| 18th Century Thieves Cant |
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| Speech |
| Speech : Cant |
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| CANTING | the mysterious Language of Rogues, Gypsies, Beggars, Thieves, etc | 1737 |
| CONCERNED | In using many cant words, the lovers of flash, by way of variation, adopt this term, for an illustration of which, see Bolt-in-tun, Aldebmas Lushington, Mr. Palmer, &c. | 1819 |
| FAKE | a word so variously used, that I can only illustrate it by a few examples. To fake any person or place, may signify to rob them ; to fake a person, may also imply to shoot, wound, or cut; to fake a man out and out, is to kill him ; a man who inflicts wounds upon, or otherwise disfigures, himself, for any sinister purpose, is said to have faked himtelf; if a man's shoe happens to pinch, or gall his foot, from its being overtight, he will complain that his shoe fakes his foot sadly ; it also describes the doing any act, or the fabricating any thing, as, to fake your slangs, is to cut your irons in order to escape from custody ; to fake your pin, is to create a sore leg, or to cut it, as if accidentally, with an axe, &c., in hopes to obtain a discharge from the army or navy, to get into the doctor's list, &c.; to fake a screeve, is to write any letter, or other paper; to fake a screw, is to shape out a skeleton or false key, for the purpose of screwing a particular place ; to fake a cly, is to pick a pocket; &c., &c., &c. | 1819 |
| FLASH | the cant language used by the family. To speak good flash is to be well versed in cant terms. | 1819 |
| FLASH LINGO | The canting or slang language. | 1811 |
| FLASH-SONG | a song interlarded with flash words, generally relating to the exploits of the prigging fraternity in their various branches of depredation. | 1819 |
| OUT OF FLASH | See Flash. | 1819 |
| PEDLARS FRENCH | The cant language. Pedlars pony; a walking-stick. | 1811 |
| SLANG | Cant language. | 1811 |
| STAM FLESH | To cant. CANT. | 1811 |
| STAM-FLESH | to Cant; as, The Cully Stamfleshes rumly; He cants very well. | 1737 |
| Speech : General |
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| BEAR-GARDEN JAW or DISCOURSE | Rude, vulgar language, such as was used at the bear-gardens. | 1811 |
| BEAR-GARDEN-DISCOURSE | common, filthy, nasty talk. | 1737 |
| BLUBBERING | much Crying. | 1737 |
| COURT HOLY WATER, COURT PROMISES | Fair speeches and promises, without performance. | 1811 |
| COURT-Holy-Water | COURT-Promises; fair Speeches without Performance. | 1737 |
| CRACK A WHID | to speak or utter: as, he crack'd some queer whids, he dropt some bad or ugly expressions : crack a whid for me, intercede, or put in a word for me. | 1819 |
| DROP A WHID | to let fall a word, either inadvertently or designedly. | 1819 |
| FLASH | Knowing. Understanding anothers meaning. The swell was flash, so I could not draw his fogle. The gentleman saw what I was about, and therefore I could not pick his pocket of his silk handkerchief. To patter flash, to speak the slang language. See PATTER. | 1811 |
| FLASH | to be flash to any matter or meaning, is to understand or comprehend it, and is synonymous with being fly, down, or awake; to put a person flash to to any thing, is to put him on his guard, to explain or inform him of what he was before unacquainted with. | 1819 |
| GRUMBLING of the Gizzard | murmuring, muttering, repining. | 1737 |
| MANG | to speak or talk. | 1819 |
| MAUNDRING-Broth | Scolding. | 1737 |
| NAY WORD | A bye-word, proverb. | 1811 |
| NAY-WORD | a By-word, or Proverb. | 1737 |
| OFFICE | To give the office; to give information, or make signs to the officers to take a thief. | 1811 |
| OFFICE | a hint, signal, or private intimation, from one person to another; this is termed officeing him, or giving him the office ; to take the office, is to understand and profit by the hint given. | 1819 |
| PACKTHREAD | To talk packthread; to use indecent language well wrapt up. | 1811 |
| PATTER | to talk ; as, He patters good flash, See. | 1819 |
| PUT FLASH | See Flash. | 1819 |
| SPANISH COIN | Fair words and compliments. | 1811 |
| SPANISH-MONEY | fair Words and Compliments. | 1737 |
| SPOUTING | Theatrical declamation. | 1811 |
| SQUAWL | a Voice; as, The Cove has a bien Squawl; The Fellow has a good Voice. | 1737 |
