Vocabulum; or The Rogue's Lexicon / Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources

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GEORGE W. MATSELL & CO.,

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PREFACE.

When a young man enters upon the business of life, he may have some indefinite idea of what he intends to follow out to the close thereof; but he soon finds himself surrounded by circumstances which control his actions and business pursuits, and lead him into channels of thought and industry that had not previously entered into his philosophy. At least I have found it to be so, and I have no doubt others have had a similar experience. To become a lexicographer, certainly never entered into my calculation, or even found a place in the castle-building of my younger days; and if a kind friend had suggested to me that I was destined to fill such a position in life, I would simply have regarded him as a fit subject for the care of the authorities. This improbable event has now taken place; and I present myself to the world as the compiler of a language used in all parts of the world, and yet understood connectedly but by few persons.

The rogue fraternity have a language peculiarly their own, which is understood and spoken by them no matter what their dialect, or the nation where they were reared. Many of their words and phrases, owing to their comprehensive meaning, have come into general use, so that a Vocabulum or Rogue's Lexicon, has become a necessity to the general reader, but more especially to those who read police intelligence.

Occupying the position of a Special Justice, and Chief of the Police of the great Metropolis of New-York, where thieves and others of a like character from all parts of the world congregate, and realizing the necessity of possessing a positive knowledge of every thing connected with the class of individuals with whom it was my duty to deal, I was naturally led to study their peculiar language, believing that it would enable me to converse with them more at ease, and thus acquire a knowledge of their character, besides obtaining from them information that would assist me in the position I occupied, and consequently be of great service to the public. To accomplish this task was no mean undertaking, as I found that it required years of diligent labor to hunt up the various authorities, and these when found proved only partially available, as much of the language in present use was unwritten, and could only be obtained by personal study among first-class thieves who had been taught it in their youth. The difficulties surrounding it, did not deter me from following out my resolution, and by closely pursuing it, I had opened up to me a fountain of knowledge that I could not have obtained if I had not possessed a clear understanding of this peculiar dialect. Experience has since demonstrated to me that any man engaged in police business can not excel without understanding the rogues' language, in the study of which they will find this Lexicon of invaluable service.

It is not, however, to policemen alone that this book will be of service, as these cant words and phrases are being interwoven with our language and many of them are becoming recognized Anglicisms. It is not unusual to see them in the messages of presidents and governors—to hear them enunciated at the bar and from the pulpit, and thus they have come to be acknowledged as appropriately expressive of particular ideas; so that while they are in common use among the footpads that infest the land, the élite of the Fifth Avenue pay homage to their worth, by frequently using them to express thoughts, that could not, otherwise, find a fitting representative. The vocabulary of the rogue is not of recent date; although it is mainly made up of arbitrary or technical words and phrases, while others are of a purely classical origin. It is a language of great antiquity, and may be dated back to the earliest days of the roving gipsy bands, that infested Europe, from whom the greater portion of it has been derived. It might more properly be termed the Romany or Gipsy language, adapted to the use of modern rogues in all parts of the world, and in which the etymologist will find words drawn from every known language. Some of these words are peculiarly national, but as a general thing the language of the rogue in New-York is the language of the rogue the world over.

Among policemen, not only in this city but in different parts of the United States, the cant language of thieves is attempted to be used; but there being no standard they are unable to do so understandingly, and each one gives to the words the corrupted sense in which he received it; thus speaking as it were, a miserable "patois," to the exclusion of the true "Parisian French." This departure from the true meaning of the words used is mischievous in its tendency, as it is calculated to mislead and bewilder, so that rogues might still converse in the presence of an officer, and he be ignorant of what they said. This I have endeavored to correct, and although I may not claim infallibility in these matters, yet I believe that I have arrived at as high a degree of perfection as is now attainable.

To the readers of the National Police Gazette, the oldest and most reliable criminal journal published in the United States, this work will prove invaluable, as it will enable them to understand and fully comprehend language that the editors and correspondents are frequently compelled to use in order to convey the idea as understood by rogues in general.

Geo. W. Matsell.

New-York, 1859.

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VOCABULUM;

OR,

THE ROGUE'S LEXICON.

A

ABRAHAM. To sham; to pretend sickness.

ABRAHAM COVE. A naked or poor man; a beggar in rags.

ACADEMY. A penitentiary, or prison for minor offenses.

ACCOUNTS. To cast accounts; to vomit.

ACE OF SPADES. A widow.

ACKRUFFS. River-thieves; river-pirates.

ACORN. A gallows.

ACTEON. A cuckold.

ACTIVE CITIZEN. A louse.

