The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-08-27
LATEST DICTIONARY OF SLANG.
Underworld Vocabulary Undergoss Constant Change-ouce
With Gypsy Tribes

The use of slang among crooks is
and strong arm man who is not facile
in the idiem of his profession is not in
good standing. Slang is. in fact. the
hailing sign and password of the craft;
couldn't get on at all.
1t would be reasonable to suppose that
a man who practices a business whose
success depends upon it's secrecy would
avoid in all possible ways such con-
versation and habits as might be dis
tinctive and calculated to attract at
tention, but the obvious value of such
a rule is disregarded by CROOKS as APP
piled to their intercourse with each
other at least, and it frequently hap
pens that by the use of their peculiar
speech they reveal themselves to the
astute detectives and make a fall
Nevertheless, the average thief would
scorn to speak of a watch when the
prophecies of his literature required
him to say "a kettle or to say pocket
49,
book when the nieeties of the profess
sional speech demanded the use of the
word feather
Philologists fave traced the origin of
thieves slang to the gypsies, and many
words in use by the thieves are derived
from the Zingari, as pal '.kinchin, :"
'ebloke," etc. But the restless spirit of
American life refuses to be crystallized
in a permanent vocabulary, and thieves
slang, like that prevailing in everyday
speech, is fluid and changeable, receiv-
ing additions continually and dropping
out words that have become common
and familiar. For example, super.
watch; slang" chain, became so well
known some years ago that they form
ed the subject of a popular song called
"When Terence First Joined the Gang"
The fraternity of thieves dropped both
super" and slang at once, and now
it is a kettle" and string" "a pot.
"a 'front.' "a tick tack "a DIAL" and
so on, but always something new.
It has been observed that the Eng
Hsh thieves slang has factors of per-
manency. Jack Sheppard called Blue
Skin "a bleeding swine,'' and this form
of contemptuous reference still con-
tinues among EngliaG crooks, who are
not regarded as having much originality
or initiative in their craft or in their
speech. In De Foes Colonel Jack
we meet the thieves whose persistent
objurga ton is blind me- and the cock |
ney thief today for emphasis still says
stbloind mei''
Mr. Leland (Hans Breitmann), who +,
made the study of the Zingari his bust
ness for years. noted the fact that their I.
speech though corrupted as they wan !
dered among different peoples still re- /
tanned it's sorority and appositeness of /
sound and meaning, and thieves slang, |
which is largely drawn from the Ro- |
many, while it fails to retain the vocal |
values still keeps a distinct relation be-
tween sound and significance.
"a strong-arnl'' man now serving a /
ten vears' sentence in Sing Sing recent |
w made a contribution to the funda- !
mental literature of slang by compiling |
a dictionary of words and phrases in :
actual use by thieves. II contains al /
together ]. $50 words, which is about the |
vocabulary of the average i
person. Practically it is a list of sub ;
stantives, and indirectly it illustrates /
the theory of the foundation of Ian (
gIlaoe DY which tie ttOuIA t'ASNCNCA liz
verbs. Slang has not successfully at !
tackled the verb as yet; when it does
1t is obvious that new language viii /
have been created. and as the crooks /
have both ingenuity and initiative per-
haps in time they will give us an en- !
tirely new language
The following is a selection from the .
dictionary of the '-strong-arm" man. I
r. furnishes a curious study for the !.
nbilnlogist and will prove Of interest !
TO the general reader as showing the /
source of many words which secure |
/. dortion into everyday speech. There !
i also here and there suggestion OF {
,,,,,,or in the words. which goes to snow /
that the thief of today has a fraet!oIl ol /
,ayritv in his otherwise serious business; /
,T,v-Person having only one arm. |
Bug-Lunatic.
Bat-Slightly demented.
Bap-I,oose female.