A New and Comprehensive Vocabulary of the Flash Language by James Hardy Vaux (top ten books to read TXT) 📕

>etc.

 

MOTT: a blowen, or woman of the town.

 

MOUNT: to swear, or give evidence falsely for the sake of a gratuity. To

mount for a person is also synonymous with bonnetting for him.

 

MOUNTER: a man who lives by mounting, or perjury, who is always ready for

a guinea or two to swear whatever is proposed to him.

 

MOUTH: a foolish silly person; a man who does a very imprudent act, is

said to be a rank mouth.

 

MOVE: any action or operation in life; the secret spring by which any

project is conducted, as, There is a move in that business which you are

not down to. To be flash to every move upon the board, is to have a

general knowledge of the world, and all its numerous deceptions.

 

MR. KNAP. See KNAP.

 

MR. NASH. See NASH.

 

MR. PALMER. See PALM.

 

MR. PULLEN. See PULL or PULL UP.

 

MUFF: an epithet synonymous with mouth.

 

MUG: the face; a queer mug is an ugly face.

 

MURPHY’S COUNTENANCE: a pig’s face.

 

MYNABS: me, myself.

 

NAIL: to nail a person, is to over-reach, or take advantage of him in the

course of trade or traffic; also, to rob, or steal; as, I nail’d him for

(or of) his reader, I robbed him of his pocket-book; I nail’d the swell’s

mantra in the push, I picked the gentleman’s pocket of his watch in the

crowd, etc. A person of an over-reaching, imposing disposition, is

called a nail, a dead nail, a nailing rascal, a rank needle, or a needle

pointer.

 

NANCY: the posteriors.

 

NAP the BIB: to cry; as, the mollisher nap’d her bib, the woman fell a

crying.

 

NASH: to go away from, or quit, any place or company; speaking of a

person who is gone, they say, he is nash’d, or Mr. Nash is concerned.

 

NE-DASH: nothing.

 

NEEDLE: (see NAIL) to needle a person is to haggle with him in making a

bargain, and, if possible, take advantage of him, though in the most

trifling article.

 

NEEDLE-POINTER. See NAIL.

 

NEEDY-MIZZLER: a poor ragged object of either sex; a shabby-looking

person.

 

NIB: a gentleman, or person of the higher order. People who affect

gentility or consequence, without any real pretensions thereto, arc from

hence vulgarly called Half-nibs or Half-swells; and, indeed, persons of

low minds, who conceive money to be the only criterion of gentility, arc

too apt to stigmatize with the before-mentioned epithets any man, ‘who,

however well-bred and educated, may be reduced to a shabby external, but

still preserves a sense of decorum in his manners, and avoids associating

with the vagabonds among whom he may unfortunately be doomed to exist.

 

NIBB’D: taken in custody.

 

NIBBLE: to pilfer trifling articles, not having spirit to touch any thing

of consequence.

 

NIBBLER: a pilferer or petty thief.

 

NIX, or NIX MY DOLL: nothing.

 

NOB IT: to act with such prudence and knowledge of the world, as to

prosper and become independent without any labour or bodily exertion;

this is termed nobbing it, or fighting nob work. To effect any purpose,

or obtain any thing, by means of good judgment and sagacity, is called

nabbing it for such a thing.

 

NOB-PITCHERS: a general term for those sharpers who attend at fairs,

races, etc., to take in the flats at prick in the garter, cups and

balls, and other similar artifices.

 

NO DOWN. See FAKE AWAY, etc.

 

NOSE: a thief who becomes an evidence against his accomplices; also, a

person who seeing one or more suspicious characters in the streets, makes

a point of watching them in order to frustrate any attempt they may make,

or to cause their apprehension; also, a spy or informer of any

description.

 

NOSE: to nose, is to pry into any person’s proceedings in an impertinent

manner. To nose upon anyone, is to tell of any thing he has said or done

with a view to injure him, or to benefit yourself.

 

NULLING-COVE: a pugilist.

 

NUT: to please a person by any little act of assiduity, by a present, or

by flattering words, is called nutting him; as the present, etc., by

‘which you have gratified them, is termed a nut.

 

NUTS UPON IT: to be very much pleased or gratified with any object,

adventure, or overture; so a person who conceives a strong inclination

for another of the opposite sex, is said to be quite nutty, or nuts upon

him or her.

 

NUTS UPON YOURSELF: a man who is much gratified with any bargain he has

made, narrow escape he has had, or other event in which he is interested,

will express his self-satisfaction or gladness by declaring that he is,

or was, quite nuts upon himself.

 

OFFICE: a hint, signal, or private intimation, from one person to

another; this is termed officeing him, or giving him the office; to take

the office, is to understand and profit by the hint given.

 

OLD LAG: a man or woman who has been transported, is so called on

returning home, by those who are acquainted with the secret. See LAG.

 

OLIVER: the moon.

 

OLIVER IS IN TOWN: a phrase signifying that the nights are moonlight, and

consequently unfavourable to depredation.

 

OLIVER’S UP: the moon has risen.

 

OLIVER WHIDDLES: the moon shines.

 

ONE UPON YOUR TAW: a person who takes offence at the conduct of another,

or conceives himself injured by the latter, will say, never mind, I’ll be

one upon your taw; or, I’ll be a marble on your taw; meaning, I’ll be

even with you some time.

 

ONION: a watch-seal, a bunch if onions, is several seals worn upon one

ring.

