18th Century Thieves Cant
Verbs
Verbs : Run
BINGto go, etc.1737
BINGTo go. Cant. Bing avast; get you gone. Binged avast in a darkmans; stole away in the night. Bing we to Rumeville: shall we go to London?1811
BING-AWASTGet you hence: Begone; haste away; He Bingd awast in a Darkmans, i.e. He Stole away in the Night-time. Bing we to Rum vile? i.e. Go we to London.1737
BOLTto run away from or leave any place suddenly, is called bolting, or making a bolt: a thief observing an alarm while attempting a robbery, will exclaim to his accomplice, Bolt, there's a down. A sudden escape of one or more prisoners from a place of confinement is termed a bolt.1819
BOLT-IN-TUNa term founded on the cant word bolt, and merely a fanciful variation, very common among flash persons, there being in London a famous inn so called; it is customary when a man has run away from his lodgings, broke out of a jail, or made any other sudden movement, to say, The Bolt-in-tun is concerned; or, He's gone to the Bolt-in-tun; instead of simply saying, He has bolted, &c. See Bolt.1819
BRUSHto flee, or run away. The Cully is brushed or rubbed; The Fellow is marched off or broke. Bought a Brush, run away.1737
DOUBLEto double a person, or tip him the Dublin packet, signifies either to run away from him openly, and elude his attempts to overtake you, or to give him the slip in the streets, or elsewhere, unperceived, commonly done to escape from an officer who has you in custody, or to turn up a flat of any kind, whom you have a wish to get rid of.1819
DUBLIN-PACKETSee Double.1819
HOOF itor beat it on the Hoof; to walk on Foot.1737
KICKDgone, fled, departed; as, The Rum Cull kickd away, i.e. The Rogue made his Escape.1737
LETS BUY A BRUSHor Lets lope; Let us scour off, and make what Shift we can to secure our selves from being apprehended.1737
LOAPDrun away; He loapd up the Dancers; He whipt up the Stairs.1737
PIKEto run away, flee, quit or leave the Place; also to die, Pike on the Been, run away as fast as you can. Pikd off, run away, fled, broke; also dead. To pass the Pikes, to be out of Danger. Theres a Cull knos us; if we dont pike, hell bone us, that Fellow sees is if we dont scour off, hell apprehend us. Then well pike, tis all Bowman; well be gone, all is well, the Coast is clear.1737
RATTLEto move off, or be gone. Well take Rattle, We must not tarry, but whip away.1737
RUBto run away. A Rub, an Impediment, Obstacle, Hinderance, Stop, Hardship, or Difficulty. Rub on, to live indifferently. Rub through the World, to live tolerably well in it.1737
SCOURTo scour or score off; to run away: perhaps from SCORE; i.e. full speed, or as fast as legs would carry one. Also to wear: chiefly applied to irons, fetters, or handcuffs, because wearing scours them. He will scour the darbies; he will be in fetters. To scour the cramp ring; to wear bolts or fetters, from which, as well as from coffin hinges, rings supposed to prevent the cramp are made.1811
SCOWREto run away or scamper.1737
SCUTTLETo scuttle off; to run away. To scuttle a ship; to make a hole in her bottom in order to sink her.1811
SHABD-Offsneakd, or fled away.1737
TAPPERSShoulder tappers: bailiffs.1811
TO RUBTo run away. Dont rub us to the whit; dont send us to Newgate. CANT.--To rub up; to refresh: to rub up ones memory. A rub: an impediment. A rubber; the best two out of three. To win a rubber: to win two games out of three.1811
TO SHERRYTo run away: sherry off.1811
TO TRACKTo go. Track up the dancers; go up stairs. CANT.1811
TO WHIP OFFTo run away, to drink off greedily, to snatch. He whipped away from home, went to the alehouse, where he whipped off a full tankard, and coming back whipped off a fellows hat from his head.1811
TRACKto go. Track up the Dancers; Whip up the Stairs.1737
Verbs : Verbs
