Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1895-01-23
VOCABULARY OF SLANG.
Tho Singular Language with Which
Thoughts Are Concealed
Origin OF Some Popular PIir,.ses-How the
Tasists and Crooks Taiik-Three Thou
sand Words and Expressions in
the Rogues' Dialect.

Tasists and Crooks Taii-Three Thou
sand Words and Expressions in
the Rogues' Dialect.
Slang always has been more or less prev
valent, bat never more SO, perhaps, than
now. Every trade, profession and business
has its vocabulary of slang. There are
newspapers that indulge in it to an extra
ordinary extent, and it is even heard occa-
sionaily ii the pulpit. The stage is very
prolific CT slang, End many of the express
sions that come into common use are first
heard from belinda the footiights. There are
many kinds Of slang. One includes ex-
pression5 OF american origin. In this class
are found such phrases as in the SOUP
mo flies or MS - ''You make me weary"
anG ''Well, should smile.n
Many Of the common words and phrases
used on the streets and even in society come
from the vocabulary of rogpes and thieves.
The fraternity Of rogues have jargon Of
their own But The older and most expert
/ enced EnGvcs never use it. They are too
/ smart for that. The bGnlz-burglar, the skill
full forger, the confidence man, the house
breaker, are generally well educated, cool
/ and calculating, bland and suave. Their
! good department. is their stock in trade.
They know that to use an uncommon dia-
/ lect would throw suspicion on them, and it
/ IS only when they wish to communicate
/ with each other that the words in their
! strange vocabulary are used First-class
| detectives, too, while they are familiar with
! this language, never use slang in public.
tits the rounder, the saloon loafer, petty
! thief and small criminal who makes the
! greatest display OF slang wisdom. The
! detective who seldom catches any thing of
/ more consequence than cold is also very
/ fond Of INDUCING to al alarming extent il
( slang
/ A few extracts from the rogues' sun
/ written dictionary may beof interest, says
the indianapolis News. A might WORKER
! is q hoGse-bFeaker; one who climbs into q
( window, ''second-story worker" a ego
/ phcr'' Is & safe-Dl0Wer. A ''cracksman'' is
! one who opens Z safe with the most i'm
/ proved tools; an artist in the line Of safe
/ robbing, as It were. A pickpocket is
/ wire q ''dlp' or 'tool;'' if he picks
mems pockets ho is a ''blol1e buzzer," or
/ 'knuck;" if he robs woman. ''moll
/ buzzer;n if he phys his trade on the street.
( cars or in a crowded place, u ''car buzzer;"
! stealing handkerchiefs is ''sneaking
/ wipes.' The highwaymen who uses force
I to rob his victim or fights the officer is
! ''strOng-arm' man. "Bloke'' is man, ''moll'
. Is woman, kid a male person under
! twenty years. a 'stalI'' is a well-dressed
/ man who diverts attention while the thief
does his work. Papa" is the man who
furnishes bail for arrested crooks, hires
! lawyers fer them and aids them as much as
/ he can without getting into the meshes of
/ the law himself. a plant is hidden plum
/ der; ''springing Or flashing tho plant" is
TO bring out the plunder after the officers
! have abandoned the search for it. The
/ ''fcnce' is the man who disposes of the
! stolen goods, q la Fagin in ''Oliver Twist"
+ 'Cady'' is q hat, and to ''dp the cady'' is TO
: Jam the victims hat over his eyes that h.
/ may be robbed easier. A 'crushn is the
/ man who creates disturbance in crowd
/ sotAat lis friends VIII h we a better chance
! to pick pockets unmolested. a 'mob'' is
I fodr or more thieves working together A
"guy," soft mark Reuben 'tJason. u
etc, is q coUnryma1 unused to city life.
/ Stag his nibs" means look at him. Craft
is stee4ing Evening graft' is robbery in
the evening. The gun lookout"
'pipeg,i is the man who stands guard while
/ his companion is robbing store or blowing
safe. Piping Of q lay is selecting a
I house to be robbed. Piping off, is watch
ING q suspicious character. "Shadowing' is
following a person. The ''snipen peddles
goods for a confidence game nv to get into a
house to secure information for the gang
tuat intends to rob it. ''Stiff'' has variety
OF mcaaings-a forged order, fictitious
| check, q dead body (cadaver als0) or a
forged letter. 1t means also q ridiculous or
| exaggerated statement. ''Giving the Of
fee q low whistle, cough, or any sound to
pat thief ON his guard A ''narl'' IS. a
man who appears to have pleaty OF money.
Red o. yellow super" is gold watch;
"super aud slang" watch and chain
! Touched means robbed
Thus: He touched me for nv yellow s11
per and SLAMS, and ''pinchei my spark"
| signifies lie robbed me OF my gold watch
and chain and extracted mv diamond piu
! TO ''ring Il super" IS 10 take a watch
and leave the chain by twisting the ring
that fastens the watch to the chain.
Sugar dust" dough-" ''wad" troll"
| ''scads," tstE1f.' etc, are few terms for
/ money.
4 ''c2ae' Is paper dollar; century,
| one hundred dollars; q 'cartwheei,n silver.
dollar; yellow boys gold; "queer" is
counterfeit money. a "coniacker'' makes
the spurious coin; ''boodle-carrier', deliv
ers it, q ''cutter" or ''shover'' passes IT.
The "headw0rller' plans the robberies.
Rather is g train of cars; ''ducket. rail-
road ticket; tip" railroad Office; teiva-
away newspaper; ''sorateher for give
| away" 9 reporteri :'prOdi' is horse;
drag is wagon; 'mipped,' arrested:
"blue bottle" "copper"" ''peeler," police,
man. ''Gooseberry law'' signifies low or
little work.,
Doing time" is serving sentence:
'strotch" is ten years; six ''lunas" or six
moons is six months; cooler ''ouod.n
''httte sterr,'' jail or station house; ''grand
storr," States prison; tally is a trial;
''settled" is convicted and sentenced to
prison; '1nouth-pIece'' is a lawyer; s'beak,''
judge; ''switch" or "sQuealer,n one who
turns States evidence; Jug is q bank;
'jiggern is door: "glim,n a light;
/ ':.sioughed," imprisoned; "jerves'' IS
an outside pocket; ''pitment,' an inside
vest pocket; ''over-ben," an overcoat;
"bennie,n a coat; stamps shoes;
''sneaks, rubbers or shoes with felt soles.
1t is said that the thieves of this country
4 have nearly three thousand words and ex-
pregsions they use, but the few given here
/ is fais sample of them. Eow many can be-
heard spoken every day by many of our
young people!