slap-bang. An eating-house; a rescurious; inquisitive.
taurant; in a hurry.
Smouch. To steal.
Slamkin. A slovenly female.
Smug. Blacksmith; neatness.
Slaney. A theatre.
Smush. To seize suddenly; to snatch.
Slash. Outside coat pocket.
Smut. Indecency.
Slat. A half-dollar.
Snable. To plunder; sometimes tokill.

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SLANG DICTIONARY.

SLAN&~ DICTIONARY.

Snafflers. Highwaymen.
Snags. Large teeth.
Snagling.. Stealing poultry by putting
a worm on a fish-hook, thereby catching the fowl, then twisting their necks
and putting them in a bag; picking
up a " sucker."
A fellow that glides into a
Snake.
store or warehouse, and conceals himself for the purpose of letting in his
companions.
To snake away. To steal slyly.
Snaked. Arrested.
Snam. To snatch.
Snapped. Arrested.
Snapper. A gun.
Snappers. Pistols.
Snapt. Arrested; caught.
Sneak-thief. A fellow who sneaks into
areas, basement-doors or windows, or
through front-doors by means of latchkeys, and entering the various apartments, steals any thing he can carry
off. Sneaksman. A Sneak thief.
Conveying away stolen
Sneaking.
goods.
Sneezer. A snuff-box.
Snid. Six.
Snide. No good.
Snide stuff. Bad money.
Snitch. An informer; the nose; a spy.
Snite. Slap; wipe.
Snivel. To cry.
Snoozing-ken. A bawdy-house.
Snot. A gentleman; a low and silly
fellow.
Snout.. A hogshead.
Snow. Linen.
Snudge. A thief who conceals himself under the bed.
Snuff. Offended.
Snug. Quiet; all right.
Soap. Money.
Sod. A worn-out debauchee,
Soft. Bank bills; paper money.
Soft tommy. Bread.
Soldier. A smoked herring; to sham;
a cast-off cigar butt or quid of tobacco.
Solfa. A clerk.
Sop. A bribe.
Tobacco.
Sot-weed.
Sounders. Hogs.
Spado. A sword.
Spanish. Silver coin.
Spark. A diamond.
Speak. To steal; to take away.

33
33

Speaker. Plunderer; thief.
Spealers.
Gamblers. Spielers. A
habitual or professional gambler.
Spealing. Gambling.
Spice. To steal.
Spicer. A footpad.
Spicer high. A highwayrobber.
Split. When two cards come alike and
the banker takes one half of the
money; parted; separated; betrayed.
Split. Cause. A lawyer,
Split on him. Informs against; denounces him.
Split out. No longer friends; quarelled;
dissolved partnership.
Spooney. Foolish.
Sport. A gamester; a man fond of
racing and gaming of all kinds.
Spot. To make a note of someihing
with the intention of remembering;
to point out a suspected person, or
one to be rembered.
Spout. A pawnbroker's shop.
Sprat. Sixpence.
Spread. Butter.
Springing the plant.
To discover
the place where stolen property is concealed; to remove stolen property
from its place of concealment.
Spud. Base coin; bad money; a potato.
Spung. A miser.
Spunk.
Matches.
Spunk-fakers.
Mateh-sellers.
Square game. When cards are dealt
fairly, and there is no cheating.
Square. Honest; upright; good.
Squeak to squeal. To inform; to
give information against accomplices,
or where stolen property may be
found.
Squeaker. A child.
Squail. A drink.
Squeeze
Squeeze. Silk or satin.
clout. A silk handkerchief.
Squelch. A fall.
Stag. One who has turned State's evidence.
Stag. To see. Stagged. Discovered
informed on; staggered; confused.
Stait. City of New York.
Plunder, large or small in
Stake.
value, as the case may be.
Stall. One whose business it is to conceed as far as possible the manipulation of his confedrate who is trying
to pick a person's pocket. The stall

34

SLAN(

DICTIO.NARY

SLAN(.'

.

DiCTIONARY.

734
places himself either in front, back, or
sideways, or by any stratagem attacts
the attention of the intended victim.
Anything said or done by which the
attention is directed from the true
state of the case is called a stall.
Stalling-ken. A house for the reception of stolen goods.
Stamfish. To talk in a way not generally understood.
Stamina. Ability to punish and endure punishment.
Standing. Purchasing stolen property.
Standing in. Bidding for; making
an offer; taking part with.
Stamp. A particular way of throwing
dice out of the box.
Stampers. Feet; shoes; sometimes
the stairs.
Stuck
Starchy.
Starch. Pride.
up; proud.
Starder. A receiver.
Star-gazers. Prostitutes; street walkers.
Stripped of everyStark naked.
thing.
Star the glaze. Break the glass.
Start. The Tombs. "The cove has
gone to the old start," the fellow has
gone to the Tombs.
Staunch. Reliable; can be trusted
with a secret,
Stay-tape. A dry goods clerk.
Steamer. A tobacco pipe.
Steel. House of Refuge.
Stepper. The treadmill.
Stepping-ken. A dance-house.
Stick. A breastpin.
Stick-flams. Gloves.
Sticks. Pistols; household furniture.
Stiff. A letter; a written or printed'
paper; a newspaper; a corpse; a
plausable lie.
Stink. To publish an account or a
robbery; a noise. Stinker. A low
dirty fellow; a cur.
Stir. A crowd; a fire.
Stogger. A pickpocket.
Stone
Stone pitcher. Sing Sing.
jug. State's prison.
Stop. A detective officer.
Stop lay. Two or more well-dressed
pickpockets promenade singly until
they select a person that will answer
their purpose; one inquires the direction to a place somewhat distant.
On being informed of the route he

should take, he preterds not to understand his informant, who, getting a
little more interested in his desire to
be explict, draws closer to the inquirer. At about this point, one or
both the others walk up and in an instant the amiable individual is minus
some part of his movable property.
The above practice is what is termed
the "stop lay."
Stow your wid. Be silent.
Strammel. Straw; hay.
Stranger. A guinea.
Straw-man. False bail giver.
Stretch. One year.
Stretchers. Horse racers.
Strike. To get money from candidates
before an election, under the pretense of getting votes for them; to
borrow without intending to pay
back.
String. To humbug.
Strippers. Cards cut at the sides for
the purpose of carrying on a skinning
game.
Strummer-faker. A barber.
Stub. Hold.
Stubble.
Stop it. Stubble your
red rag. Hold your tongue.
Stuck. When a man has lost all his
money, and is trying on the last throw
to retrieve his loss and he is beat,
then he is stuck.
Stuff. Money; to deceive with lies.
Stuke. A handkerchief.
Sturbin. State prison.
Stumps. Legs.
very
superior ;
Extra;
Stunner.
good.
Stun him out of his regulars. Cheat
him out of his rights; deprive him of
his share of the plunder.
Subside. Get out of the way; run
away.
Suck. Any kind of liquor.
Sucker. A term applied by gamblers
to a person that can be cheated at any
game of cards. Sucked. Cheated.
Sudsday. Washday.
Suet. Liquor.
Sugar. Money.
Suite. Watch, seals, etc.
Summer game. Playing merely for
amusement or for the benefit of another person with his money.
Super or souper. A watch.
Supouch. A landlady.

SLANG

DICTIONARY.

SLANG

DICTIONARY.

Supper customers.
Some of the
fashionable gambling-houses have free
suppers for their customers; this is
done to induce the better class of
gambling merchants to patronize the
house. But there are some men who
frequent these houses and take supper
but r ever play.
Sure thing. A term used to denote
that the person is certain to be a
winner.
Suspercol. To hang.
Swabler. A dirty fellow.
Swaddler. A fellow who pretends to
be anxious for the salvation of everybody, and harangues crowds of gaping
knaves and fools in the parks, or any
other public place. The pickpockets
generally pay him well for his efforts.
Sometimes fellows who pick up a
quarrel with a man, beat him, and at

35
35

the same time rob him, are called
swaddlers.
Swag.
Plunder.
Swag-cove.
A
receiver of stolen goods. Swagrum. Full of wealth.
Sweating.
Reducing the weight of
gold coin by putting it in a bag
shaking it violently for some time, and
then collecting the dust which is thus
worn off.
Swell. A gentleman. Swell mob. The
well-dressed thieves with good address,
who appear like honest gentlemen.
Swig. Liquor of any kind.
Swig-coves.
Fellows who traverse
the country under the pretense of
begging old clothes.
Swing. To hang.
Switched. Married.
Syebuck. Sixpence.
Syntax. A schoolmaster.