| THROW OFF | to talk in a sarcastical strain, so as to convey offensive allusions under the mask of pleasantry, or innocent freedom ; but, perhaps, secretly venting that abuse which you would not dare to give in direct terms ; this is called throwing off, a practice at which the flash ladies arc very expert, when any little jealousies arise among them. To begin to talk flash, and speak freely of robberies past, or in contemplation, when in company with family people, is also termed throwing off; meaning to banish all reserve, none but friends being present; also, to sing when called on by the company present. See Chaunt | 1819 |
| TITTER | to laugh at a Feather. | 1737 |
| TITTLE-TATTLE | idle, impertinent Talk. | 1737 |
| TITTLE-TATTLE | Idle discourse, scandal, womens talk, or small talk. | 1811 |
| TWITTER | to laugh much with little Noise; also to tremble. | 1737 |
| WHIDDLE | to speak of, or mention any thing, as, Don't you whiddle about so and so, that is, don't mention it. | 1819 |
| WHIDDLER | a talkative or tell-tale person, who is not fit to be trusted with a secret. | 1819 |
| WHIDS | Words. | 1737 |
| WHIDS | Words. Cant. | 1811 |
| WHIDS | words. See Crack A Whid. | 1819 |
| WHIMPER | a low or small Cry. | 1737 |
| WHIMPER, or WHINDLE | A low cry. | 1811 |
| WHINDLE | a low or feigned Cry. | 1737 |
| WHINE | to cry squeekingly. | 1737 |
| YELP | (from the Yelping of a Dog) to cry, to bawl, to complain. | 1737 |
| Speech : Puns, Quibbles and Whimsies |
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| CARRY WITCHET | A sort of conundrum, puzzlewit, or riddle. | 1811 |
| CLENCH | a Pun or Quibble. | 1737 |
| CONUNDRUMS | Whims, Maggots, and such like. | 1737 |
| QUIBBLE | to trifle or pun. | 1737 |
| QUIPPS | Girds, taunts, jests. | 1811 |
| REBUS | A riddle or pun on a mans name, expressed in sculpture or painting, thus: a bolt or arrow, and a tun, for Bolton; deaths head, and a ton, for Morton. | 1811 |
| RIG | Game, Diversion, Ridicule. See Fun. | 1737 |
| RIG | Fun, game, diversion, or trick. To run ones rig upon any particular person; to make him a butt. l am up to your rig; I am a match for your tricks. | 1811 |
| RIGMAROLE | Roundabout, nonsensical. He told a long rigmarole story. | 1811 |
| TRINGUM-TRANGUM | a Whim or Maggot. | 1737 |
| VAGARIES | wild Rambles, extravagant Frolicks. | 1737 |
| WHIM | a Maggot. | 1737 |
| WHIMSICAL | maggotish. | 1737 |
| WORD PECKER | A punster, one who plays upon words. | 1811 |
| WORD-PECKER | one that plays with Words: A Punster. | 1737 |
| Speech : Quiet |
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| CHEESE IT | Be silent, be quiet, don't do it. Cheese it, the coves are fly; be silent, the people understand our discourse. | 1811 |
| CHEESE IT | The same as Stow it. | 1819 |
| CHEESE THAT | See Stow That. | 1819 |
| KNIFE IT | See Cheese It. | 1819 |
| MUM | An interjection directing silence. Mum for that; I shall be silent as to that. As mute as Mumchance, who was hanged for saying nothing; a friendly reproach to any one who seems low-spirited and silent. | 1811 |
| MUM FOR-THAT | not a Word of the Pudding. | 1737 |
| PETER-THAT | synonymous with Stow-that. | 1819 |
| STASH IT | See Stow It, which has the same meaning. | 1819 |
| STOP | as, I have stopt his Blubber; I have stopt his Mouth. | 1737 |
| STOW | i.e. You have said enough. Stow you, bene Cove; Hold your Peace, good Fellow. Stow your Whids and plant them; for the Cove of the Ken can cant them; Take care what you say; for the Man of the House understands you. | 1737 |
| STOW | Stow you; be silent, or hold your peace. Stow your whidds and plantem, for the cove of the ken can cantem; you have said enough, the man of the house understands you. | 1811 |
| STOW | to stow any business, employment, or mode of life, is the same as to stash it, &c. See Stash. | 1819 |
| STOW or STOW-MANGING | an intimation from one flash-cove to another in a mixed company to be silent, or drop the subject, he was upon. See Mang. | 1819 |
| STOW THAT | When a person advances any assertion which his auditor believes to be false, or spoken in jest, or wishes the former to recant, the latter will say, stow that, if you please, or, cheese that; meaning don't say so, or that's out of the question. | 1819 |
| STOW, STOW IT or STOW FAKING | an intimation from a thief to his pall, to desist from what he is about, on the occasion of some alarm, &c. See Awake. | 1819 |
| STUBBLE IT | Hold your tongue. CANT. | 1811 |
| STUBBLE-IT | Hold your Tongue. | 1737 |
| TACE | Silence, hold your tongue. TACE is Latin for a candle; a jocular admonition to be silent on any subject. | 1811 |
