| 18th Century Thieves Cant |
|---|
| Violence |
| Violence : Violence |
|---|
| BASH | to beat any person by way of correction, as the woman you live with, &c. | 1819 |
| BASTE | to beat. | 1737 |
| BASTING | A beating. | 1811 |
| BASTONADING | a Cudgelling | 1737 |
| BASTONADING | Beating any one with a stick; from baton, a stick, formerly spelt baston. | 1811 |
| CANE | To lay Cane upon Abel; to beat any one with a cane or stick. | 1811 |
| CANE UPON ABEL | a good Stick or Cudgel, well-favouredly laid on a Mans shoulders | 1737 |
| CHAFD | well beaten or bangd. | 1737 |
| CHAFED | Well beaten; from CHAUFFE, warmed. | 1811 |
| CLAWD-OFF | lustily lashd. Also swingingly poxd or clapd. | 1737 |
| CLAWED OFF | Severely beaten or whipped; also smartly poxed or clapped. | 1811 |
| CONTENT | I beat him to his Hearts Content; till he had enough of Fighting. Also to murder a Person, who resists being robbd. The Culls Content; i.e. He is past complaining. | 1737 |
| CRASH | to Kill. Crash the Cull, i.e. Kill the Fellow. | 1737 |
| CUDGELLIERS | a Mob rudely armd; also Cudgel-Players. | 1737 |
| CULP | a Kick or Blow | 1737 |
| CUTTING-GLOAK | a man famous for drawing a knife, and cutting any person he quarrels with. | 1819 |
| DING | to knock down. | 1737 |
| DING | To knock down. To ding it in ones ears; to reproach or tell one something one is not desirous of hearing. Also to throw away or hide: thus a highwayman who throws away or hides any thing with which he robbed, to prevent being known or detected, is, in the canting lingo, styled a Dinger. | 1811 |
| DUB O TH HICK | A lick on the head. | 1811 |
| DUM-found | to beat soundly. | 1737 |
| DUMB-FOUNDED | Silenced, also soundly beaten. | 1811 |
| EASY | Make the cull easy or quiet; gag or kill him. As easy as pissing the bed. | 1811 |
| EIGHT EYES | I will knock out two of your eight eyes; a common Billingsgate threat from one fish nymph to another: every woman, according to the naturalists of that society, having eight eyes; viz. two seeing eyes, two bub-eyes, a bell-eye, two popes eyes, and a ***-eye. He has fallen down and trod upon his eye; said of one who has a black eye. | 1811 |
| EXPENDED | Killed: alluding to the gunners accounts, wherein the articles consumed are charged under the title of expended. Sea phrase. | 1811 |
| FAG | to Beat; as, Fag the Bloss, Bang the Wench; Fag the Fen, Drub the Whore. Whence to FAGGOT. | 1737 |
| FAGGOT | to bind Hand and Foot; as Faggot the Culls; i.e. Bind the Men. | 1737 |
| FIB | to beat; Fib the Coves Quarron in the Rompad, for the Lour in his Bung. Beat the Man in the Highway for the Money in his Purse. | 1737 |
| FIB | a stick. To Jib is to beat with a stick ; also to box. | 1819 |
| FIBBING-MATCH | a boxing match. | 1819 |
| FLIP | to shoot. | 1819 |
| FLOGGD | severely lashd. | 1737 |
| FLOGGD AT THE TUMBLER | whipt at the Carts Arse | 1737 |
| FLOOR | to knock down any one, either for the purpose of robbery, or to effect your escape, is termed flooring him. | 1819 |
| HACK | and Hue, to cut in pieces. | 1737 |
| HANDY-BLOWS | Fisty-cuffs. | 1737 |
| HAZLE GELD | to beat any one with a Hazle Stick or Plant. | 1737 |
| HUSH | Hush the cull; murder the fellow. | 1811 |
| HUSHD | murderd, etc. | 1737 |
| ILL CUT YOUR PAINTER FOR YE | Ill prevent your doing me any Mischief: the Tar Cant when they quarrel onw with another. | 1737 |
| LACING | beating, drubbing; Ill Lace your Coat, Sirrah! I will beat you soundly! | 1737 |
| LACING | Beating. Ill lace your jacket handsomely. | 1811 |
| LAMB-PYE | beating or drubbing. | 1737 |
| LAMBASTE | to beat soundly. | 1737 |
| MILL | to fight. To mill a person is to beat him. | 1819 |
| MILL THEM | kill them. | 1737 |
| NOPE | a Blow, a Knock on the Pate; as We hit him a Nope on the Costard. | 1737 |
| NOPE | A blow: as, I took him a nope on the costard. | 1811 |