T
Tabby. An old maid; a talkative
old woman.
'face. A candle; silence; hold your
tongue.
Tackle. A mistress; sometimes clothing.
Tail-diver. A thief who steals pockethandkerchiefs from coat-tail pockets.
Tale. The numbers; quantity; share.
Tallymen. Men who loan clothing to
prostitutes; pedlers who sell on installments.
Tangle-foot. Bad liquor. Tanglefooted. Drunk.
Tanner. Sixpence.
Take the shine out. To lower the
man's self-esteem.
Tap. To arrest.
Tape. Liquor.
Tappers. Officers.
Tarrels. Skeleton-keys.
Tattler. A watch or clock. To flash
a tattler. To sport a watch.
Tats. False dice; rags.
Tatty-tog. A sweat-cloth.
Tease. A slave; to work.
Teehokois. Dogs or dog.
Teize. To flog.
Tell-box. The tell-box is an improvement on the gaff, and has a fine spring
attached to it. The object is to cheat
the dealer. The dealer plays with a

pack of cards which the player has
had a chance to handle, and he rubs
the backs of certain of them with
sand-paper. The rough card adheres
to the smooth one, and the fact that
it does not move a hair's breadth in
the box enables him to know the card
that is covered, and he plays accordingly. He can also play in the same
manner with a new pack of cards
without sanding them, as certain cards
require a greater amount of ink than
others.
Teston. A coin with a head on it.
The crook. Entwining the legs for a
fall.
The scratch. A line drawn in the
middle of the ring.
Theatre. Police court.
Thimble. A watch,
Thorns. Anxious; fearful.
Threswins. Three cents or pence.
Threw down the glove.
Gave a
challenge,
Through him. Search him.
Throw. To cheat; to rob; to steal.
Throwing off. A term used by gamblers when a capper is the partner of
a sucker. The capper can lose when
he pleases, thereby throwing the
sucker off, as it is termed.
Thrums. Three-cent pieces.

36

SLANG

DICTIONAR Y.

Tibbs. A goose.
Tibby. A cat.
Tick. Trust.
Tickrum. A license.
Tied up gonnoffing. Stopped stealing; living honestly.
Tiffing. A good-natured war of words;
Tiffed. Settled.
Tile. A hat.
Timber. Matches.
Time. The breathing-space which by
the accepted rules of the ring, is confined to a given period. "Coming to
time," is coming promptly to the line
at the expiration of the time agreed
upon.
Time on that. Wait awhile; not so
fast.
Tip. Information; give ; hand to me;
lend.
"Tip me your daddle, my
bene cove," give me your hand. my
good fellow.
Tippet. The halter.
Tit. A horse.
Titter. A sword.
Tizzy. Sixpence.
Fellows that in the
Tobby coves.
night walk the streets near a river,
They stun their victim by striking
him with a bludgeon; they then rob
him and tumble him into the river. If
the body is found, it is difficult to say
that the man was not accidently
drowned.
Tobed. Struck on the
head and made senseless.
To blower. One who imparts secrets;
to inform. To blow the gab. To
confess.
To break a leg. To seduce a girl.
Toby-lay.
The highway.
Toby.
Robbing on the highway.
Todge. To smash.
Toge. A coat. Togs. Clothes.
To have a game dead. TIhe gambler has a sure thing, and must bcat
his opponent.
Tolobon. The tongue.
Tolobon rig. Fortune-tellers.
Told out. Beaten; defeated.
Tombstones. Teeth.
Tom-coney. A foolish fellow.
Tommey. Bread.
Toney. A simpleton; very swell.
Tools. Burglars' instruments.
Tooth-music. Chewing food with a

Topped. Hanged.
Top-diver. A roue.
Topping-cove. The head man ofa
party; sometimes the hangman.
Topper. A blow on the head.
Top-ropes.
Extravagant or riotous
living.
Top-tog. An pvercoat.
Tooth. Rum.
Turn stag. To turn informer. To
be put in a hole. To be cheated
by a comrade out of a just share of
the plundar. To bounce. To brag
or hector; to tell improbable stories.
To bounce him. To get one's property and refuse to pay for it.
To rights. The evidence is conclusive
enough to convict.
Touch. To steal.
Tongue-pad. A scold.
Tout. Look; take notice; remember
that.
Touted. Followed or pursued.
Touting-ken. The bar of a drinkingplace.
Tower. Rage; very angry.
Town-toodlers. Silly fellows easily
taken in by the sharpers.
To yard kick. Coat and pants.
Track. To go.
Tradesmen. Thieves; body-snatchers.
Translators. Second-hand boots or
shoes; alterers of checks.
Trap. Shrewed; smart.
Trapes. Sluttish women.
Traps. Officers.
Tray. Three.
Trib. A prison.
Tricks. Anything stolen from a person at one time by pickpockets.
Tricks. When a player takes the cards
If
from his opponent that counts.
the queen is put down and king follows, which is higher, then the queen
is taken. Trick games. Such games
as whist, where tricks count.
Tricum legis. A quirk or quibble.
Trining. Hanging.
Trinkets. Bowie-knife and revolver
Tristis. Not good.
Troll. To loaf or loiter about.
Trot. An old woman.
Trotter-cases. Stockings. Trotters.
feet.
Trucks. Pants.

good appetite.
Top, To cheat; to trick.

Truet. Stealing money under pre. tense of chagning it,

SLANG

DIOTIONAARY

SLAN@

DICTIONARY.

Trump. A brave fellow.
Trumpet. A vain fellow.
Trundlers. Peas.
Trunt. Nose.
Trunker. The body.
Try on. To endeavor; attempt it.
Togemands. A gown or cloak.
Twittock. Two.
Tumbled. Suspected; found it out.
Tumbled on him.
Came upon
him unexpectedly.
Tumbled to
him. Suspected him; thought it
was him.
Tumbler. A cart; a lock; a sharper.
Tune. To beat.

37
37

Turf. Race-course.
" The knucks
work the turf for leather and skins,"
the pickpockets attend the racecourses to steal pocket-books and
purses.
Turkey-Merchants.
Purchasers of
stolen silks.
Turned up. Acquitted; discharged.
Turning over. Examining.
Turtle-doves. A pair of gloves.
Twig. To observe.
Twisted. Convicted; hanged.
Two to one. A pawnbroker.
Tyburn blossom. A young thief.
Tye. A neckcloth.
Tyke. A dog; a clown.

U
Uncle. A pawnbroker.
Under-dubber. A turnkey.
Unicorn. Two men and one woman,
or two women and one man, banded
together to steal.
Untruss. To let down the shutters of
a store.
Up hills. False dice.
Upish. Testy; quarrelsome.
Upper-benjamin. An overcoat.
Upright man. King of the gipsies;
the head of a gang of thieves; the
chief of banditti.
Uprights. Liquor measures.
Up the spout. Pawned.

Up to. Knowing.
Up to slum. Humbug; gammon.
Up to snuff. Cunning; shrewd.
Used up. Killed; murdered.
U. S. Cove. A soldier; a man in the
employ of the United States.
U. S. Plate. Fetters; handcuffs.
Upper cut. A terrific blow struck
upwards.
Upper customer. A term applied to
patrons of the ring amongst the upper
classes who are not themselves pugilists.
Upper story. The head.

V
Vag. Vagrant.
Venite. Come.
Vamose. Run away; be off quick.
Venus' curse. Venelal disease.
Vamp. To pledge.
Verge. A gold watch.
Vampire. A man who lives by ex- Victualling office. The stomach.
torting money from men and women Vincent's law. The art of cheating
whom they have seen coming out of
at cards.
or going into houses of assignation. Vinegar. A cloak or gown.
Vampers. Stockings.
Virtue ater. A prostitute.
Vardy. Opinion.
Vixen. A she-fox.
Velvet. The tongue.
Vowel. Give your note; I. O. U.

W
Waits.
Strolling musicians; organ- Wame. The stomach.
players, etc.
Ware hawk. Look out; beware.
Wall-flowers.
Second-hand cloth- Warm. Rich; plenty of money; daning exposed for sale.
gerous.

38

SLANG

DICTIONARY.

SLAN&t DICTIONARY.
38
Whipster. A sharper; a cunning felWaste. A tavern.
low.
Watered. Longed for; wanted for a
Whisker. An enormous lie.
crime.
Whiskin. A drinking-vessel.
Wattles. The ears.
Wedge. Silver-ware. Wedge-box. Whistler. The throat.
Whit. A prison.
A silver snuff-box.
Weeding. Taking a part and leaving White feather. Cowardice.
the balance in such a manner as not White velvet. Gin.
to excite suspicion. When a thief White wool. Silver.
abstracts a portion from the plunder Wibble. Bad drink.
without the knowledge of his pals, Wife. A fetter fixed to one leg.
and then receives an equal propor- Wiffler. A relaxation.
tion of the remainder, it is called Wild. A village.
Willow. Poor.
"Weeding the swag."
Welch comb. The thumb and finger. Win. A cent; to steal; to cheat.
Money. Raise the wind.
Well. Not to divide fair; to conceal Wind.
Get money.
a part.
Winder. To sentence for life.
Wesand. The throat.
Wings. Oars.
Wet-snow. Wet linen.
Winnings. Plunder; money or goods.
Wetting. Drinking.
Wire. A pickpocket; the fellow who
Whack. Share of the plunder.
picks the pocket. Wirehook. A
To decoy a person by
Wheedle.
pickpocket.
fawning or insinuation.
Wish. Be off; away with you.
Whet. To drink.
Witcher bubSilver.
Witcher.
Whids. Words.
ber. A silver bowl.
Whiddle. To tell or discover. He
whiddles the whole scrap. He Woball. A milkman.
tells all he knows; an informer; one Wobble. To boil; to reel; to stagger,
who tells the secrets of another.
Whiffler. A fellow that yelps or cries Wood. In a quandary.
Woodbird. A sheep.
out with pain.
Whindle. A low cry; a painful sup- Wooden coat, A coffin,
Wooden habeas, A coffin, A man
pressed cry.
who dies in prison is said to go out on
Whipe. A blow.
a wooden habeas.
Whiper. A kerchief.
Whip-jacks. Men who pretend to be Word-pecker. A whit; a punster.
Worm. To obtain knowledge by
shipwrecked sailors.
craft and cunning.
Whipped. Cheated out of a share, or
equal part of the plunder.

