VICTORIAN SLANG

Balmy: barmy, stupid


Bang-up: very fine

Barney: lark, spree, quarrel

Benjamin: coat

Benjy: waistcoat

Break: collection made for someone recently out of prison

Boat, in the: sentenced to penal servitude

Broads: playing cards

Buster: burglar

Chancery, in: in an awkward situation

Chat, to screw a: to break into a house

Chiv(e): (v) to cut, stab (n) knife

Claim: to steal

Click: robbery, theft

Clock, red: gold watch

Cop: to steal

Croak: to die

Daisies: boots (rhyming slang—daisy roots)

Davy: affidavit

Dipper: pick-pocket

Fag: pick-pocket

Fall: to be arrested

Fence: receiver of stolen goods

Flimp: to rob

Friendly lead: subscription by whip-round usually held in a pub

Fully: to commit a person for trial

Gilt: money

Gonoph: thief esp. skilled pick-pocket

Go out: to follow the profession of thieving

Hook: pick-pocket

Ikey: Jew esp. receiver of stolen goods

James (jemmy): iron crow-bar

Kicksies: trousers

Lag: to sentence to penal servitude

Lagging dues: liable to be sentenced to penal servitude

Lob-crawling: till-robbing

Lucky, to cut one's: to make a getaway

Mace: (n) swindler (v)

To work the Mace: to swindle by obtaining goods on false pretences

Mag, on the: engaged in swindling esp. as confidence trickster

Magsman: swell confidence trickster

Mazzard: head, face Milling: boxing

Moke: donkey

Nark: (v) to inform (n) informer

Narking dues: arrested because of information provided by a nark

Neddy: loaded bludgeon or stick

Nick: to steal

Nobby: smart, stylish

Oof: money

Pecker, to keep one's pecker up: to remain cheerful

Peter: bag, box, trunk

Pogue: purse

Prop: tie-pin, brooch

Quid: pound

Quod: (v) to serve time (n) prison

Rorty: dashing, lively

Rum: odd

Screw: to break into

Slang: watch chain

Smug: to arrest

Sneak: to steal, pilfer

Snide: counterfeit

Snidesman: coiner of counterfeit

Sparks: diamonds

Split: (v) to inform (n) 1. informer, 2. detective

Stall-farming: prob. helping pick-pockets

Stir: prison

Stramash: rough-and-tumble

Stretch: one year esp. prison sentence

Swag: stolen goods

Toke: bread

Topper: something of outstanding quality

Toy: watch

Toy getter: watch stealer

Toy and tackle: watch and chain

Turn over: to search/rob someone

Twirl: skeleton key

Uxter: money

Weed: to take, steal

Welsh: to inform

Welsher: informer

Yannups: money