ADAM. An accomplice; a pal.

ADAM-TILER. A fellow whose business it is to receive the plunder from the "File"—the one who picked the pocket—and get away with it.

ADDLE-COVE. A foolish man.

AGOG. Anxious; impatient; all-agog.

AGOGARE. Anxious; eager; impatient; be quick.

AIR AND EXERCISE. To work in the stone quarry at Blackwell's Island or at Sing Sing.

ALAMORT. Confounded; struck dumb; unable to say or do any thing.

ALBERT. A chain.

ALBONIZED. Whitened.

ALLS. The five alls. First, the monarch's motto, "I govern all." Second, the bishop's motto, "I pray for all." Third, the lawyer's motto, "I plead for all." Fourth, the soldier's motto, "I fight for all." Fifth, the farmer's motto, "I pay for all."

ALTEMAL. All in a heap, without items; the sum total.

ALTITUDES. A state of drunkenness; being high.

AMBIDEXTER. One who befriends both sides; a lawyer who takes fees from both parties in a suit.

AMERACE. Very near; don't go far; be within call.

AMPUTATE YOUR MAHOGANY or TIMBER. Be off quick; away with you.

AMUSE. To amuse; to invent plausible stories and thereby rob or cheat unsuspecting persons.

AMUSERS. Fellows who carry snuff or pepper in their pockets, which they throw into a person's eyes and then run away; the accomplice rushing up to the victim, pretending to assist, robs him while suffering with pain.

ANGLERS. Small thieves who place a hook on the end of a stick, and therewith steal from store-windows, doors, etc. It also applies to fencemen; putters up, etc.

ANKLE. "A sprained ankle;" the mother of a child born out of wedlock.

ANODYNE. Death; to anodyne, to kill. "Ahr say, Bill, vy don't yer hopen that jug and draw the cole?" "Vy, my cove, aren't you avare as how a bloke snoses hin it?" "Vell, vot hof it, aren't yer habel to put him to hanodyne?"

ANOINTED. Flogged.

APPLES AND PEARS. Stairs.

AQUA. Water.

ARCH-COVES. Chief of the gang or mob; headmen; governors; presidents.

ARCH-DUKE. A funny fellow.

ARCH-GONNOFF. The chief of a gang of thieves.

ARD. Hot.

ARK. A ship; a boat; a vessel.

ARTFUL DODGERS. Lodgers; fellows who dare not sleep twice in the same place for fear of arrest.

ARTICLE. Man. "You're a pretty article." A term of contempt.

ARTICLES. A suit of clothes.

ARTIST. An adroit rogue.

ASSAY. Go on; commence; try it.

ATTLEBOROUGH. Not genuine; made to imitate. At the town of Attleborough jewelry is manufactured from the baser metals, or so alloyed as to deceive those who are not good judges of the genuine article.

AUTUM. A church.

AUTUM-BAWLER. A parson.

AUTUM-CACKLER. A married woman.

AUTUM-COVE. A married man.

AUTUM-DIVERS. Pickpockets who practise in churches.

AUTUM-JET. A parson.

AUTUMED. Married.

AWAKE. To know; to let know.

B

BABY PAPS. Caps.

BACONNING. A fat round face; a full pale face.

BADGER. A panel thief; a fellow who robs a man's pocket after he has been enticed into bed with a woman; to torment.

BAG OF NAILS. Every thing in confusion.

BAGGED. Imprisoned.

BALL. Prison allowance.

BALLUM-RANCUM. A ball where all the dancers are thieves and prostitutes.

BALSAM. Money.

BAM. A lie; to bamboozle; humbug.

BANDERO. A widow's weeds.

BANDOG. A civil officer.

BANGUP. The best; very fine; height of the fashion.

BAPTIZED. Liquor that has been watered.

BARDY. A sixpence.

BARKER. One who patrols the streets for customers in front of his employer's shop; vide Chatham street.

BARKING. Shooting.

BARKING-IRONS. Pistols.

BARNACLES. A good booty; a pair of spectacles; hand-cuffs.

BARREL FEVER. Delirium tremens.

BASTER. A house-thief.

BAT. A prostitute who walks the streets only at night.

BAZAAR. A counter.

BEAK. A magistrate; a judge.

BEAKQUERE. A sharp, strict magistrate who is attentive to his duty.

BEANS. Five-dollar gold-pieces.

BEAT. Get the best of him; "Beat the flat;" rob the man.

BEATER-CASES.}
BEATERS. } Boots.

BEAU-TRAPS. Well-dressed sharpers; fortune-hunters.