Y
Yack. A watch.
Yam. To eat.
Yavum. Bred and milk.
Yellow. Jealousy.
Yokle.

Yelper. A fellow who cries before he
is hurt.
Yidisher. A Jew.
Yoked. Married.
A countryman.

Z
into Soda. It means the top card in
Zany. A jester.
the box in faro.
Znees. Ice; snow; frost.
Zodiac. This word has degenerated Zoucher. A slovenly fellow.
Zucke. A dilapidated prostitute.

SLANG

DICTIONARY.

FLASH ENUMERATION.
I.

2.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
I0.

Eno.

i.

Owt.
Echrt.
Ruof.
Evif.
Xis.
Neves.
Thgie.
Enin.
Net.

2. Duo.

On.

3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Tray.
Quartre.
Cink or Finniff.
Double Tray.
A Round.
Double Quarter.

9. A Floorer.

Io. Double Finniff.

BILLIARD SLANG.
There are a number of technical]
words and phrases in use among billiard
players which have become as much a
part of our slang as those of the gambler and the pugilist. The following includes the principle of these:
Attitude. The position in which the
player stands while at the billiardtable, when about to strike the ball.
The acquisition of a good attitude is
a matter of first importance to the
beginner. Perfect ease is the grand
desideratum; and this is only to be
acquired by practice, and a close observation of the best players.
Bank. When the player makes his
own ball hit any of the cushions before striking the object-ball.
Billiard-sharp. As a general thing,
the billiard-sharp is a retired marker,
who is smart enough, and has learned
tricks enough at his former business,
to enable him to win from the lessexperienced amateurs of the game,
who figure in his vocabulary as "the
flats." He makes himself particularly
friendly with any one who will ask
him to "take a drink," and in his
assumed duties he fills the offices of
lounger, runner, talker, player, sponge,
shoulder-hitter, and referee. He is
a sort of travelling blower to secondrate manufacturers of billiard-tables.
These men supply him with clothes,
to enable him to mingle in respectable
society, and allow him an enormous
per centage for every billiard-table
sold to a stranger through his agency.
As soon as he has made "a hit" in
one saloon, he is off to another, and
in this way goes the rounds of the

city until all the places which harbor
him are, in his own phrase, "played
out." The stranger should avoid all
such men, and especially any one with
whom he is not well acquainted, who
should ask him to play for any given
sum. "just to give an interest to the
game."
Bowery shot. When the balls played
with and at, are jarred together-a
push shot.
Break. The position the balls are left
in after the shot.
Burst. A term chiefly used at pinpool, when a player has exceeded the
number which is placed as the common limit to the game, and must,
therefore, either retire from the game,
or take a privilege of another life.
Carom. To hit more than one of the
balls on the table with your own. In
England this word has been corrupted to "cannon."

Count. The reckoning.
Making a
count is to make a stroke which will
add some figures to the player's reckoning.
Discount. When a superior player
allows all the counts made by his opponent to be deducted from his own
reckoning, he is said to "discount"
his adversary's gains. In "double"
and " treble discounts," twice and
thrice the amount of his opponent's
gains are deducted from the player's
score. In no other game but billiards
are such immense odds possible. A
good player may give almost any odds
to an inferior, and still have a fair
chance of success.
Doublet or cross. When the ball to

40

SLANG

DICTIONARiY.

t0SAGDITOAY

be pocketed is first made to rebound
from the opposite cushion.
Fluke. 'A reckoning on a chance shot.
Follow. When a player's ball rolls on
after another ball which it has impelled forward.
Force. When the player's ball retrogrades after coming in contact with
another.
Foul Stroke or Shot. Any stroke
made in violation of the known rules
of the game.
Frozen. Balls that have kissed and
remain in contact.
ull ball, Quarter ball, Half ball,
Fine or Cut ball, Own or Cue
ball, and Object ball. The "object ball" is the ball aimed at; the
" own or cue ball" is the ball directed toward the "object ball;" the
other terms relate to the position in
which the object ball is struck.
Germantower. A Bowery shot.
Hazard. To drive any of the balls
into one of the pockets.
Hazard, double. When two balls are
pocketed with the same stroke.
Hazard, losing. When the player's
ball is pocketed by his own act.
~Iazard, winning. When the player
pockets either of the red balls, or his
adversary's ball.
Hazard, taking a. A term used to
express that a player is so confident of
making a certain hazard, that he will
undertake to do it, under penalty of
losing, in case he does not succeed,
as many lives as he would have gained
The phrase is most
if successful.
frequently employed in two-ball pool.
hug. When any of the balls run close
alongside of a particular cushion, they
are said to hug it.
Jaw. When a ball is prevented from
dropping into a pocket by the cush-

ions, whieh extend like jaws on either
side.
Jump. When the player forces his ball
by a downward stroke to leap up from
the table.
Killed or Dead ball. When a ball in
pool has lost its lives, and its chances
are not renewed by privileges, it is
said to be killed.
Kiss.
When the ball played with
strikes another ball more than once,
they are said to kiss; or when two
balls, not played with, come in contact.
Lone game. A game in which one of
the parties is an experienced player,
and the other a novice-the former
having the game in his own hands.
Miss. To fail striking any of the balls
upon the table.
Miss-cue. When the cue, from any
cause, slips off the ball without accomplishing the intended stroke.
Playing for Safety. When the player
foregoes a possible advantage, in
order to leave the balls in such a position that his opponent can make
nothing out of them.
Playing Spot-ball. When the player
is not limited to the number of times
he may pocket the red ball from the
spot.
Privilege. When a player at pool loses
the lines, or chances, which were
given to his ball on its entry into the
game, and desires to purchase another chance from the other players,
he asks a "privilege."
Scratch. When a player wins a stroke
or count by accident, he is said to
have made a scratch.
Stringing for the Lead.
A preliminary shot by it is determined who
shall have the choice of lead and
balls.
Timber lick, A Bowery shot.

H
I,t

H; M%"

SLANG

41

STORIES.

ON THE TRAIL.
THE

STORY

OF

A

NIGHT

IN

A

FLASH

KEN.

A couple of years ago I had occasion to look for a man in a flash tavern in the
Sixth Ward where I was unknown. The place was a great resort for English
"crooked" people of all classes, and almost the only language used among its
patrons was the flash patter. I found that my man was expected, and waited
for him in a corner out of the way. I was well made up for a cadger down on
his luck, and did not attract any particular attention.
The room soon filled up. People drifted in alone and in couples and parties,
but my man did not come. Having nothing else to do, I watched and listened,
and, before I knew it, had forgotten my business almost in curiously taking the
surroundings in.
At the next table to me, a little weazened man, with his hat pulled well over
his eyes, was talking nervously to a burly ruffian who was making havoc with a
loaf of bread and a big chunk of cheese. A black bottle and a pewter quart pot
of porter were on the table. Next to them at a round table a gigantic fellow,
one of whose eyes had been recently gouged out, leaving the socket empty and
inflamed, was calling for drinks in a voice like the bellow of a bull. A little
peevish man was hiccoughing a long story, to which he paid no attention ; and
a man with red hair like a scratch wig was asleep with his head on the table.
The remainder of the guests were all busy, drinking and talking.
My nervous neighbor was the first one whose speech I particularly noticed.
He said:
" Flick me some panam and caffar, Bill, for I want to pad my beaters."
"Job, old Toast, job," responded the cheese demolisher, with his mouth
full.
"Job yourself, you joskin. This panny's all on fire. I must amputate like
a go-away, or the frogs will nail me, and if they do get their fams on me I'll be
in for a stretch of air and exercise, and it'll be a bill of sale for the cows or
kisses. I had a close call for it, anyhow, this afternoon. I crossed a crusher at
the landyard. He snapped and measured me, but he couldn't drop to my chant,
so he turned me up and I moved my crabs like a bull."
"But cant us the cues. What was the job ?"
" A pinch for an emperor's slang. He was in his altitudes, and we pinched
his thimble, slang and onions. We touched his leather, too, but it was very
lathy."
" What was the altemal ?"
" It only raised fifteen cases. The dummy raked a case and a half, and the
thimble was a foist, but the slang and onions were bene."
"Where did you plant 'em ?"
"Tim's miss shoved them at Tipsy Pig's dolly shop."
"Tim! what Tim ?"
" Why, Tim Sullivan."
" Does he boat with you ?"
" Yes, and he's an artist. Only last night, down at the Albany breakup, he
buzzed a bloke and a shakester of a reader. His jomer stalled. Johnny Miller,
who was to have his regulars, called out 'cop-bung,' for as you see a fly-cop was

42

SLANG

STORIES.