BOUNCEto bully, threaten, talk loud, or affect great consequence; to bounce a person out of any thing, is to use threatening or high words, in order to intimidate him, and attain the object you are intent upon; or to obtain goods of a tradesman, by assuming the appearance of great respectability and importance, so as to remove any suspicion he might at first entertain. A thief, detected in the commission of a robbery, has been known by this sort of finesse, aided by a genteel appearance and polite manners, to persuade his accusers of his innocence, and not only to get off with a good grace, but induce them to apologize for their supposed mistake, and the affront put upon him. This masterstroke of effrontery is called giving it to 'em upon the bounce.1819
BUFFTo buff to a person or thing, is to swear to the identity of them; swearing very positively to any circumstance, is called buffing it home.1819
BUG or BUG OVERTo give, deliver, or hand over; as, He bug'd me a quid, he gave me a guinea; bug over the rag, hand over the money.1819
CRABto prevent the perfection or execution of any intended matter or business, by saying any thing offensive or unpleasant, is called crabbing it, or throwing a crab ; to crab a person, is to use such offensive language or behaviour as will highly displease, or put him in an ill humour.1819
DINGto throw, or throw away ; particularly any article you have stolen, either because it is worthless, or that there is danger of immediate apprehension. To ding a person, is to drop his acquaintance totally; also to quit his company, or leave him for the time present; to ding to your pall, is to convey to him, privately, the property you have just stolen ; and he who receives it is said to take ding, or to knap the ding.1819
FAMto feel or handle.1819
FLASHto shew or expose any thing ; as I flash'd him a bean, I shewed him a guinea. Don't flash your sticks, don't expose your pistols, &c.1819
ROUGHas, To lie Rough, to lie in ones Cloaths all Night.1737
ROUGHTo lie rough; to lie all night in ones clothes: called also roughing it. Likewise to sleep on the bare deck of a ship, when the person is commonly advised to chuse the softest plank.1811
SCOUREto wear. To Scoure the Cramp-rings; To wear Bolts. Also to run away. See Scowre.1737
SMOKEto suspect or smell a Design. It is smokd It is made Publick, all have Notice1737
SNAPTtaken, caught.1737
SNICto cut.1737
SNILCHto eye or see any Body. The Cull snilches; the Man eyes or sees you.1737
SNITEto wipe, or flap. Snite his Snitch; wipe his Nose, or give him a good Flap on the Face.1737
SQUEEKto discover, or impeach; also to cry out. They squeek Beef upon us; They cry out Highway-men or Thieves after us. The Cull squeeks; The Rogue peaches.1737
STALLINGmaking or ordaining.1737
STAND BUFFis a Phrase used of an obstinate hardened Rogue, who in a Robbery will not be daunted at Resistance or Opposition, or leave his Com-rogues in the Lurch, or a hardened Rogue who will confess nothing.1737
SWAGGERto vapour or bounce.1737
TAKE THE CULLS INSeize the Men in order to rob them.1737
TIPto give or lend: Tip your Lour or Cole or Ill mill ye; Give me your Money, or Ill kill ye. Tip the COle to Adam Tiler; Give your Pick-pocket Money presently to your running Comrade. Tip the Mish; Give me the Shirt. Tip me a Hog; Lend me a Shilling. Tip it all off; Drink it all off at a Draught. Dont spoil his Tip; Dont baulk his Draught. A Tub of good Tip; (for Tipple) a Cask of strong Drink. To tip off, also signifies to die.1737
TOURTo TOUT; to look out sharp, to be upon ones Guard. Who touts? Who looks out sharp? Tout the Culls; Eye those Folks which way they take. Do you tout and bulk, and Ill file; If youll eye and jostlehim, I will pick his Pockets.1737
TRANSMOGRIFYor rather Transmigrafy, to alter or new vamp.1737
TRANSNEARto come up with any Body.1737
TROLL Aboutto saunter, loiter, or wander about.1737
TWIGto disingage, to sunder, to snap, to break off; as, To twig the Darbies; To knock off the Irons.1737
UNRIGDstrippd, undressd. Unrig the Drab; pull all the Whores Cloaths off.1737
UNTWISTEDundone, ruind.1737
VAMPto pawn anything. Ill Vamp, and tip you the Cole; Ill pawn my Cloaths, but Ill raise the Money for you. To Vamp; To new dress, liquer, refresh or rub up old Hats, Boots, Shoes etc. Also a Sock.1737
WITto know or understand.1737