BELCHER TIE. A flashy neckerchief.

BEN. A vest.

BENDER. A spree; a drunken frolic.

BENE. Good; first rate.

BENE-BOUSE. Good drink.

BENE-COVE. A good man.

BENE-CULL. A good fellow.

BENE-DARKMAN. Good night.

BENEN-COVE. A better man.

BENFLAKE. A cheap beef-steak.

BENISON. A blessing.

BENJAMIN. A coat.

BENS. Fools.

BESS. A pick of a very simple construction.

BETSEY. See Bess.

BETTING HIS EYES. A term used by gamblers when a "sucker" looks on at the game, but does not bet.

BETTY. A picklock.

BEVER. An afternoon lunch.

BIENLY. Excellently, "She coaxed so bienly."

BIG THING. A rich booty.

BILBOA. A pointed instrument.

BILK. To cheat.

BILL OF SALE. A widow's weeds.

BILLY. A piece of whalebone or rawhide about fourteen inches long, with an oval-shaped lump of lead at each end, one larger than the other, the whole being covered with buckskin or india-rubber.

BILLY BUTTER. Mutton.

BILLY NOODLE. A soft fellow that believes the girls are all in love with him.

BINGAVAST. Get you gone, "Bing we to New-York;" go we to New-York.

BINGO. Liquor.

BINGO-BOY. A drunken man.

BINGO-MORT. A drunken woman.

BIRDLIME. Time. Time arrests and reveals all things.

BIRTHDAY SUIT. Stark naked.

BIT. Out-witted, "The cove was bit;" "The cove has bit the flat, and pinched his cole," outwitted and robbed him.

BIT. Done; sentenced; convicted.

BITE. To steal; to rob.

BLACK ACT. Picking locks.

BLACK COVE-DUBBER. A turn-key; a prison keeper.

BLACK FRIARS. Look out.

BLACK OINTMENT. Raw meat.

BLACK SPY. The devil.

BLACK-BOX. A lawyer.

BLACKLEG. A gambler.

BLARNEY. A picklock.

BLEAK. Handsome; "The Moll is bleak," the girl is handsome.

BLEAK-MORT. A pretty girl.

BLEATING RIG. Sheep-stealing.

BLEED. To compel a person to give money under threat of exposure.

BLINK. Not to see when one may. "The copper blinks, and won't drop to me," i. e. the officer pretends not to see me; the officer looks another way. To go to sleep.

BLOCK-HOUSE. A prison.

BLOKE. A man.

BLOSS. Woman; mistress; girl.

BLOTTED. Written.

BLOW. To inform.

BLOW A CLOUD. Smoke a segar or pipe.

BLOWEN. The mistress of a thief. "The blowen kidded the bloke into a panel crib, and shook him of his honey and thimble," i. e. the girl enticed the man into a thieving-house, and robbed him of his watch and money.

BLUDGEONER. A fellow who passes off some well-dressed woman as his wife. She goes out in search of a gallant, and entices her victim into some unfrequented place. The bludgeoner waits outside until she gives him a signal that the man is robbed, when he rushes in with a knife, pistol, or club, and accuses the man with having seduced his wife. The poor fool gets away as fast as possible, and does not know that he is robbed.

BLUDGET. A female thief who decoys her victims into alley-ways, or other dark places, for the purpose of robbing them.

BLUE-BILLY. A peculiar handkerchief.

BLUE-PIGEON-FLYING. Stealing lead off the tops of houses.

BLUE-PLUM. A bullet; "Surfeit the bloke with blue-plum," shoot him.

BLUE-RUIN. Bad gin.

BLUFF. To bluster; look big.

BLUFFER. The landlord of a hotel.

BLUNDERBUSS. An ignorant, blustering fellow.

BLUNT. Money.

BOARDING-HOUSE. City prison; the Tombs.

BOARDING-SCHOOL. Penitentiary.

BOAT. "To boat with another;" to go in with him; to be his partner in the same boat—in the same scrape.

BOATED. Transported; gone to sea.

BOB. The fellow that carries off the plunder; a shop-lifter; a cover or staller.

BOB MY PAL. My girl.

BOB-CULL. A good fellow.

BOBBIE. A policeman.

BODY-COVER. A coat.

BOGUS. Bad coin; false.

BOKE. The nose.

BOLT. Run away.

BONE. To take; to steal; to ask him for it.

BONEBOX. The mouth.

BONED. Arrested; taken; carried off.

BONESETTER. A hard-riding horse.

BONNET. Hat. "Bonnet him," knock his hat down over his eyes.