marking. Jack speeled to the crib, when he found Johnny Doyle had been pulling down sawney for grub. He cracked a case last night, and fenced the swag.
He told Jack as how Bill had flimped a yack, and pinched a swell of a sparkfawney, and had sent the yack to church, and got half a century and a finnif for
the fawney. It was a daisy rake, and don't you forget it."
" I'll hang it up. But sluice your gob. What name do you give it? Here's
some white velvet and a pot of putter."
" Call it gutter."
" Then here's old shoe."
They emptied their glasses, and the one-eyed man forgot for a moment the
peril he anticipated. The party at the next table were getting noisy. The little
man was trying to sing the "Full Moons," and the ruffian with the lop-sided optical
arrangement beat on the table with his tumbler and roared:
" Ho ! there, my rum-bluffer; send me a nipperkin of white velvet."
" Make it two," said a woman who had just entered, seating herself on his
knee; " and if Jim don't post the cole, I will."
The one-eyed man gave vent to a roar of delight, and dealt her a blow on the
back that made her fairly grunt, as he exclaimed:
" Why, Bell, is it yourself ? Tip us your daddle, my bene mort. May I dance
at my death, and grin in a glass-case, if I didn't think you had been put to bed
with a shovel-you've been so long away from the cock and hen club."
" No, Jim, I only piked into Grassville with a dimber-damber, who couldn't
pad the hoof for a single darkman's without his bloss to keep him from getting
pogy."
" Oh ! I'm fly. You mean jumping Jack, who was done last week for heaving
a peter from a drag. But you talked bf padding the hoof. Why, sure, Jack had
a rattler and a prad ?"
" Yes, but they were spotted by the harmans, and so we walked Spanish."
" Was he nabbed on the scent ?"
" No; his pal grew leaky and cackled."
" Well, Bell, here's the bingo-sluice your gob ! But who was the cull that
peached ?"
" A slubber de gullion named Harry Long, who wanted to pass for an outand-out cracksman, though he was merely a diver."
" Whew ! I know the kiddy like a copper, and saved him once from lumping the lighter by putting in buck. Why, he scarcely knows a jimmy from a
round robin, and Jack deserved the tippet for making a law with him, as all
coves of his kidney blow the gab. But how did you hare it to Romeville, Bell, for
I suppose the jets cleaned you out ?"
" I kidded a swell in a snoozing-ken, and shook him of his dummy and thimble."
" Ah! Bell! you were always the blowen for a rum bing."
" It was no great quids, Jim-only six flimseys and three beans. But I'm
flush of the balsam now, and I ain't funked to flash it."
In proof of this assertion, Bell produced a crumpled wad of bills from that
portion of her person her stocking covered, and there was a general call for
drinks at her expense. A brimming tumbler of what he called " dog's nose,"
and which he compounded of beer, pepper, and gin, woke the little man to that
extent that he struck up a ditty, in whose chorus all hands joined. This performance he gave the title
"A HUNDRED STRETCHES HENCE."
" Oh! where will be the culls of the bing

A hundred stretches hence ?
The bene morts, who sweetly sing,
A hundred stretches hence ?

SLANG

STORIES.

43-

The autumn-cacklers, autumn-coves,
The jolly blade who wildly roves;
And where the buffer, bruiser, blowen,
And all the cops and beaks so knowin',
A hundred stretches hence ?
"And where the swag, so bleakly pinched,
A hundred stretches hence ?
The thimbles, slang, and danglers filched,
A hundred stretches hence ?
The chips, the fawneys, chatty-feeders,
The bugs, the boungs, and well-filled readers;
And where the fence and snoozing-ken,
With all the prigs and lushing men,
A hundred stretches hence ?
" Played out they lay, it will be said
A hundred stretches hence;
With shovels they were put to bed
A hundred stretches since!
Some rubbed to wit had napped a winder,
And some were scragged and took a blinder,
Planted the swag and lost to sight,
We'll bid them, one and all, good-night,
A hundred stretches hence."
Immense applause hailed the conclusion of this remarkable vocal effort.
Fresh drinks were ordered, and the air rang with shouts for max, oil of barby,
red tape, blue ruin, white velvet, and so forth, that kept all the tapsters in the
establishment in a state of restless activity for the next half-hour.
The flash-panny was now in the full tide of successful operation-two-thirds
of its patrons being about three sheets in the wind, and none of them perfectly
sober. In one corner there was a mill, wherein the combatants hit the wall
more frequently than they hit each other. In another, two street-walkers were
clapper-clawing each other for a dandified little sneak thief, who was seconding
both parties and declaring that the winner should have him. Here a fellow lay
snoring on a bench, while another, just half a degree less intoxicated, was
endeavoring to pick his pocket. There, three cracksmen were engaged in a remarkably animated dispute on the state of the country. Under almost every
table might be seen a son or daughter of Adam, luxuriating in the realms of
Nod. But the bulk of the company were amusing themselves in a dance; for one
of the fixtures of the establishment was an Irish piper, who, by the way, was a
little fortune to it, for every one treated Pat, who soaked hot whiskey with no
more trouble than a sponge. The one-eyed man, whose cupidity had evidently
been excited by Bell's display of her plunder, was blarneying her at a rate that
made her eyes wet with pleasure, when a rather good-looking young fellow, a
pickpocket from Liverpool, lounged up to them and remarked:
" Stubble your red flag. Bell had better flash her dibs than let you bubble
her out of them."
" Why, you joskin," retorted Jim; " if you don't stow your winds I'll put
your bowsprit in parenthesis. Ogle the cove, Bell-he wants to pass for a snafler
in his belcher tie, though he never bid higher than a wipe in an upper benja-

min.
" I may bid as high as your pintle, and make you squint like a bag of nails,"
replied the intruder, " though you rub us to whit for it."
" Oh! it's all plummy," said Jim, " so you may cly your daddles. But come,
Bell, let us track the dancers and rumble the flats, for I'm tired of pattering flash

and lushing jackey."

4

SLANG

STORIES.

" Bar that toss, Jim," said Bell, " for you're as fly at the pictures, as the
devil at lying, and I would rather be a knight of Alsatia than a plucked pigeon."
This resolution produced a round of applause, which was followed by another
round of liquor-promptly paid for by the lady of the rum bing, whose generosity
now so far extended itself, that she withdrew from Jim's protection, and even
not waiting to be asked, deposited herself in the lap of him of the belcher tie.
She had scarcely asserted her title to the premises, before it was disputed by
another fair damsel, who emphatically declared that if the tenant in possession
did not immediately leave, she would astonish her mazzard with the contents of
a " nipperkin of thunder and lightning."
" If you do," returned Bell, " I will fix my diggers in your dial-plate, and
turn it up with red."
" Mizzle, you punk."
" Well said, Madame Rhan; but the bishop might as soon call the parson
pig-stealer."
" You lie, you bat. I couple with no cove but my own. But say, Harry, will
you suffer yourself to be made a two-legged stool of by a flag-about."
" Oh ! button your bone-box, Peg," replied Harry. "Bell's a rum blowen,
and you only patter because your ogle's as green as the Emerald Isle."
" It's not half so green as yourself, halter-mad Harry," retorted Peg; " for
you know if I wished to nose I could have you twisted-not to mention anything
about the cull that was hushed for his reader."
At this remark, a man whom I had noticed enter just behind the young fellow
called Harry, a stalwart individual with the look of a well-fixed drover, advanced
rapidly and tapped him on the shoulder, saying in a low but distinct voice:
" Dead to rights, my lad; dead to rights."
A deathly pallor overspread the young man's face, and he muttered something under his breath. The surrounding drinkers started to their feet, but stood
quite still. Every one of these raffians, ready as they were to cut a throat for
the price of a spree, feared to raise a hand at one whom they knew to be a sworn
officer of the law. The detective repeated quickly:
" The warrant's straight, Harry, and the man's dead. Hold out your wrist
for the ruffles."
The young man submitted quietly to being handcuffed, while the crowd burst
forth in murmurs of commiseration.
" Only nine months on the pad, and to be up for scragging ! What a pity!"
" He's too young-he hasn't had his lark half out; and it's like making a
man pay a debt he don't owe, to twist him before he has gone the rounds."
" He'll die game for all that! Poor fellow! he takes it like a glass of eggnog."
" Ah ! Mr. Hitch ! isn't it out of order, and he so green ? You ought to give a
chap a year to ripen for the hemp."
"Do, Hitch, give up a little longer rope, and take him in his regular turn.
You're sure to have him, you know, when his time's up."
" O ! stubble it, George. Hitch can't, or he would; for he never hurries a cove
when it's left to himself."
" That's a fact, my kiddies," exclaimed the officer, who seemed pleased at the
compliment; " but the commissioner wants Harry, and so, of course, I must pull
him."
" I'm satisfied, whatever comes of it," added the prisoner.
Bell whispered in the officer's ear : " Couldn't you let him pike if I come
down with a thimble and ten beans ?"
The detective shook'his head, and snapping one of the handcuffs on his own
wrist to shackle his captive to him, led him out. The patrons of the flash ken
settled in their seats again, and for a few minutes at least were quiet. The arrest

of a comrade, snatched so unexpectedly from among them, put a damper on

SLANG

TOBIES.

