A Dictionary of the Underworld

British and American

Eric Partridge

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781138904477
• eBook ISBN: 9781317445524
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Linguistics
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

First published in 1949 (this edition in 1968), this book is a dictionary of the past, exploring the language of the criminal and near-criminal worlds. It includes entries from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa, as well as from Britain and America and offers a fascinating and unique study of language. The book provides an invaluable insight into social history, with the British vocabulary dating back to the 16th century and the American to the late 18th century. Each entry comes complete with the approximate date of origin, the etymology for each word, and a note of the milieu in which the expression arose.

A

* : American–in origin at least.

*A.B. or A.B.C. ' An abscess as a result of injections induoed by unsterile needles or impure drugs,' BVB: drug addicts': since ca. 1932. I.e., ' oisceBB ' and the sol. ' abcess'.

*A.C. and A. coat. A coat with many pockets favoured by tramps and petty thieves: since ca. 1920. Ersine.

a-cross. See across.

*AD. A drug addict: since ca. 1930. BVB. I.e.,' a dope '—or perhaps ' addict to drugs ' or even D.A. reversed.

*A No. 1 (or A Number One) man. ' Among A Number one men, as the first-class criminals style themselves, professional loyalty is a sine qua non, and the slightest defection from it marks a man for the rest of his days,' Josiah Flynt, The World of Graft, 1901; 1924, George C. Henderson, Keys to Croolcdom (Glossary), ' A No. 1. Used in place of the personal pronoun I. Name frequently taken by tramp.'

a waste or a wast away. See awaste.

aap. Dagga (Cannabis indica): Afrikaans and hence non-Afrikaans-speaking South Africa: C. 20. Whence aap trein (lit. aap train), the smoking of dagga. Both in letter of May 23, 1946, from C. P. Wittstock. Note: Nearly all Afrikaans c. words and Afrikaans c. phrases are used also by those South African crooks and criminals who do not usually employ—-who, indeed, do not speak— Afrikaans. Here, aap is a sense-perversion of Dutch aap, ' a monkey ': cf. the s. monkey triclcs.

aaron (or A-). A cadger acting as guide to mountain-tops:? ca. 1800-70. ' A play on its Hebrew equivalent, lofty,' B & L.-—2. The Aaron. ' The chief or captain of a gang or school of thieves': 1876, H. Thornton, Slangiana; 1889, B & L, 'As Aaron was the first high priest, and the Aarons are the chiefs of the Hebrew tribes, it is probably of Jewish origin in its slang application'; 1890, F & H; by 1930, †.

. abaddon. A thief that informs on his fellow-rogues:? ca. 1810-80: 1889, B & L, ' From the Hebrew abaddon, a destroyer '; 1890, F & H.

abandana(a)d (or A-). ' One who picks pockets of bandanna handkerchiefs': orig. (— 1864), Westminster c.: 1864, H, 3rd ed.; 1889, B & L; 1890, F & H (also,' a petty thief'); by 1930, †. A blend of abandoned lad + bandanna.

abbess (or lady abbess),' a bawd, a female brothel-keeper ', may be c., but it is prob. s.: cf. nun, nunnery.

Abbott's (incorrectly Abbots); A. Priory. ' Abbot's Priory—the King'e-bench prison; " Abbot's park " being restricted to the rules: so called after the actual C.J.', i.e., Chief Justice: 1823, Jon Bee; 1823, Egan's Grose, ' This bit of flash generally changes when the Lord Chief Justice of the above court retires from his situation '; 1827, Every Night Book, the latter term; 1848, Sinks of London Laid Open (latter); 1890, F & H (id.); † by 1900.

abbott's teeth. The chevaux de frise along the top of the wall around the King's Bench Prison: 1821, Pierce Egan, Life in London (see Ellenborough's teeth); † by 1900. Cf. preceding entry.

abiding ; esp. my abiding. 'A temporary resting or hiding place, secure from capture ': vagrants': 1889, B & L; † by 1920.

abishag. An ' illegitimate child of a mother who has been Beduced by a married man': 1889, B & L; † by 1915.

about town. ' Engaged, in Prostitution.—About town, on the back, on the bat, on the hip, on the pavement, with apartments to let,' BVB, 1942: late C. 19-20. With the exoeption of on the pavement, all are c

abrabam or abram; or A-. (Adj.) For the compounds, see the various compounded terms hereinunder.—2. Mad: 1610, S. Rowlands, Martin Mark-AU; 1741 (see abraham cove, 2).—3. Naked: 1612, Dekker, 0 per se O, ' Going Abram (that is to say naked) '; 1665, R. Head, The English Rogue, ' Abram . . . Naked '; 1725, A Canting Diet.; 1728, D. Defoe; 1785, Grose; 1823, Jon Bee; † by 1890.—4. Hence, poor: 1676, Coles; 1698, B.E.; 1796, Grose; † by 1890.