BONNETTER. One who entices another to play; or the fellow who takes the "flat" in hand after the "roper in" has introduced him to the house.

BOOBY-HATCH. Station-house; watch-house.

BOODLE. A quantity of bad money.

BOODLE-CARRIER. The man who carries the bulk of the counterfeit money that is to be passed. The person who passes, or shoves it, as it is called, having but one "piece" at a time. The fellow with the boodle keeps close in the wake of the shover, to receive the good money, and supply him with the counterfeit, as occasion requires.

BOOKED. Arrested.

BOOLY-DOG. An officer; a policeman.

BOOSING-KEN. A drinking-shop.

BOOTH. A place in which thieves congregate.

BOOZE. Intoxicating drink.

BORDELLO. A house of ill-fame.

BOSHING. A flogging.

BOTS. Boots.

BOTTLE-HEAD. A stupid fellow.

BOUNCE. To scold; blow up; to swagger; to convince by the force of sound more than sense.

BOUNCER. A fellow that robs while bargaining with the store-keeper.

BOUNCING CHEAT. A bottle.

BOUNG. A purse.

BOWER. A prison.

BOWSPRIT IN PARENTHESIS. A pulled nose.

BRACKET-MUG. A very ugly face.

BRADS. Money.

BRAG. To boast.

BRASS. Money.

BREAD-BAG. The stomach.

BREAK-'O-DAY DRUM. A place for the sale of liquor, that never closes day or night.

BREAKUPS. Steamboat-landings; dispersing of people from theatres, lecture-rooms, churches, etc.

BRIEF. Duplicate.

BROAD PITCHING. The game of three-card monte.

BROADS. Cards.

BROADY. Materials of any kind.

BROKEN LEG. A woman that has had a child out of marriage.

BROTHER OF THE BLADE. A soldier.

BROTHER OF THE BOLUS. A doctor.

BROTHER OF THE BUNG. A brewer.

BROTHER OF THE BUSKIN. An actor.

BROTHER OF THE COIF. A counsellor-at-law.

BROTHER OF THE GUSSET. A pimp.

BROTHER OF THE QUILL. An author; an editor.

BROTHER OF THE STRING. Fiddler, or musician.

BROTHER OF THE SURPLICE. A minister.

BROTHER OF THE WHIP. A coachman.

BRUISER. A fighter.

BRUSH. To flatter; to humbug; an encounter. "It was the hardest brush I ever saw; both men were as game as pebbles. It was nothing but cut, carve, and come again."

BRUSHER. A full glass.

BRUSHING UP A FLAT. Praising or flattering.

BUBB. To drink; "Bubb your lush," drink your grog.

BUBBLE. To cheat.

BUCK. A hack-driver; bail.

BUCKET. A live man.

BUCKLER. A collar.

BUCKS-FACE. A cuckold.

BUDGE. A thief that sneaks into a store, and hides until the persons who lock up are gone, when he lets in his accomplice.

BUFE. A dog.

BUFE-NAPPER. A dog-thief; a mean rogue.

BUFFER. A pugilist.

BUFFET. A false swearer.

BUFFING IT HOME. Swearing point blank to a circumstance or thing.

BUG. A breast-pin.

BUGABOSE. Sheriff's officers.

BUGAROCH. Handsome; very pretty.

BUGGER. A pickpocket; a buggsman.

BUGGING. Taking money from a thief by a policeman.

BULK AND FILE. Shop-lifters; two pickpockets operating together—the "bulk" jostles the party that is to be robbed, and the "file" steals the treasure.

BULL. A locomotive.

BULL-DOGS. Pistols.

BULL-TRAPS. Rogues who personate officers for the purpose of extorting money.

BULLY. A lump of lead tied in a corner of a kerchief.

BULLY TIMES. Good times.

BUMMER. A sponger.

BUMY-JUICE. Porter or beer.

BUN. A fellow that can not be shaken off.

BUNG. A purse or pocket.

BURNERS. Rogues who cheat countrymen with false cards or dice.

BURNING. Cheating.

BURNT OUT. Worn-out roués; fellows that sorrow for the past, fear the future, and can only make the present endurable through means that are revolting to human reason.

BURST. The conclusion of an entertainment; a spree.

BURSTER. A burglar. Sometimes it denotes bread.

BUS-NAPPER. A constable.

BUST. To enter forcibly; a burglary.

BUSTLED. Confused; perplexed; puzzled.

BUTTEKER. A store.

BUTTER-KEN. A shop or store.

BUTTERED. Whipped.

BUTTON. To secure; to entice a simpleton to play.

