Arizona republican., 1911-03-27
SLANG OF THE CRIMINAL.
Some of the Picturesque Expressions
 of the Underworld.

Modern criminal slang has express siveness and applicability, says a writer in Case and Comment. It has
 taken our modern civilization to make the present day criminal and to evolve his peculiar dialect.
 To everybody the subject appeals as interesting. but to certain classes it is vital. I mean all detectives, po- licemen, lawyers-in short all persons in any way whatever connected with the administration of justice.
 Crooks can converse at will in the presence of the police or can write to each other without being in the least understood by the uninitiated. The average policeman is known to the underworld as a harness bull" and the criminal feels a contempt for the officers knowledge.
 Thieves from different parts of the country have different expressions. though after meet" of western and eastern thieves an interchange of slang follows and one group readily picks up the sayings of the other. A critical study of this slang of the criminal world is interesting
 Take the pickpocket, who is called "a gun" "A gun" is a thief who does not use force which sounds like a paradox but is nevertheless true. In this way he is unlike the gorilla" the strong arm hghwayman. A 'grafter" is a thief. complaint or charge is a rap" and the complainant is the "rapper." The one whose property is stolen is the sucker" and the judge is the "beak"
 "fall' is an arrest; fall money" is what is used to liberate a man from custody. To spring" a man is to bail him out. And to help square the sucker and get a man off clear from any charge the underground wires" must be used. A pocketbook is a poke" and the man who jumps his bail, becoming a fugitive from justice, is a ''lambaster"
 The thief who steals your pocket book is the wire" or "toor' and the gang of three or more pickpockets who travel together is called a mob" A swell mob" is a gang that can hire first class legal talent and have good financial backing. When a man is convicted of crime he is settled" or, to use the English phrase, "un- fortunate"
 If girl loses her fellow through a court sentence she is divorced A swell mouthpiece" is a very good lawyer, while very bad one is called a 'shyster." A pickpocket is frequently called a dip" and in western states a cannon"
 A shophfter is called a booster" or holster" or ''hyster," and an ex ceptionally smart one a swell booster" A green goods man when plying his trade is said to be out of the spud" Store thieves who steal jewelry are called penny weighters,' while thieves who tap store tills are called damp getters." and when working are said to be "out of the heel"
 Thieves who steal diamonds or other precious stones from the person are called prop getters" or stone getters." woman thief is called gun mon," and a male thief who makes a speciality of robbing women is called a mol buzzer." A safe blower is called a gopher man. "peterman" or 'yeggman" and ger yer" An empty safe is called "bloomer" A second story worker who breaks and enters dwelling houses is called "houseman," porch climb err and flat worker"
 Turn out is to discharge from arr rest and put a man on the street The go-between of lobbyists who buys up legislators. is called the gravel train," because he has the rocks" he can debauch legislators,