IRON. Courage; fearless; staunch.
IRON DOUBLET. Innocence; not guilty.
IRONED. Handcuffed.
IVORIES. The teeth. "How the blowen flashes her ivories," how the girl
shows her teeth.
IVY BUSH. A very small-faced man who has a large quantity of hair on his
face and head.
J
JABBER. To talk in an unknown language.
JACK. A small coin.
JACK COVE. A mean low fellow.
JACK DANDY. A little impertinent fellow.
JACK KETCH. The hangman. This cognomen for the hangman is of very
ancient date. In the year 1682, we find in "Butler's Ghost," p. 54, the
following lines:
"Till Ketch observing he was choused,
And in his province much abused;
In open hall the tribute dunned,
To do his office, or refund."
Jack Ketch had not been long appointed to his office; for we find the
name of his predecessor (Dun) in the former part of this poem,
"For you, yourself, to act Squire Dun,
Such ignominy ne'er saw the sun."
The addition of "Squire" to Dun's name was an evidence that he had
executed some state criminal, which, according to the custom of the
times, accorded to him that title. The predecessor of Dun was one
Gregory; from whom the gallows was called the "Gregorian tree," and by
which name it is mentioned in the prologue to "Mercurius Pragmaticus,"
tragi-comedy, acted in 1641:
"This trembles under the black rod, and he
Doth fear his fate from the Gregorian tree."
Gregory succeeded Derrick, who flourished in the year 1608, as we find
in an old book of that time: "For he rides his circuit with the devil,
and Derrick must be his host, and Tyburn the inne at which he will
light." "At the gallows where I leave them, as to the haven at which
they must all cast anchor, if Derrick's cables do but hold."
JACK OF LEGS. A very tall fellow.
JACK SPRAT. A small fellow.
JACK WRIGHT. A fat fellow.
JACK-GAGGER. A fellow that lives on the prostitution of his wife.
JACK-RUN. A license.
JACKED. Lamed.
JACKET. To show one up; point one out. The fly cops pulled him, and
allowed the flat cops to jacket him; so you see it was dusty for him,
and I advised him to pike into Daisyville for a few moons until the down
blew off.
JACOB. A ladder.
JACOBITE. A shirt-collar.
JADE. A long term of imprisonment.
JAGGER. A gentleman.
JAGUE. A cut; a ditch.
JAM. A gold ring.
JAMMED. Killed; murdered; hanged.
JANASMUG. A go-between; one who goes between the thief and the fence.
JANAZARIES. A mob of pickpockets.
JAPANNED. A convict is said to be japanned when the chaplain pronounces
him to be converted.
JARK. A seal.
JARKMAN. One who writes characters for servants, begging petitions,
etc., etc.
JARVEY. A driver.
JASKER. A seal.
JAW COVES. Auctioneers, lawyers.
JAZEY. A man with an enormous quantity of hair on his head and face.
JEFFEY. Lightning.
JEM. A gold ring.
JENNEY. A hook on the end of a stick.
JENNY LINDA. A window, pronounced _winder_.
JERRY. A chamber-pot.
JERRY-SNEAK. A hen-pecked husband.
JESSANY. A man well dressed.
JET AUTUM. A parson.
JEW'S-EYE. A pleasant, agreeable sight.
JIG. A trick.
JIGGER. A door. "Dub the jigger," open the door.
JILT. A prostitute who hugs and kisses a countryman while her accomplice
robs him.
JILTER. A sneak-thief.
JINGLEBRAINS. A wild, thoughtless fellow.
JOB. A robbery. "To do a job," to commit a robbery.
JOB. Patience; take time; don't be in a hurry.
JOB'S DOCK. An hospital. "The poor cove is in Job's dock," the poor
fellow is in the hospital.
JOBATION. A reproof; painful.
JOBBER-NOT. A tall, ungainly fellow.
JOCK. Enjoy; to enjoy any thing.
JOCKUM GAGE. A chamber-pot.
JOEY. A hypocrite. Sometimes, four.
JOLLY. The head; an excuse; a pretense.
JOMER. A mistress.
JORDAIN. A blow. "I'll tip the Jack Cove a jordain on the jazey, if I
transnear him," I'll hit the mean fellow with my club on his big nose,
if I get near him.
JORDAN. Disagreeable; hard to be done.
JOSEPH. A coat that's patched; a sheepish, bashful fellow.
JOSEPH'S COAT. Guarded against temptation. "I say, my bene blowen, can't
you kiddy the bloke?" "No, Dick, it's of no use trying, he wears a
Joseph's coat," I say, my good girl, can't you seduce the man? No, Dick,
it's no use trying, he is guarded against temptation.
JOSKIN. A countryman; a silly fellow. "The cove maced the joskin of
twenty cases," the fellow cheated the countryman out of twenty dollars.
JUG. A bank.
JUMP. A widow; run away.
JUMPED HIS BAIL. Run away from his bail.
JUMPERS. Fellows that rob houses by getting into windows.
JURK. A seal.
K
KATE. A smart, brazen-faced woman.
KATEY. A picklock.
KE-KEYA. Devil; Satan.
KEELER. A small tub, or firkin.
KEFFEL. A horse.
KELTER. Condition; order.
KEN. A house. "Bite the ken," rob the house.
KEN-CRACKER. A house-breaker.
KETCH. Hang. "I'll ketch you," I'll hang you.