BUZZING. Searching for. "I was in a push and had to buzz about half a glass before I touched a flat's thimble and slang. I fenced the swag for half a century"—"I was in a crowd and searched for half an hour before I succeeded in stealing a man's watch and chain, which I sold for fifty dollars."

C

CAB-MOLL. A woman that keeps a bad house.

CACKLE. To blab. "The cove cackles"—tells all he knows.

CAD. A baggage-smasher; a railroad conductor.

CADGER. A beggar; a mean thief.

CADY. A hat.

CAG. Sulky; morose.

CAIN AND ABEL. A table.

CAKE. An easy fool of a policeman; a flat cop.

CALF-SKIN FIDDLE. A drum.

CALLE. A gown.

CAM. Cambric, "Cam wiper." Cambric kerchief.

CAMESOR. A shirt or shift.

CAN. A dollar.

CAN'T SEE. Very drunk; so that he can not see a hole through a ladder.

CANARY-BIRD. A convict.

CANK. Dumb.

CANNIS COVE. A dog-man; a dog-merchant; a dog-thief.

CANT. A gift; to give.

CAP. To join in, "I will cap in with him"—I will appear to be his friend.

CAP BUNG. Hand it over; give it to me.

CAP YOUR LUCKY. Run away.

CAPER COVE. A dancing-master.

CAPPER. One who supports another's assertion, to assist in cheating, "The burner bammed the flat with sham books, and his pal capped in for him"—The sharp cheated the countryman with false cards, and his confederate assisted (capped) in the fraud.

CAPTAIN HEEMAN. A blustering fellow; a coward.

CAPTAIN TOPER. A smart highwayman.

CARAVAN. Plenty of cash; rich; money enough.

CARLER. A clerk.

CARREL. Jealous.

CART OF TOGS. A gift of clothes.

CASA. A house, "Tout that casa"—mark that house. "It is all bob; let's dub the gig of the casa"—Now the coast is clear; let us break open the door of the house.

CASE. A dollar.

CASS. Cheese.

CASSE. A house.

CAST. Course, "He traversed the cast"—he walked the course.

CASTER. A cloak.

CASTOR. A hat.

CAT. A drunken prostitute; a cross old woman; a muff; a pewter pot.

CAT AND MOUSE. Keeps house, "He keeps a cat and mouse."

CATAMARAN. An ugly woman.

CATCH-POLE. A constable.

CATTER. A crowbar.

CAVED. Gave up; surrendered.

CAXON. A wig.

CENTURY. One hundred dollars; one hundred.

CHAFER. The treadmill.

CHAFF. Humbug.

CHAFFEY. Boisterous; happy; jolly.

CHAFFING. Talking; bantering.

CHALK. To mark; to spot.

CHALK FARM. The arm.

CHALKS. To walk your chalks; to run away.

CHANT. Talk; to publish; to inform. "Give me your chant," Give me your name.

CHANT COVES. Reporters.

CHAPT. Dry; thirsty.

CHARLEY. A gold watch.

CHARLEY PRESCOT. A vest.

CHARM. A picklock.

CHATES. Gallows.

CHATTS. Lice. Chatt, a louse.

CHATTY FEEDER. A spoon.

CHEESE. Be silent; listen. "Cheese it, the coves are fly," be silent, the people understand us.

CHERRY PIPE. A pipe; a full-grown woman.

CHIE. Who is it? do you know?

CHIN. A child.

CHINK. Money.

CHINKERS. Handcuffs and leg-irons united by a chain; money.

CHIPS. Money.

CHIVE. A file or saw. "Chive your darbies," file your irons off.

CHIVEY. To scold.

CHOKER. A neckerchief.

CHOPPED UP. When large quantities of goods are sold to a receiver, they are divided into small lots, and put into various houses, and this is called "chopping up the swag."

CHOVEY. A shop or store.

CHRISTENING. Erasing the name of the maker from a stolen watch and putting another in its place.

CHUMP. Head.

CHURCH. A term of endearment, "My church."

CITY COLLEGE. The Tombs.

CLANKERS. Silver vessels.

CLARET. Blood.

CLEAN. Expert; smart.

CLEAR. Run; go away; be off.

CLERKED. Imposed upon. "The flat will not be clerked."

CLEYMANS. Artificial sores made by beggars to impose on the credulous.

CLICK. A blow; a thrust.

CLICKER. A knock down.

CLINK. To grab; to snatch; be quick; start.

CLOUT. Handkerchief.

CLOWER. A basket.

CLY. A pocket.

CLY-FAKING. Picking pockets.

COACHWHEEL. A dollar.

COCK AND HEN CLUB. A place frequented by thieves of both sexes.