*abraham (or A-), v. 'To sham; to pretend sickness': 1859, Geo. W. Matsell, Vocabulum 1882, James D. McCabe, New York; † by 1900. This is shortening of the next; or perhaps an error, for McCabe merely repeats Matsell.

abraham, sham, v. See abram, sham. For the n., see sham Abraham.

abraham (or abram) cove. Dekker, O per se O, 1612, ' The Abram Cove, is a lustie strong Roague, who walketh with a Slade about his Quarrons (a sheete about his body) Trining, hanging to his hammes, bandeliere-wise ... A face staring like a Sarasin, his haire long and filthily knotted . . . a good Filch (or Staffe) ... in his Famble . . . and sometimes a sharpe sticke, on which he hangeth Ruffepecke. These, walking up and downe the' Countrey, are more terribly [sic] to women and children, then the name of Raw-head and Bloudy-bones . . ., so that when they come to any doore a begging, nothing is denyed them'; 1665, R. Head, The English Rogue, ' Abram Cove ... A tatterdemallion '; 1676, E. Coles, ' Abram-Cove, c. Naked or poor man '; 1688, Holme; 1698, B.E., ' Abram-cove, c. a Naked or poor Man, also a lusty strong Rogue '; 1707, J. Shirley, The Triumph of Wit, 5th ed., ' A poor Man . . . Abraham-cove '; 1725, A Canting Diet., ' Abram-Cove, a lusty strong rogue, with hardly any Cloaths on his Back '; 1728, D. Defoe, whose printer doubtless is responsible for the erroneous definition, ' A poor House '; 1785, Grose, ' A naked or poor man, also a lusty strong rogue '; 1809, Andrewes, Diet.; 1848, Sinks of London Laid Open; by 1859 (Matsell, Vocabulum) current in New York; † by 1890 (F & H). See abraham, adj., 3, and cove.—2. ' A Mad Man: An abram Cove ', Anon., The Amorous Gallant's Tongue, 1741; † by 1800. See abraham, adj., 2.—3. A sneak-thief: 1889, B & L; app. current in C. 19.

Abraham Grains (or g-). ' A publican who brews his own beer ': 1889, B & L; 1890, F & H; † by 1930.

abraham (or abram) man. 'An Abraham man says Awdeley in 1562, 'is he that walketh bare armed, and bare legged, and fayneth hym selfe mad, and caryeth a pack of wool, or a stycke with baken on it, or such lyke toy, and nameth himself poore Tom '. Harman amplifies. 'These Abraham men', he says, ' be those that fayne themselves to have beene mad, and have bene kept eyther in Bethelem or in some other pry son a tyme, and not one amongst twenty that ever came in pry son for any such cause: yet wyll they saye howe piteously and most extreamely they have bene beaten, and dealt with all. Some of these be merye and verye pleasant, they wyll daunce and sing; some others be as colde and reasonable to talke wyth all. These begge money; eyther when they come at Farmours howaes they wyll demande Baken, eyther cheese, or wooll, or any thinge that is worthe money. And if they espye small company within, they wyll with fierce countenaunce demaund somewhat. Where for feare the maydes wyll give theym largely to be ryd of thym.

'If they maye convenyently come by any cheate, they wvll picke and steale, as the upright man or Roge, poultry or lynnen. And all wemen that wander be at their commaundemente.' Also in Dekker, The Belman of London, 1608—an account which, heavily indebted to Harman's, adds some picturesque details of the length to which they will go (e.g., pins stuck into their flesh) in order to excite pity; 1665, R. Head, The English Rogue; 1698, B.E., ' Abram-men, c. the seventeenth Order of the Canting-crew. Beggars antickly trick'd up with Ribbands, Red Tape, Foxtails, Rags, etc., pretending Madness to palliate their thefts of poultry, Linnen, etc.'; 1725, A Canting Diet., * A sort of itinerant Hedge-Robbers and Strippers of Children, etc.'; 1785, Grose, * Abram men, pretended mad men '; 1823, Jon Bee; 1848, Sinks of London; † by 1864 (H, 3rd ed.). Cf. abraham, adj., 3. Hence:—2. ' Fellows who steal pocket-books only ': 1797, Potter, Diet, of Cant and Flash; 1809, Andrewes, plagiarizing Potter; 1823, Jon Bee; 1848, Sinks of London; † by 1890 (F & H).— 3. (Ex sense 1.) A veteran vagrant: tramps': perhaps since ca. 1860. The Rev. Frank Jennings, Tramping with Tramps, 1932.

abraham (or A-) suit, on the. Engaged in ' any kind of dodge or deceit designed to excite sympathy, used by beg...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Original Title
• Original Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• FOREWORD
• ABBREVIATIONS AND PRINCIPAL SHORT REFERENCES
• SIGNS AND A NOTE ON ARRANGEMENT
• A DICTIONARY OF THE UNDERWORLD
• ADDENDA