KICK. A pocket. "The Moll stubbled her skin in her kick," the woman held
her purse in her pocket.
KICK-CLOY. A pair of breeches.
KICKED THE BUCKET. Dead.
KICKSIES. Pants; breeches.
KID. A child; a youth; a young one.
KIDDED. Coaxed; amused; humbugged. "The sneaksman kidded the cove of the
crib, while his pal tapped the till," the thief amused the store-keeper,
while his comrade robbed the money-drawer.
KIDDIES. Young thieves.
KIDDEN. A boy lodging-house.
KIDMENT. Comical.
KIDNEY. The same kind.
KIDSMAN. A fellow that boards and lodges boys for the purpose of
teaching them how to steal, putting them through a course of training,
as a dog-trainer will train dogs for the hunt. The kidsman accompanies
the kid, and though committing no depredations himself, he controls and
directs the motions of the others.
KILL DEVIL. New rum.
KIMBAW. To bully; to beat. "Let's kimbaw the bloke," let us bully or
beat the fellow.
KINCHIN. A young child.
KINCHIN COVES. Boys taught how to steal.
KINCHIN MORTS. Girls educated to steal.
KIP. A bed; half a fool.
KIRJALIS. Who fears? I fear not; come on.
KIRKBUZZER. A fellow that picks pockets in churches.
KIT. A dancing-master; the implements of a burglar.
KITCHEN PHYSIC. Food. "A little kitchen physic will set me up." I have
more need of a cook than a doctor.
KITE. A letter; fancy stocks.
KITING. Restless; going from place to place.
KITTLE. To tickle; to please.
KITTLER. One who tickles or pleases.
KITTYS. Stock in trade; tools. "The bobbies seized the screwsman's
kittys," the officers seized the burglar's tools.
KLEM. To strike. "Klem the bloke," hit the man.
KNAPPED. Arrested.
KNIGHT OF ALSATIA. A person that treats the whole company.
KNIGHT OF THE POST. A fellow that will swear any thing for money.
KNOB. The head.
KNOB-THATCHER. A wig-maker.
KNOCK-ME-DOWN. Very strong liquor.
KNOSE. Tobacco; smoke.
KNOT. A gang of thieves.
KNOWLEDGE-BOX. The head.
KNUCK. A pickpocket.
KONE. Counterfeit money.
KONIACKER. A counterfeiter.
L
LACE. To beat; to whip.
LACED MUTTON. A common woman.
LACH. Let in. "The cove is bene, shall we lach him?" the man is good,
shall we let him in? "If he is not leaky." "I'll answer for him; he is
staunch."
LADDER. "He mounted the ladder," he was hung.
LADY. A humpbacked female.
LADY BIRD. A kept mistress.
LAG. A convicted felon.
LAGE. Water; a basket.
LAGE OF DUDS. A basket of clothes.
LAGGED. Convicted; transported.
LAID. Pawned.
LAMB. To flog.
LAMBASTE. Flog. "Lambaste the bloke," flog the fellow.
LAMBO. To beat with a club.
LAMP. Eye. "The cove has a queer lamp," the man has a blind or squinting
eye.
LAND-BROKER. An undertaker. "The cove buys lands for stiff uns," the man
purchases land for dead people.
LAND-YARD. The grave-yard.
LANTERN-JAWED. Thin-faced.
LAP. Drink; butter-milk; pick it up; to take; to steal.
LAP UP. To wipe out; to put out of sight.
LARK. A boat; a piece of fun; looking for something to steal; on a lark.
LARREY. Cunning.
LATHY. Not fat. "I touched the joskin's skin, but it was as lathy as his
jaws were lantern," I stole the countryman's purse, but it was as thin
as his face.
LATITAT. Attorney.
LAVENDER COVE. A pawnbroker.
LAW. "Give the cove law," give the fellow a chance to escape.
LAY. A particular kind of rascality, trade, or profession; on the look
out; watching for something to steal. Sometimes the same as gait.
"What's the cove's lay?" "Why, you see, he is on the ken's
crack"--house-breaking.
LEAF. Autumn. "I will be out in the leaf," I will be out in the autumn.
LEAK. To impart a secret.
LEAKY. Not trustworthy.
LEAP THE BOOK. A false marriage.
LEAST. Keep out of the way; hide; out of sight.
LEATHER. A pocket-book; portmonnaie. "The bloke lost his leather," the
man lost his pocket-book.
LEERY. On guard; look out; wide awake.
LEFT-HANDED WIFE. A concubine. It was an ancient custom among the
Germans for a man, if he married his concubine, to give her his left
hand, instead of the right.
LEG. A gambler.
LEG IT. Run away; clear out.
LEG-BAIL AND LAND-SECURITY. Runaway.
LEGGED. Full-fettered; double-ironed.
LENTEN. Nothing to eat; starving.
LETCH. Unusual fastenings to a door.
LIB. Sleep. "The coves lib together," the fellows sleep together.
LIBBEGE. A bed.
LIBBEN. A private house.
LIBKEN. A lodging-house.
LICK. To coax.
LIFE-PRESERVER. A slung-shot.
LIFT. Help. "Lift the poor cove, he is almost lenten," help the poor
fellow, he is almost starved.
LIFTERS. Crutches.
LIG. A bedstead.
LIGHT MANS. The day.
LIGHT-HOUSE. A man with a very red nose.