COCKED HIS TOES UP. Dead. "He is dead."

COCUM. Sly; wary.

COFFEE. Beans.

COG. To cheat; to impose; a tooth.

COGLIONE. A fool; a woman's dupe; a fop.

COLD DECK. A prepared deck of cards played on a novice or "sucker."

COLD PIG. A person that has been robbed of his clothes.

COLLAR. To seize or take.

COLLARED. Taken; arrested.

COLLEGE. A State prison.

COLLEGE CHUM. A fellow-prisoner.

COLTMAN. One who lets horses and vehicles to burglars.

COMMISSION. A shirt or shift.

COMMISTER. A parson.

COMMIT. To inform.

CONFIDENCE MAN. A fellow that by means of extraordinary powers of persuasion gains the confidence of his victims to the extent of drawing upon their treasury, almost to an unlimited extent. To every knave born into the world it has been said that there is a due proportion of fools. Of all the rogue tribe, the Confidence man is, perhaps, the most liberally supplied with subjects; for every man has his soft spot, and nine times out of ten the soft spot is softened by an idiotic desire to overreach the man that is about to overreach us. This is just the spot on which the Confidence man works. He knows his subject is only a knave wrongside out, and accordingly he offers him a pretended gold watch at the price of a brass one; he calls at the front door with presents from no where, as none could be expected; he writes letters in the most generous spirit, announcing large legacies to persons who have no kin on the face of the earth who cares a copper for them. The Confidence man is perfectly aware that he has to deal with a man who expects a result without having worked for it, who gapes, and stands ready to grasp at magnificent returns. The consequence is, that the victim—the confiding man—is always done. The one plays a sure game; his sagacity has taught him that the great study of the mass of mankind is to get something and give nothing; but as this is bad doctrine, he wakes up out of his "brown study," and finds himself, in lieu of his fine expectations, in possession of a turnip for a watch, a cigar-box in place of a casket. The Confidence man always carries the trump card; and whoever wishes to be victimized can secure his object by making a flat of himself in a small way, while attempting to victimize somebody else.

CONK. The nose.

CONSOLATION. Assassination. To kill a man, is to give him consolation.

CONVENIENT. A mistress.

COOK. Melt; dissolve.

COPBUSY. The act of handing over stolen property by a thief to one of his pals for the purpose of preventing its being found on him if arrested.

COPPED. Arrested. "The knuck was copped to rights, a skin full of honey was found in his kick's poke by the copper when he frisked him," the pickpocket was arrested, and when searched by the officer, a purse was found in his pantaloons pocket full of money.

COPPED TO RIGHTS. Arrested on undoubted evidence of guilt.

CORINTH. A bad house.

CORINTHIANS. Bad women who move in respectable society.

CORN-THRASHERS. Farmers.

COUPLE. To live with.

COVE or COVEY. A man.

COVER. The follow that covers the pickpocket while he is operating.

COVING. Palming; stealing jewelry before the face and eyes of the owner, or person that is selling it.

COW. A dilapidated prostitute.

COW JUICE. Milk.

COW'S GREASE. Butter.

COWS AND KISSES. Miss, or the ladies.

CRAB-SHELLS. Shoes.

CRABS. Feet.

CRACK. To force; to burst open.

CRACKSMAN. A burglar who uses force instead of picklocks or false keys.

CRAMMER. A falsehood.

CRAMP WORDS. Sentence of death.

CRAMP-RINGS. Shackles or handcuffs.

CRAMPED. Killed; murdered; hanged.

CRAMPING CULL. Executioner; hangman.

CRANKY. Mad; insane.

CRANKY-HUTCH. An insane asylum.

CRASH. To kill. "Crash that cull," kill that fellow.

CREAMY. Secretly.

CREATURE. Liquor.

CREEME. To slip money into the hands of another.

CRIB. A house.

CROAKE. To murder; to die.

CROAKED. Dead.

CROAKERS. Newspapers.

CROKUS. A doctor. "The cove sold a stiff un to a crokus for twenty cases," the rogue sold a corpse to a doctor for twenty dollars.

CROSLEITE. To cheat a friend.

CROSS. Dishonest.

CROSS-COVE. A thief; any person that lives in a dishonest way is said to be "on the cross," from the fact that highwaymen were in the habit of waiting for their victims on the cross-roads.

CROSS-DRUM. A drinking-place where thieves resort.