45

their spirits. A couple of minutes later a policeman entered and spoke to the
proprietor. He called the girl Peg out, and she departed with the officer, full
of grief and rum. She was the chief witness against her lover.
" It's the gait all them eriffs dances," observed the one-eyed man, philosophically. " They're a dusty lot. I remember once I was in cahoots with a cove
like that. Once I was in a push, and had to buzz about half a glass before I
touched a flat's thimble and slang. I had to dakma the bloke to clay the swag.
Patsey crowed for me, and that was all the good it done me. Two fly-cops tumbled to me, and shady was the word; but he never gave it. Before I knowed it
I was copped to rights, and a skin full of honey was found in my kick's poke
when they frisked me. My blowen kidded a bloke into a panel crib, and shook
him of his thimble to put up for a black box; but it wouldn't fadge. I took two
stretches of air and exercise, and the last I heard of Patsey he was working the
go-aways at Jersey City, and had just touched a bloke's leather as the bull bellowed for the last time, and so the cove mizzled through the jigger. The fiat
roared beef, but it was no go, as the bull was going very mad."
At this juncture my man came in. He only stayed long enough to be fitted
with a pair of handsome steel ornaments provided by the State, and as I whistled
for the cab I had left waiting around the corner, a sudden burst of light over the
opposite housetops almost blinded me.
The sun was rising. I had spent the night among thieves, and had hardly
noticed how time flew.

A SLANG ADVERTISEMENT.
I find among my papers a handbill printed in horrible type on worse paper,
which I picked up in London 20 years ago. It is the advertisement of an old thief
who was crippled by an accident and being unable to prosecute his calling
opened a shop and invited the patronage of his professional friends. The reader
may translate it for himself.
HORK I HORK !
William Bristol, whose chant used to be Bristol Bill, wishes to nose his old
pals, and the public generally, that he has tied up prigging, and is now squaring
it at No. 350 Back Hill, Hatton Garden where he keeps on hand, for ready cole-tick being no go-upper benjamins, built on a downy plan ; slap-up velveeten
togs, lined with the same broady; moleskin ditto, any color, lined with the same
broady; kerseymere kicksies, any color, built very slap with the artful dodge;
stout cord ditto, built in the " Melton Mowbray " style; broad cord ditto, made
very saucy; moleskin, all colors, built hanky spanky, with double fakement
down the side, and artful buttons at the bottom; stout ditto, built very serious.
Out and out fancy sleeve kicksies, cut to drop down on the trotters. Waist ben
jamins, cut long, with moleskin back and sleeves. Blue cloth ditto, cut slap-up.
Mud-pipes, knee-caps, and trotter cases, built very low.
A decent allowance made to Seedy Swells, Tea Kettle Purgers, Head Rob.

bers, and Flunkeys out of Collar.
can be accomodated.

N. B. Gentlemen finding their own broady,

AA

ORIGIN OF1 SLANG

TERMS.

THE DERIVATION OF SLANG TERMS.
There are a great number of cant and slang expressions in use at present that
are supposed to be new, or nearly new, not a few of which are attributed to
American birth; but most of the slang and cant expressions of the present day
originated hundreds of years ago in London low life, although many may be
traced to the Bible, Shakspeare. Horace, the English universities, and to the
poets and orators and newspapers and resorts of fashion and frolic of all ages.
The expression " to blow on " a man, or a thing, may be found in Act III.,
Scene 7, in " As You Like It ": " I must have liberty withal, as large a charter
as the wind, to blow on whom I please." " He's a bad man," or " I'm a bad
man," is in Spenser's "Faerie Queene," Book I., Chap. I., Stan. 37; also, in
Massinger's play of "A new Way to Pay old Debts ;" also, in Shakspeare's
"King Henry VIII," Act II., Scene 2, " This bold, bad man!" In the same
tragedy, Act VI., Scene 2, is the line: "He was a man of an unbounded
stomach," which is a poetical way of denominating a ponderosity of belly a
"bay window." The common expression of "It's (or that's) all Dutch to me,"
may be traced to Act I., Scene 2, of "Julius Caesar": " But for mine own part'
it was Greek to me." " All cry and no wool," may be found in Butler's " Hudibras," Part I., Canto I., line 831: " Or shear swine, all cry and no wool." We often
hear bad ministers and canting hypocrites mentioned as "pious frauds." In
Part I., Canto III., line 1145, "Hudibras,'" is "When pious frauds and holy
shifts," etc. " I owe you one," is a felicitous salutation often heard. The line,
'Thank you, good sir, I owe you one," may be found in Act I., Scene 2, of George
Colman's (the younger) play of "The Poor Gentleman." "What will Mrs.
Grundy say?" is an interrogatory in Thomas Morton's "Speed the Plough,"
Act I., Scene 1. In " The Friend of Humanity and the Knife-Grinder," written
by George Canning, in 1795, there is the line: " I give thee sixpence ! I will see
thee d-d first !" " That's the kind of hair-pin I am," is new, and came from New
York; also, " What do you soy ?"
"Stolen fruits (or kisses) are the sweetest," may be traced to the Bible, in
sentiment. In " Proverbs," IX., 17-" Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten
in secret is pleasant." For the original of " What are you giving me r which is
supposed to be a Californianism, I refer the reader to " Genesis," XXXVIII.,
16. "You bet!" is a Californianism. " You bet your boots," and "You bet your
life," were used in New York and Boston forty years ago. They were favorite expressions of grown-up boys; and so, also, was " Yes, sir-ee, horse-fly." The word
" cheek," as applied to an impudent person, has been in use in England and
America for a hundred years. Decker's "Bellman of London," published in
1608, says that " cheese it" is a corruption of cease it, and means leave off, or
have done; "cheese your barrikin"-hold your noise. " That's the cheese" in
London in 1600, signified anything good, genuine, pleasant, or advantageous.
" Hash-house " and " gin-mill " are specimens of Boston slang, and have been in
use for some forty years. "Hog-wash" originated in New Orleans.
"To go to the bad " has been handed down for nearly two thousand years,
and may be traced to Virgil--"in pejus ruere." " Bailey's Dictionary of Cant
and Flash Sayings," published in London in 1790, says: " Bilk-To defraud, to
obtain goods, etc., without paying for them, to get information and experience
without paying for it ; thus, to " bilk the school-master." The slang term " too
thin." may be found in Smollett's " Peregrine Pickle," published in London in
1761; the exact words are as follows: " This pretext was too thin to impose upon
her lover, or deceive the observation of her friend Sophy." "They are too thin,"
may also be found in Shakspeare's "Henry VIII.," Act V., Scene 1: "You
were ever good at sudden commendations, Bishop of Winchester. But know I

ORIGIN OF SLANG

TERMS.

47

come not to hear such flattery now, and in my presence. They are too thin and
bare to hide offenses." King Agesilaus, being asked by an ambassador why they
dad no walls for Sparta, replied, pointing to his army: " They are the walls of
Sparta--every man you see is a brick!" "Don't count your chickens before
they're hatched " is a line from Butler's " Hudibras," Part III, line 23: " And
count their chickens ere they're hatched." " The cup that cheers but not inebriates" is Cowper, in "The Task," Book IV., line 34: "And the cup that
cheer, but not inebriate." "Better late than never " is from Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress," part II. " Ways that are dark and tricks that are vain" is
from Bret Harte ; also, " Truthful James," etc. " Don't get your back up " is
old, and the expression or idea is taken from a cat, on account of that animal
always raising its back when angry. " That's all in my eye, Betty Martin," is
a slang phrase that has been used by the cockneys of London for hundreds of
years, and has given birth to " in a pig's eye," " over the left," " in a horn,"
"that's all in your eye," etc. " Not for Joe," or "Joseph," is American, and
came out since the war. " Not if I know myself " is older, and may be traced
to Chicago. " To tip the blarney " is Irish, and meant, originally, the telling of
a marvelous or magnificent fabrication. The blarney stone is a triangular piece
of granite on the very top of an ancient castle of that name, in the County Cork,
Ireland, extremely difficult of access, so that to have ascended to it was considered a proof of perseverance, courage, and agility, whereof many have claimed
the honor who have never achieved the adventure. To blarney nowadays means
to flatter. "That's what's the matter with Hannah" is an American slang
term. " Bore'" was a term much in fashion in England in 1700. " Hard-up" is
an old English slang term used in the universities. "To settle his hash,"
" cook his goose,"

"up to snuff,"

" throw up the sponge,"

