The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1902-04-14
CRIMINAL
DIALECT
Queerest OF LIMOGES Is Used
by the Profession

Say. dcrc IN fence down here
dat'H give a good kink a set up and
a rod Den huil take de slump and
dcreli Doc no pinch. aee2" said a
bullet headed, briatle- haired bull
ncCkcd individual ga tenderioin ga b
loon few evenings ago.
rs dat on do square, said his
companion, OF the same type We'll.
you just watch me get to him
Well It's dvrc, said the nrHt. Il
nicked a block from a guy what was
klppering on stool ia a booze nhop
and dat fence took Il widout a muir
muir"
"it he RIGS me out replied the
other. I'm get good rock and some
slump ia a 'utickup' tonight dat viii
put me on easy street
what II Means
Few people who overheard this Pc
culiar conversation had any idea OF
what II all meant. Rt any rate. they
did not understand the details. There
l. not detective ON the SEATTLE
police force. however, who would not
understand every word OF Il.
The language spoken was the one
peculiar 60 the criminal class. II ~
the dialect OF the pen" inmate and
the iaii bird A "kluk"--weu. that's
tho man himself. A criminal de-ig-
mates all followers of hts hon6ra bile
calling as Kinks" The word IL de-
rived from 'cr0okgN 1t evolved
into "crook" and now 'kiuk" Il the
w % date name.
\ fence" b Just what Il appears
20 be on the face ~ tia so between.
one who takes tho an gotten gains OF
the thief and disposes 81 them.
"sst Up"
The "sct-up" ~ the Outnt-H suit
of clothes. hat. shoes and a mask
slump" ~ the plumber secured In a
successful robbery The ~pinch" Is
the arrest. when a man l. robbed
while asleep m chair he Is 'nicked'
while ''kippering
The watch Of which ne il robbed liz
commonly termed block" A
rock IL a pure diamond. III II isn't
pure u ~ "phony." which IL also
a name applied by the craft to any
thing that II fake. The stick. up''
spoken u during the foregoing con
Nerration means a hold up az the
point OF a revolver. The rod" used
Is the revolver.
HuAsrsss 81 othsrs
There are hundreds Of other words
coined by criminals and their mean
ingS alter at frequent intervals. Their
language II probably the most
changcaele on earth. yet by some
unknown means every word "a the
country IL always familiar with each
new word colned as soon as u IL
sprung.
Some old hardened criminals have
used this dialect 40 long that when
they do wish 10 talk 20 the unaophis-
ifcated they fall down completely on
straight English. Jim Casey, the
pocch climber arrested here some
time ago FOR the robbery ~ the sam
Hlli residence was a striking exam
pie Of the latter class
couia Compile Cs4e
II Is generally believed that Casey
could cumpiic "a dictionary Of the
criminal code that would Naks Noah
Webster from his eternal sleep. Ca
sey l. wonder when u comes down
- this. lie has maine u his own
for everything and the name Is the
correct uns. too. from criminal
standpoint.
The language n quaint. Yet hardly
beautiful II Ia expressive. however.
easily understood ~ the initiated.
and 70 chanErahls that those de.
ciared out or the profession can be
thrown OF the track easily. Tho dia.
iecf IL now very well known and
kept IN touch with BY upsto-dats
sleufhs who ind u valuable on many
occasions.