CROSS-FANNING. Picking a pocket with the arms folded across the chest. A knuck in the front rank of a crowd desiring to steal a watch from the pocket of a gentleman standing on either side of him, first folds his arms across his breast; and pretending to be intensely looking at some object before him, stretches out the arm next his victim, and by rapid movements of his fingers and hands excites his attention, and, while in this attitude, with the hand which is stretched across his own breast, he twists the watch from the other's pocket.

CROSSED. To meet another and pass him. "The swell moved as he crossed me," the gentleman bowed as he passed me.

CROW. The crow is the fellow that watches outside when his accomplices are inside, and gives them warning of the approach of danger.

CRUMEY. Fat; pockets full; plenty.

CRUMP. One who procures false witnesses.

CRUSHER. A policeman.

CUES. The points.

CUFFIN QUEERS. Magistrates.

CUFFIR. A man.

CULING. Snatching reticules and purses from ladies.

CULL. A man; sometimes a partner.

CUPBOARD LOVE. He or she loves only for what they can get.

CUPSHOT. Drunk.

CURBINGLAW. Stealing goods out of windows.

CURLERS. Fellows who sweat gold coins by putting them in a bag, and after violently shaking, gather the dust.

CURTISONS. Broken-down lawyers; Tombs skinners.

CUSSINE. A male.

CUT. To abandon; to renounce acquaintance; drunk; "Half cut," half drunk.

CUT BENE. Pleasant words; to speak kind.

CUT UP. "The jug cut up very fat, and the gonniffs all got their regulars; there was no sinking in that mob," the bank was very rich, and the thieves all received their share; there was no cheating in that gang.

CUTTER. A peculiar instrument that first-class screwsmen (burglars) use for cutting through iron chests, doors, etc.

CUTTING HIS EYES. Beginning to see; learning; suspicious.

CUTTY-EYED. To look out of the corner of the eyes; to look suspicious; to leer; to look askance. "The copper cutty-eyed us," the officer looked suspicious at us.

CYMBAL. A watch.

D

D. I. O. Damn it! I'm off.

DACE. Two cents.

DADDLES. Hands.

DAGAN. A sword.

DAIRY. The breasts of a woman that suckles a baby.

DAISY-ROOTS. Boots and shoes.

DAISYVILLE. The country.

DAKMA. Silence; "Dakma the bloke, and cloy his cole," silence the man, and steal his money.

DAMBER. First.

DAMBER COVE. The head man.

DANAN. Stairs.

DANCE AT HIS DEATH. To be hung; "May he dance when he dies," may he be hanged.

DANCERS. Shooting stars; fellows who do not remain long in one place.

DANCING. Sneaking up stairs to commit a larceny.

DANGLER. A roué; a seducer.

DANGLERS. A bunch of seals.

DAPPER. Well made. "The crack was dapper."

DARBIES. Handcuffs; fetters.

DARBY. Cash. "Fork over the darby," hand over the cash.

DARK CULLEY. A man who visits his mistress only at night.

DARKEY. A dark lantern. "The coves had screwed the gig of the jug, when Jack flashed the darkey into it, and found it planted full of coppers. 'Bingavast!' was the word; some one has cackled," the thieves had opened the door of a bank with false keys, and when they looked in with the aid of a dark lantern, they found the place filled with officers. One of the thieves cried out: "Be off! some one has cackled."

DAUB. A ribbon.

DAVEY. Affidavit; to witness under oath.

DAWB. To bribe. "The bene cove was scragged, because he could not dawb the beak," the good fellow was hanged, because he could not bribe the judge.

DAY-LIGHTS. The eyes.

DEAD BEAT. Without hope; certain.

DEAD BROKE. Not a cent.

DEAD GAME. A term used by gamblers when they have a certainty of winning.

DEAD SET. A concentrated attack on a person or thing.

DEAD SWAG. Not worth so much as it was thought to be; things stolen that are not easily disposed of.

DEAD TO RIGHTS. Positively guilty, and no way of getting clear.

DEATH HUNTER. The undertaker.

DEEK THE COVE. See the fellow; look at him.

DELLS. A prostitute.

DERREY. An eye-glass.

DEVIL BOOKS. Cards.

DEW-BEATERS. The feet.

DEWS. A gold eagle; ten dollars.

DIAL-PLATE. The face.

DIARY. To remember; to enter in a book. "I'll diary the joskin," I'll remember the fool.

DIB. Portion or share.

DIBS. Money.

DIDDLE. Liquor.

DIDDLE COVE. A landlord.

DIE. Dummy, or pocket-book.

DIFT COVE. A neat little man.

DIGGERS. Finger-nails.

DIMBER. Handsome; pretty.

DIMBER-MORT. Pretty girl; enchanting girl.

DING. To throw away; to strike.