"give

him the

bounce " (we now say give him the grand bounce), " in full feather," to " play
second fiddle," to " run one's face," " cutting it fat," " drawing it mild," " give
us a rest," " he's a dead-beat," "used up," " cleaned him out," to "tackle it,"
"on the shelf," "up the spout," to " sport a new title," "that's all gammon,"
" on the square " (we say " dead on the square"), " a way-up spread" (meaning
a superb lunch or dinner), " play or pay," " starchy," " brown study," " bumper" (a full glass), " double first-class man," "stunning," "gift o' the gab," etc.,
all do duty in a variety of senses at Cambridge and Oxford universities, as well
as in America; and none originated in our country. " There's millions in it," is
from Mark Twain's play of " The Gilded Age," so also is " By a large majority,"
" B. T. I.-Big thing on ice," and "Q. K.-Quite correct," from Ben Woolf's
"The Mighty Dollar." Opera bouffe and burlesque have given birth to " lots
of slang." The "pretty waiter girl" is from New York, followed by the
"blondes " and the "leg drama," and "the little church around the corner.'
After " guzzling" was prohibited at the Capitol in Washington, thirsty M. C.'s
used to repair to the "hole in the wall," and West Point cadets "drowned
their sorrows " at " Benny Havens, O !" During the prevalence of the " Maine
liquor law" in Massachusetts, twenty-six years ago, Bostonians "threw themselves outside their tods medicinally." The pet of a family is said to " have its
nose put out of joint" upon the appearance of an additional member. The
" Bowery Boy," as once impersonated by Frank Chanfrau, has passed away, and
the " Broadway swell" of thirty years ago now " loafs around " the Windsor.
" Step down and out" is an offspring of the celebrated Beecher trial; " addition, division, and silence" comes from Philadelphia; "fell down " and "I
should smile " are Californianisms ; the "roughs" of all American cities are called
either "bullies," " bruisers," " buffers," or " shoulder-hitters ;" gamblers are

called " knights of the green cloth," and their lieutenants who are sent out
after "greenhorns " are called "decoys," "cappers," and "steerers ;" in New
York there used to beaspecies of "roughs" called "dead rabbits," "Five
Pointers," and "Water-street rats;" the "roughs" of Baltimore were known as

48

ORIGIN OF SLANG

TERMS.

" blood tubs " and " plug uglies ;" in Philadelphia as "Shiffiers " and " Moyamensings ;" in.
New Orleans as "Tigers." The representative American belle
has for the past twenty-five years been known as "Miss Flora McFlimsey, of
Madison Square." "Au reservoir" is often indulged in by funny fellows for
Au revoir. " Ta ta " is used by the bogus English swell for good-bye, and also
by the American monkey who imitates him. " Thanks " is also one of those
sickening ejaculations of the B. E. S., picked up and used by the average American society sharp and small-talk scavenger.
To "stand off the tailor" originated at Cambridge. "Hanging the landlady" is synonymous. "According to Gunter," "short cut," "guess not,"
" crack thing," " seedy," " all-fired," "correct thing," " small potatoes " (and)
"few in the hill," "a whole team" (and) "a little dog under the wagon,"
"fizzle," "blue blazes," "gol durn it," "peculiar kink," "an up-hill job,"
"slick," "handy,?' " rooster," " nigger night" (applied to Saturday-night courting by young white people throughout New England), "doxology," "sockdologer," "pants," "panties," "unmentionables," "on the quivy vivy," "on
the sly," "soft snap," "piece of calico," are all Bostonianisms. The terms
"innocent," " acknowledge the corn," " on the fence," " buncombe," "Southron," " high-toned Southern gentleman," " bark up the wrong tree," " I reckon," "slip'ry," "great snakes," "pickaninny," "playing 'possum," "rifle
whisky," " dead shot," " hog and hominy," "wood up," had their origin in the
Southern States. The word "flap-jacks " originated on board an American manof-war; also, "navy sherry." "Deadheads," "that beats the Dutch," "torchlight-procession whisky," "going out to meet a man," "on the half-shell,"
" modern Greeks," " Mickies," " Murphys," " Jerusalem " (for Chatham Street
thirty years ago), are of New York birth. "Dog-gone it " was originally an
Indiana ejaculation.
" Pull down your vest," " jim-jams," " got 'em bad," "flying axe-handles,"
" and that's what's the matter," " dry up," " divide the spoils," " go hire a hall,"
"take in your sign," "F. F. V.'s," "peg out," "shoot that hat," "wipe off
your chin," "how's that for high ?" " hump yourself," " it's the man around
the corner," " putting up a job," "light out," " scatter," "irrigate," "put a
head on him," "big head," "decorated bugle," "erected a mansard over his
eye," "no back talk," "bottom dollar," "went off on his ear," "chalk it
down,". "'it isn't a marker," "taking a snifter," " driving another nail,"
"staving him off," "making it warm," " dropping him gently," " three fingers
of clear juice," "piling on the agony," " lobby," "third house," "caucus,"
"dead gone," "busted," "counter jumper," "scalper," "scrub," "two-forty,"
"put up or shut up," "throw the bones," " take that in out of the wet," " beerjerker," "Tom Collins," "bang up," "Kentucky wine," "grubbing checks,"
"smart Aleck," "toddy blossom," "corner in grain," "too much jaw," "chin
music," "swap votes," top heavy," " bare-footed on top of the head," "tie up
that whistle," "a little too fresh," "stem-winder," "bloated bondholder,"
"tough citizen," "jaw-bone," "champion liar," "irregularities," "chief cook
and bottle-washer," "bag and baggage," "taking it all in," "sitdown on him,"
"an ornament" (a mortgage), "beating his way through the world," " taking
up the whole sidewalk," "at the lodge," "crookedness," "we make 'em ourselves," "as fine as silk," " nominate your poison," " no heel-taps," " died with
his boots on," "old hoss," "everything goes," "make your will," "hunkey
dorey," "hold your horses," "galoot," "another man gone wrong," and many
others, are nearly all American slang terms, and some of them quite modern.
" Go off and die," " hocked his ulster," " and don't you forget it," "you
hear me," " rough deal," "square deal," "in the door," "tied up," "well
heeled," "flush times," "snatch him baldheaded," "pool your issues," "go
bury yourself," "she's a daisy," "git," "go drown yourself," "stand the racket,"

"the heathen Chinee," "Chinatown," "give your tongue a vacation," "change

{-

I

I~i
,

THIE BANCO

SKIN.

i

oRftzh1

OP SLANt?

T RkS.

49

your breath," "the Jackson bounce" (a Palace Hotel saying, and means that
Jackson, the policeman, gets after noisy children in the hotel court and elsewhere), "Nob Hill," "Tar Flat," "Barbary Coast," "Cliff House brigade,"
"bonanza kings," "a bad egg," the "sand-lot," "Kearneyism," "go climb a
tree," ("up a tree " is old American backwoods slang), " honorable bilks," "plug
hats," "black-and-tans," "Dolly Vardens," "sand-lotters," "Ben Butler" (a
noted sea-lion at the Cliff House), "well fixed," "down to the bed-rock," "hardpan," "outfit," "pay-dirt," "petered out," "it won'twash," "handed in his
checks," "gone to Lone Mountain," " finest climate in the world," " got the
drop on him," "vigilantes," "square meal," "slug of whisky," "free-lunch
fiend," "broke his back," "the Chinese must go," "John Chinaman," "the
boss of the road," "hoodlums" and "hoodlumism," "49er," "quien sabe ?"
"the Bush fund," "agitators," "bob-tail cars," "workingmen" (so-called),
"biled shirt," "not as the roads are," "grass is short," " society sharp," " the
big board," to "cinch," to "mash," "pans out well" (or otherwise), etc,, are
all, or nearly all, Californianisms.
Shakspeare speaks of " crocodile's tears" in "Othello," Act IV., Scene 1.
Ben Jonson calls an alarmist a " croaker." Shakspeare used the word " flush"
as the reverse of "hard-up ;" also, "lay for him " for watch him ; he calls a paltry
fellow a "patch," thus: " What a pied ninny's this ? thou scurvy patch!" The
word "party" is in the Bible, Tobit (Apocrypha), Chapter VI., verse 7: " If any
evil spirit trouble any, one must make a smoke thereon before the man or the
woman, and the party shall be no more vexed." Shakspeare uses the word in the
same way in the " Tempest," and Walter Scott uses it in "Ivanhoe " and the
"Bride of Lammermoor." Swift coins the word "phiz" for face. Bulwer uses
the word "stretch " for hang, " skid" for sovereign, "oliver" for moon, and
"killing " for bewitching. The "Noctes Ambrosiane " is full of slang. " He put
in the big licks," says North, in speaking of a person who was making great exertions. Thackeray, in his " Love the Widower," calls a young surgeon a "lintscraper." Lord Chesterfield used the cant word "flog" for whip. " Giving him
taffy" (Welsh "soft-soap," or "blarney") was London slang two hundred years
ago.
" Fired out" is a Californianism. " That's a dead give-away " is only a few
years old. " You can't play that on me" is a corruption from Shakspeare. In
" Hamlet," Act III., Scene 2, the Prince says: "You would play upon me; do
you think I am easier to be played upon ? You can not play upon me !" Polonius, in Act II., Scene 2, same tragedy, declared that Hamlet "was gone, far
gone," on his daughter Ophelia. The word "boom" and "yum-yum-yum"
originated in California. " Me no sabby," or "me sabby," has been in use all
oyer the world for hundreds of years. It means acuteness, or cleverness-as that
chap has plenty of savey. The term " uncle " for pawnbroker was in use three
hundred years ago in London. To be " spoony" on a girl is from the play of
"Everybody's Friend."
In Butler's " Hudibras" may be found "wrong sow by the ear," "two strings
to his bow," " smell a rat," " main chance," "moon is made of green cheese,"
"he knew what's what," "gray mare will prove the better horse," "devil take
the hindmost." " By hook or crook" is from Beaumont and Fletcher; " golden
mean," Horace; " facts are stubborn things," Smollett; "enough is as good as
a feast," Bickerstaff; "every tub must stand on its own bottom," Bunyan; "let
the world slide," Shakspeare; " hail, fellow, well met!" Tom Brown; "love me
little, love me long," Marlowe; "watered stock," Daniel Drew: "more the
merrier," Beaumont and Fletcher; " no love lost between us," Goldsmith;
"through thick and thin," Spenser; "tell the truth and shame the devil," Shakspeare; "but me no buts," Fielding; "turn over a new leaf," Middleton; "in
the twinkling of an eye," New Testament; "absent in body, but present in
spirit," same. The Old Testament give us: "Lay dead in his harness," "hope

