A New and Comprehensive Vocabulary of the Flash Language, James Hardy Vaux [famous ebook reader TXT] 📗
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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.
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