DIP. A kiss in the dark; a pickpocket.

DIP. To pick a pocket; the act of putting a hand into a pocket.

DIPT. Pawned.

DISMAL DITTY. The psalm or hymn sung by persons just before they are hanged.

DISPATCH. A mittimus; a warrant of arrest.

DIVER. A pickpocket.

DIVING. Picking pockets.

DIVING-BELL. A rum-shop in a basement.

DOASH. A cloak.

DOBING LAY. To steal from stores early in the morning. Two thieves enter a store, as soon as the porter opens it; one of them inquires about some goods he pretends he was looking at the day before, and wishes to see them. The goods inquired for are either in the back of the store or up stairs. In the absence of the porter, the other fellow robs the store.

DOCTOR GREEN. A young inexperienced fellow.

DOCTORS. False cards or dice.

DOG-NIPPERS. Rogues who steal dogs, and restore them to their owners after a reward has been offered.

DOGS-PASTE. Sausage-meat; mince meat.

DOING POLLY. Picking oakum in prison.

DOLLY SHOP. A loan office.

DOMESTIC. Made at home. The man robbed himself; some one in the house assisted the thieves. "You may look at home for the thief."

DOMMERER. A fellow that pretends to be deaf and dumb.

DONBITE. A street.

DONE. Convicted.

DONKEY-RIDING. Cheating in weight or measure; miscounting.

DONNEZ. To give.

DOOKIN COVE. A fortune-teller.

DOPEY. A thief's mistress.

DOSE. Burglary.

DOSS. A bed. "The badger got under the doss, and frisked the bloke's pokes of two centuries and a half, and then bounced the flat till he mizzled."

DOTS. Money.

DOWN. Hatred; dislike; vindictive; to suspect another. "The copper cutty-eyed me and measured my mug, and is down on the job," the officer looked at me from the corners of his eyes, and examined my face; he suspects what we are about.

DOWNER. A five cent piece.

DOWNEY. A smooth, pleasant talker; a knowing fellow.

DOWSE. To strike. "Dowse his mug." hit his face.

DOXIE. A girl.

DRAB. A nasty woman.

DRAG. A cart or wagon.

DRAGGING. Stealing from shop-doors.

DRAGONS. Sovereigns; gold coins.

DRAGSMAN. A thief that steals from express wagons and carts; also trunks from the back of coaches. They sometimes have a fast horse and light wagon.

DRAW. } Picking pockets. "I say, my kinchin,
DRAWING. } what's your lay?" "Vy, yer see, as how I am learning to draw."

DRAY. Three.

DROMEDARY. A clumsy, blundering fellow.

DROPS, or DROPPERS. Fellows that cheat countrymen by dropping a pocket-book filled with bad money, near their heels, and then pretend that they found it. By the aid of an accomplice, the countryman is induced to purchase it, with the avowed intention of finding the real owner, believing it to contain good money.

DROPT DOWN. Low-spirited. "The kiddy dropt down when he went to be scragged," the youngster was very low-spirited when he walked out to be hanged.

DRUM. A drinking-place.

DRUMSTICK. A club.

DRY UP. Be silent; stop that.

DUB. A key; a picklock.

DUB LAY. Robbing houses by picking the locks.

DUB O' THE HICK. A blow on the head. The copper tipt the dromedary a dub o' the hick with his drum-stick.

DUB THE JIGGER. Open the door.

DUBLER. A picker of locks.

DUCE. Two cents; two.

DUDS. Clothes.

DUFF. Pudding.

DUFFER. A fellow, in the dress of a sailor, who knocks at the basement-door, and inquires if the lady of the house does not want to buy some smuggled goods, and then exhibits imitation silks, satins, Irish linens, etc., etc., which he pretends to have run ashore without the knowledge of the custom-house officers.

DUKES. The hands.

DUMMY. A pocket-book; a portmonnaie. "Frisk the dummy of the screens, ding it and bolt; they are crying out beef," take out the money and throw the pocket-book away; run, they are crying, stop thief!

DUN. A very importunate creditor. Dunny, in the provincial dialect of several counties in England, signifies deaf; to dun, then, perhaps may mean to deafen with importunate demands; it may have been derived from the word donnez, which signifies give. But the word undoubtedly originated in the days of one Joe Dun, a famous bailiff of the town of Lincoln, England, who was so extremely active and dexterous in his business, that it became a proverb, when a man refused to pay, to say, "Why don't you Dun him?" that is, send Dun after him. Hence it became a cant word, and is now as old as the days of Henry VII. Dun was also the name for the hangman, before that of Jack Ketch.