54

O1Z&1t

OP SLAY

TZ!RMS.

deferred maketh the heart sick," "there is death in the lot," "man of blood "
(meaning David). "Fight it out on this line if it takes all summer," General
Grant; "let us have peace," same; "I'll be your Moses," Andy Johnson; "the
man at the other end of the avenue " (meaning President Johnson), Thad. Stevens; "he's a lame duck" (alluding to Colonel Forney), Andy Johnson; "headquarters in the saddle," General Pope; "leave no stone unturned," Euripides;
" Shoo fly 1" (to Cox), Ben Butler; " where the shoe pinches," Plutarch; "let
no guilty man escape," Grant; "the sinews of war," JEschines; "die in the last
ditch," William, Prince of Orange (a saying used a great deal by prominent Confederates during the late war); "let the Union slide," N. P. Banks; "let our
erring sisters (the seceding States) depart in peace," Greeley; "put your trust in
God, my boys, and keep your powder dry," Oliver Cromwell; "the guard dies,
but never surrenders," Cambronne; "nest-hiding," Beecher; "on the ragged
edge," same; "gone where the woodbine twineth," Jim Fisk; "forty winks,"
Christopher North; "bemusing himself with beer," G. A. Sala's "Gaslight and
Daylight;" "the almighty dollar," Washington Irving; "if any man attempts
to haul down the American flag, shoot him on the spot," General John A. Dix;
"we'll send them (the enemy) to hell across lots," Brigham Young.
"Everything is lovely and the goose hangs high " is a Philadelphia expression, and came out during the war. "How we apples swim," and "you can't
make a whistle out of a pig's tail," are "as old as the hills." In London and
New York a bank president is known as "old money-bags ;" the nabobs of the
Massachusetts capital are recognized as "the solid men of Boston." The insufferable "brass" of a life-insurance solicitor is eclipsed by the "monumental
cheek" of the lightning-rod agent. "Awfully good" luck is "nigger luck," and
"4-11-44" is the "washwoman's gig," or lucky combination in "policy-playing."
"Getting skunked " is fully understood by all card-players, as are the terms
"blind " and "straddle," in that most fascinating of all games (especially if one
"holds good hands," and is frequently "seen "), draw poker. "Grass widow"
is derived from "grace widow," or a widow by grace of the law-an unmarried
mother, or a deserted mistress. In the United States during the years 1849-50
the term was applied to those wives in the States whose husbands went to Oalifornia.
A minister is denominated a "white-choker" or a "Bible-pounder;" indeed,
a minister is credited with first making use of language called "gammy "Andrew Cant, a fanatical Scotch preacher; although the word cant was probably
derived from chaunt, the whine of the north of England Gypsies, or tramps, as
they were generally called in early days. Two-thirds of the cant or slang in use
originated with English tramps and thieves, and English writers; one-sixth has
its source in Lingua Franca, or Bastard Italian, with modern Greek, German,
French, Turkish, and Spanish ingredients (nearly all of the seaport townson the
Mediterranean have complete slang or cant languages, as do the thieves and
Gypsies of London) ; the remaining sixth part of slang in use has originated in
America and other parts of the world not enumerated above. Real cant was at
first a language invented for the purpose of secresy. For instance, among the
London tramps three hundred years ago the cant term for money was "lowe,"
and the English Gypsies of to-day use the same term; but the slang for money
number over three hundred, such as "tin," "ready," "wherewith," "brads,"
"vagrant shekels," etc. ; a horse is a "prad " in cant, and in slang a "nag," a
"plug," a "rattler," a "two-forty," etc.; a handkerchief is always a "billy" or
a "fogle" in cant, but it is a "wipe," a "rag," a "bandanna," etc., to-day in
slang, and it may be called a "table-cloth " to-morrow, just as we sometimes
term a very small napkin a "postage-stamp." In the old Gypsy tongue a "rig "
serves for what we slang "frolic," or "spree." At the present time, however,
all of the different kinds of cant and slang have become huddled together, and
the greater portion in use to-day in America may be traced to the thieves and

WAB

A2ND

POLITICAL

FLAN2.

51

tramps and university students of Great Britain, or to poetical and canting works
of hundreds of years ago.
I have heretofore stated that the dispenser of pulpit doctrines is called a
"Bible-pounder ;" the lawyer is called a "land-shark," a "limb of the law,"
etc.; a physician, "pill-box ;" the surgeon, "saw-bones;" an editor, a "scribbler ;" the mechanics and tradesmen all have their slang; so also have the army
and the navy, and the universities all over the world. The newspapers daily use
more or less literary or journalistic slang. Next to money, drunkenness has the
most slang terms-nearly three hundred in all. Next comes the storekeeper.
with his two hundred terms; and then follow the sailors, the base-ball players,
the bankers, and the "bulls" and "bears," et hoc genus omne. I heard a conductor of a Market Street car in San Francisco one day say to the driver: "I got
burned with a Sacramento "--meaning that he had taken a Sacramento streetcar ticket, which, of course, was a loss.

WAR AND POLITICAL SLANG.
Our " late unpleasantness " was the source of a large number of smart, cant,
and slang expressions, many of which are too good to be lost. Mr. Lincoln characterized the first shot fired upon Fort Sumpter as the " opening of the ball ;"
Ben Butler designated the slaves that came within the Federal line, or who were
captured, as "contraband of war ;" during the first year of the Rebellion, the
newspaper correspondents obtained a good deal of information from either the
"reliable gentleman " or the " intelligent contraband;" the darkey was often
alluded to as an "unbleached American ;" after the Emancipation Proclamation
our sable brother was spoken of as an "American citizen of African descent;"
exciting news of battles not fought and victories not won were received by
"grapevine telegraph ;" the New York Tribune for nearly a year had an article
every few days entitled " on to Richmond ;" " we'll hang Jeff Davis on a sour
apple tree," and "John Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave," were
chanted nightly round many a Union camp-fire for four long years. "All quiet
on the Potomac " met the dissatisfied eye day after day until the national heart
grew sad. What a magnificent panorama that struggle was to be sure-the
" stars and stripes" on one side, and the " bonnie blue flag " on the other; the
" blue and the gray" raining shot upon each other, until "the bottom fell out
of the Southern Confederacy." What grand characters there were in that
" irrepressible conflict" on both sides !-" old Pap Thomas," who never lost a
battle, and who opened the record of Western victories at Mill Spring, in the fall
of '61, and annihilated the intrepid Hood at Nashville three years afterward;
" Unconditional Surrender Grant;" " Phil Sheridan's Ride," and " Crazy Sherman" "Marching through Georgia ;" "Old Rosey" distinguishing himself at
Corinth, Iuka, and Stone River, and " Fighting Joe Hooker" pounding away
before Richmond. Lee and his gallant battalions " holding the gates of the
rebel capital," and that long, lean, old Union hag, " Barbara Freitchie," flaunting the star-spangled banner in the very teeth of one of the most illustrious
soldiers of modern times, "Stonewall Jackson." How the "Johnny Rebs"
"skedaddled " upon some occasions, and how they succeeded in "gobbling "
vast stores of our " hard tack " and " commissary whisky," and in " bagging "
whole brigades of "Yankees;" and how their " guerrillas " "raided" upon our
" lines of transportation," and how we fed the " Union refugees," and got swin-

dled by "bounty jumpers," and laughed at by "copperheads," who were afterward taken charge of by the "home guards."

52

WAR

ANDD

POLITICAL SLAN.