 

ORDER-RACKET: obtaining goods from a shopkeeper, by means of a forged

order or false pretence.

 

OUT-AND-OUT: quite; completely; effectually. See SERVE and FAKE.

 

OUT-AND-OUTER: a person of a resolute determined spirit, who pursues his

object without regard to danger or difficulties; also an incorrigible

depredator, who will rob friend or stranger indiscriminately, being

possessed of neither honour nor principle.

 

OUT OF FLASH. See FLASH.

 

OUT OF THE WAY: a thief who knows that he is sought after by the traps on

some information, and consequently goes out of town, or otherwise

conceals himself, is said by his palls to be out if the way for so and

so, naming the particular offence he stands charged with. See WANTED.

 

OUT OF TWIG, to put yourself out of twig, is to disguise your dress and

appearance, to avoid being recognised, on some particular account; a man

reduced by poverty to wear a shabby dress is said by his acquaintance to

be out if twig; to put any article out of twig, as a stolen coat, cloak,

etc., is to alter it in such a way that it cannot be identified.

 

PALL: a partner; companion; associate; or accomplice.

 

PALM: to bribe, or give money, for the attainment of any object or

indulgence; and it is then said that the party who receives it is palmed,

or that Mr. Palmer is concerned.

 

PALMING-RACKET: secreting money in the palm of the hand, a game at which

some are very expert.

 

PANNY: a house.

 

PANNUM: bread.

 

PARK. See BUSHY-PARK.

 

PATTER: to talk; as, He patters good flash, etc.

 

PATTER’D: tried in a court of justice; a man who has undergone this

ordeal, is said to have stood the patter.

 

PEAR-MAKING: inlisting in various regiments, taking the bounty, and then

deserting.

 

PENSIONER: a mean-spirited fellow who lives with a woman of the town, and

suffers her to maintain him in idleness in the character of her

fancy-man.

 

PETER: a parcel or bundle, whether large or small; but most properly it

signifies a trunk or box.

 

PETER-HUNTING: traversing the streets or roads for the purpose of cutting

away trunks, etc., from travelling carriages; persons who follow this

game, are from thence called peter-hunters, whereas the drag more

properly applies to robbing carts or wagons.

 

PETER-HUNTING-JEMMY: a small iron crow, particularly adapted for breaking

the patent chain, with which the luggage is of late years secured to

gentlemen’s carriages; and which, being of steel, case-hardened, is

fallaciously supposed to be proof against the attempts of thieves.

 

PETER-THAT: synonymous with Stow-that.

 

PICK-UP: to accost, or enter into conversation with any person, for the

purpose of executing some design upon his personal property; thus, among

gamblers, it is called Picking up a flat, or a mouth: sharpers, who are

daily on the look-out for some unwary countryman or stranger, use the

same phrase; and among drop-coves, and others who act in concert, this

task is allotted to one of the gang, duly qualified, who is thence termed

the picker-up; and he having performed his part, his associates proceed

systematically in cleaning out the flat. To pick up a cull, is a term

used by blowens in their vocation of street-walking. To pick a person up,

in a general sense, is to impose upon, or take advantage of him, in a

contract or bargain.

 

PIGS, or GRUNTERS: police runners.

 

PINS: the legs.

 

PINCH: to purloin small articles of value in the shops of jewellers,

etc., while pretending to purchase or bespeak some trinket. This game is

called the Pinch—I pinch’ d him for a fawney, signifies I purloined a

ring from him; Did you pinch any thing ill that crib? did you succeed ill

secreting any thing in that shop? This game is a branch of shoplifting;

but when the hoist is spoken of, it commonly applies to stealing articles

of a larger, though less valuable, kind, as pieces of muslin, or silk

handkerchiefs, printed cotton, etc. See HOIST.

 

PINCH-GLOAK: a man who works upon the pinch.

 

PIPES: boots.

 

PIT: the bosom pocket in a coat.

 

PIT-MAN: a pocket-book worn in the bosom-pocket.

 

PITCHER. Newgate in London is called by various names, as the pitcher,

the stone Pitcher, the start, and the stone jug, according to the humour

of the speaker.

 

PLANT. To hide, or conceal any person or thing, is termed Planting him,

or it; and any thing hid is called, the plant, when alluded to in

conversation; such article is said to be in plant; the place of

concealment is sometimes called the plant, as, I know of a fine plant;

that is, a secure hiding-place. To spring a plant, is to find any thing

that has been concealed by another. To rise the plant, is to take up and

remove any thing that has been hid, whether by yourself or another. A

person’s money, or valuables, secreted about his house, or person, is

called his plant. To plant upon a man, is to set somebody to watch his

motions; also to place any thing purposely in his way, that he may steal

it and be immediately detected.

 

PLAY A-CROSS. What is commonly termed playing booty, that is, purposely

losing the game, or match, in order to take in the flats who have backed

you, (see BRIDGE) while the sharps divide the spoil, in which you have a

share. This sort of treachery extends to boxing, racing, and every other

species of sport, on which bets are laid; sometimes a sham match is made

for the purpose of inducing strangers to bet, which is decided in such a

manner that the latter will inevitably lose. A-cross signifies generally

any collusion or unfair dealing between several parties.

 

PLUMMY. Right; very good; as it should be; expressing your approbation of

any act, or event, you will say, That’s plummy, or It’s all plummy;

meaning it is all right.

 

POGUE. A bag, (probably a corruption of poke.)

 

POPS.