Bone, subs. (American).—When a traveller, in passing his luggage
through the Custom House, tips the officer in the expectation that the
latter’s examination of his impedimenta will be more or less
superficial, the fee thus given is termed a bone. The practice, is, of
course, contrary to all regulations; but, human nature being human
nature all the world over, it is believed that similar expedients for
evading the law are not altogether unknown in England.
Adj. (thieves’).—Good; excellent; ◇ is the vagabonds’ hieroglyphic for
bone, or good, chalked by them on houses and street corners as a hint
to succeeding beggars. [Probably from French bon, good. Cf., Boon.]
1851–61. H. Mayhew, London Lab. and Lon. Poor, vol. I., p. 232. He
[beggar] mostly chalks a signal on or near the door. I give one or
two instances. ◇ ‘Bone,’ meaning good.
1883. G. A. S[ala], in Ill. L. News, Nov. 10, p. 451, col. 3. It is
well known that the lozenge-shaped diagram chalked by beggars and
tramps on doors and walls in ‘promising’ neighbourhoods stands for
‘bone,’ a corruption of the French ‘bon,’ as a hint to succeeding
vagabonds that they will find the happiest of hunting-grounds in
the locality.
Verb (popular).—1. To filch; to steal; to make off with; to take into
custody. [There are two suggested derivations:—(1) that the figure of
speech is drawn from the manner in which a dog makes off with a bone;
(2) that bone is a corruption of ‘bonnet’ (a gambling cheat who
‘sharks’ one’s money slyly).] For synonyms in sense of to steal, see
Prig; in sense of to apprehend, see Nab.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5 ed.). Bone (v.), a cant word to seize
or arrest; also to cheat or strip a person of his money or goods.
1819. J. H. Vaux, Memoirs, II., 157. Tell us how you was boned,
signifies tell us the story of your apprehension, a common request
among fellow-prisoners in a jail, which is readily complied with as
a rule; and the various circumstances therein related afford
present amusement, and also useful hints for regulating their
future operations, so as to avoid the like misfortune.
1838. Dickens, Nich. Nickleby, ch. lvii., p. 467. ‘And why you were
living so quiet here, and what you had boned, and who you had boned
it from, wasn’t it?’
1861. Miss Braddon, Trail of the Serpent, bk. II., ch. ii. ‘I’m
blest if he hasn’t been and boned my mug. I hope it’ll do him more
good than it’s done me.’
1871. Chambers’ Journal, Dec. 9, A Double Event, p. 774. It would
be a breach of confidence to tell you how it was arranged, but,
after some haggling, it was arranged that, on the understanding
that I gave up the securities, I was to bone the reward which the
detectives had missed.