Many and many a time the " butternuts " came down upon the " Lincoln
hirelings" with a "rebel yell"' to the music of " Dixie ;" but the " Northern
mudsills" "pitched in red hot," and "the colored troops fought nobly." Who
will forget the exploits of Orpheus C. Kerr's " Mackeralville brigade ?" or Petroleum V. Nasby's felicitous descriptions of Little Mac's "masterly inactivity ?" or
that matchless display of patriotism of Artemus Ward, who was perfectly
" willing to sacrifice all his wife's relations ?" And we now " shake hands across
the bloody chasm," and forget the " dead line " at Andersonville, or the " tobacco warehouse" at Richmond. And we smile, occasionally, as we think of
" Big Bethel Butler" and his " Dutch Gap canal," Bob Toombs' "Bunker Hill
slave roll-call," the remnant of the expiring Confederacy " in petticoats," Isham
G. Harris " escaping from Nashville astride a bucking donkey," and " Bull Run
Russell" in a lively go-as-you-please scamper from Manassas to Washington.
While all of this was going on, Oakes Ames was cunningly placing his " Credit
Mobilier" stock "where it would do the most good," " shoddy contractors" became rich, and their wives, or their "brevet wives," "did Yurrup ;" quartermasters "feathered their nests," and "pa struck ile" in Pennsylvania. In those
days, "When the cruel war is over," and "Who will care for mother now ?"
were favorite songs.
The war closed, Lincoln was assassinated, and Andrew Johnson, the
" Andrew Jackson of the war" (so called by Colonel Forney at the commencement of hostilities), and as true a patriot as ever drew the breath of life, became
President. Inspired by the words of Abraham Lincoln at Richmond, "with
malice toward none, and with charity for all," Andrew Johnson inaugurated a
policy of peace and conciliation. But the "Radicals" made war upon "my
policy," and came near impeaching "His Accidency," as Andy was derisively
called, and his trip to Chicago for the purpose of participating in the ceremonies
attending the laying of the corner-stone of a monument to Stephen A. Douglas
was termed the " swing around the circle." At this juncture the "carpet-baggers " and " scalawags " got possession of the South, and " whooped it up lively
for the old flag and appropriations." Andy's term expired in 1869, and "the
Sphynx" succeeded him. For eight years there was a carnival of " ku-kluxklanism," "illicit distilleries," and "moonshiners' raids" throughout the
South, and " Tweedism" ("what are you going to do about it?"), "whisky
rings," and "cadetship" and "trading-post sales " in the North. Then came
the "back-pay," or "salary grab;" and then the "Centennial fever" and
"third term" discussion, and the talk about " Casarism." And, although the
" bloody shirt" was manipulated with consummate skill by the " stalwarts,"
thanks to the " shot-gun policy" of the " solid South," there came a " Democratic tidal wave," bearing upon its crest " Hamburg Butler" and the "nineteen rebel brigadiers," with here and there an occasional skeleton from a " Bourbon graveyard " in the North.
The Americanisms which grew out of the Presidential campaigns of 1876 were
numerous and significant. It was Tilden, with his "bar'l o' money," on one
side, and Rutherford B. Hayes, the " dark horse " of the Cincinnati Convention,
on the other. "Uncle Sammy" was undoubtedly elected, but he was " counted
out" by the "returning boards;" and the pilgrimage of the "visiting statesmen," and the efforts of the " nephew of his uncle" (Pelton) to " steal a vote
from Oregon, made no inroads in favor of the "sage of Grammarcy Park." Not
all the machinations and shekels of " Cipher Alley" could keep the case from
an "electoral tribunal," which decided in favor of Mr. Hayes by a vote of eight
to seven.
There are some Americanisms-chiefly political cant terms-that have had
their day. Among these are " Hindoos," a name giyen to the Native American

party in 1856, on account of Daniel Ullman-a candidate for the Presidencyhaving been charged with having been a native of Calcutta; and "Know-Noth-

.

4N
_

-

E
,-

-

-

-

_

--

_

-

-=

,

_
_

--

A THIEF'S LETTER.

5S

ings," a name given to the same party in 1853; " Hunkers," a nickname applied
to a portion of the New York Democracy some forty years ago, and intended to
indicate that those to whom it was given had an appetite for a hunk of the
spoils; "Abolitionists," a name given to anti-slavery men; "Fire-eaters," applied to extreme Southern pro-slavery men; " Doughfaces," applied to Northern
men of extreme Southern proclivities; " Locofocos," a nickname of a wing of
the New York Democracy, originating in 1834 from an incident at a meeting in
Tammany Hall, New York, during which one faction turned out the gaslight and
the other faction continued the meeting by the light of locofoco matches.
" Barnburners," a term once given to a progressive section of the Democratic
party; "Black Republicans," applied to the Republican party; "nigger worshippers," also applied to the anti-slavery party; "Underground Railroad,"
upon which no trains have run since Abraham Lincoln proclaimed freedom to
the American slave. This proclamation also left no vestige of "Mason and
Dixon's Line, or of the " Missouri Compromise," and little is ever heard of the
"Border States." "Kitchen Cabinet," a name sportively given to Amos Kendall and Francis P. Blair by the opponents of Jackson's administration ; " Dark
and Bloody Ground," a term applied to Kentucky in the early history of that
State. " Brother Jonathan " and " Uncle Sam " are popular collective names
given to the people of the United States; " Expunging resolution," a resolution
introduced in the Senate by Thomas H. Benton, on the 26th of December, 1836
(see CongressionalGlobe); " Salt River," an imaginary stream up which defeated
parties are supposed to take passage; "Young America," a popular collective
name for " our boys." J. G. Holland says: " What we call Young America is
made up of about equal parts of irreverence, conceit, and that popular moral
quality familiarly known as 'brass.' " "Omnibus Bill" was a term given to an
act introduced in the Senate by Henry Clay on the 29th of January, 1850, the
most important stipulations of which were those providing for the admission of
California into the Union with its anti-slavery Constitution, the abolition of the
slave trade in the District of Columbia, etc.

A THIEF'S LETTER.
The following letter is written in a favorite style with prisoners. Enigmatical
as it reads it is in the plainest sort of English and why any man should go to the
trouble of creating it, I have never been able to make out. Still fully half the
letters sent out of jail by convicts are laboriously concocted after this fashion.
Raed Mot: Ecnis uoy evah neeb ot eht tiw, semit evah neeb llud. Mij dna
em evah enod gnihton fo yna tnuocca. Tsal thgin I dezzub a ekolb dna a
retsekahs fo a redaer dna a niks. Ym remoj dellats. A evocssore, ohw dah sih
rauger, dellac tuo, "poc gnub," os sa a gip saw gnikram. I deleeps ot eht birc,
erehw I dnuof Mij dah neeb gnillup nwod yenwas rof burg. Eh dekcarc a asac
tsal thgin, dna decnef eht gaws. Eh dlot em sa Llib dah depmilf a kcay, dna
dehcnip a hlews of a yenwaf; eh tnes eht kcay ot hcruhc, dna tog eerht sffinnif
dna a retooc rof eht yenwaf.
Ruoy dlo Llom deranuqs flesreh rof a elpuoc fo snoom, retfa uoy tnew ot tiw
tub uoy ees a detsalb reppoc deye-yttuc reh, dna derretap ylneib htiw reh, dna
desimrop reh ytnelp fo eloc ft d'ehs eson rof mih, dna ni esruoc, Llom ekil, ehs

saw demmad yb mih, dna os, uoy ees, ehs tup pu rook kcalb Llib, dna eh saw
deppoo ot sthgir; rof nehw yeht deksirf mih, yeht dnuof a tol fo egdew-seredeef

54

A

THIEF'S LETTER.

ni eht ekop fo sih skcik. Eht hcnuats-nu sevoc, sa uoy swonk, Mot, si reven
drakcab nev yeht dluohs emoc drarof. Nev I detnahc roop S'llib senutrofsim 11a
no me dias sa woh eh say a eneb henuats evoc sa reve dellap htiw a eneb ekolb
dna t'ndluohs tnav a wef seirutnec dna a flah. Won, uoy ees, taht si tav I sllac
nieb a dneirf, deedni, nev uoy si ni deen. Nov rehto nosaer yv I t'nsah detfarg
yletal, si taht eht detsalb yeuh evag ym tnahe dna gum; dna ni esruoc, uoy
swonk I ma oot yreel ot evig eht spoc eht egatnavda revo em. On erom ta
tneserp.
NHOJ YELLEK.

Now

Ready.

Price by Mail,

With their Battles and Portraits. Published by RiCHA

33 cents.

wJoFoP, P'oprietor
K.

Police Gazette, New York.

FOOTLIGHT FAVORITES.
THE MOST UNIQUE AND SPLENDID THEATRICAL BOOK EVER PRINTED.
:o:

CONTAINS

IT

2 HANDSOME PORTRAI'S OF BEAUTIFUL ACTRESSES
Who have won dramatic fame in Europe and America, among
whom are

Sernharit, Nteilson,

Snfanti and
:O

:-

Paimr.

-

This collection would cost, at the least, $2.50 at any photographer's, but in
its present form IT ONLY COSTS 30 CENTS, including excellent sketches of
each of utrhi lives.
No admirer of theP drama should be without a copy.
'FSW1T

BY JAIL

33 OE]N$.

R5OI

EICHARD

IK.

FOX,

Publisher,

183 William Street, N. Y.

NOW READY.

! I-I .A

TI-IEE

I OG 1,T

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KIND

WILLIAM

E.

IN THE WORLD.
HARDING,

SPORTING EDITOR NATIONAL POLICE GAZETTE,

NEW YORK.

PUBLISHED

BY

RICHARD K. FOX, Proprietor Police Gazette,
183 WILLIAM STREET, NEW YORK.

NE~N

BY JA IW ON 1(HOCMPW OE 33 CH3
OE'

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... fmulhn.

r ,.

III

ZI/ I

r

1F

. ...
. . .'(

I.
..
I;::

.:"
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."'

THEE

POLICE GAZETTE,
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It is made in compliance with copyright law
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Preservation facsimile printing and binding
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