| O BE JOYFUL | Ill make you sing O be joyful on the other side of your mouth; a threat, implying the party threatened will be made to cry. To sing O be easy; to appear contented when one has cause to complain, and dare not. | 1811 |
| PINKD | pricked with a Sword in a re-encounter or Duel. He pinked his Dubblet, he run him through. | 1737 |
| POKE | A blow with the fist: Ill lend you a poke. A poke likewise means a sack: whence, to buy a pig in a poke, i.e. to buy any thing without seeing or properly examining it. | 1811 |
| POLT | A blow. Lend him a polt in the muns; give him a knock in the face. | 1811 |
| POLT ON THE PATE | a good Rap there. | 1737 |
| POUND | To beat. How the milling cove pounded the cull for being nuts on his blowen; how the boxer beat the fellow for taking liberties with his mistress. | 1811 |
| PUMMEL | to beat, I pummelled his Sides for him., I beat him soundly. | 1737 |
| SCOWRERS | Drunkards beating the Watch, breaking Windows, clearing the Streets, etc. | 1737 |
| SETTLE | to stun, or knock down; as, We settled the Cull by a Stoter on his Nob; i.e. We took him such a Blow on the Head, as quite stunnd him. | 1737 |
| SILENCE | To silence a man; to knock him down, or stun him. Silence in the court, the cat is pissing; a gird upon any one requiring silence unnecessarily. | 1811 |
| SILENT A MAN | to knock him down, so as to stun him: To lay him down for dead. See the Cull is Silent, is also usd by desperate Villains, for cutting the Throat, or shooting the unhappy Person who falls in their way. | 1737 |
| SMASH | to quell, to beat or abuse violently; to kill. | 1737 |
| SMASH | to smite, to kick down Stairs. The Chubs tout the Blosses, they smash them, and make them brush; The Sharpers catch their Mistress at the Tavern, making merry without them, kick them down Stairs, and force them to rub off. | 1737 |
| SOUDSE | to fall upon, to beat cruelly; also to plunder or kill. | 1737 |
| SOWR | to beat violently, etc. As, Sowr the Cull; i. e. knock him down: Beat him without Mercy, etc | 1737 |
| STOTER | a great Blow. Stoter him, or, Tip him a Stoter; Settle him; give him a swinging Blow. | 1737 |
| STOTER | A great blow. Tip him a stoter in the haltering place; give him a blow under the left ear. | 1811 |
| TAP | a Blow; a small Tap, etc. | 1737 |
| TAP | A gentle blow. A tap on the shoulder;-an-arrest. To tap a girl; to be the first seducer: in allusion to a beer barrel. To tap a guinea; to get it changed. | 1811 |
| TAWED | Beaten, | 1811 |
| THUMP | A blow. This is better than a thump on the back with a stone; said on giving any one a drink of good liquor on a cold morning. Thatch, thistle, thunder, and thump; words to the Irish, like the Shibboleth of the Hebrews. | 1811 |
| THWACK | to beat with a Stick or Cudgel. | 1737 |
| THWACK | A great blow with a stick across the shoulders. | 1811 |
| TILT | To tilt; to fight with a sword. To run full tilt against one; allusion to the ancient tilling with the lance. | 1811 |
| TO BANG | To beat. | 1811 |
| TO BASTE | To beat. Ill give him his bastings, Ill beat him heartily. | 1811 |
| TO CRASH | To kill. Crash that cull; kill that fellow. CANT. | 1811 |
| TO DRESS | To beat. Ill dress his hide neatly; Ill beat him soundly. | 1811 |
| TO DRUB | To beat any one with a stick, or ropes end: perhaps a contraction of DRY RUB. It is also used to signify a good beating with any instrument. | 1811 |
| TO FAG | To beat. Fag the bloss; beat the wench; Cant. A fag also means a boy of an inferior form or class, who acts as a servant to one of a superior, who is said to fag him, he is my fag; whence, perhaps, fagged out, for jaded or tired. To stand a good fag; not to be soon tired. | 1811 |
| TO FAN | To beat any one. I fanned him sweetly; I beat him heartily. | 1811 |
| To SWADDLE | To beat with a stick. | 1811 |
| TO SWINDE ONE OFF | to beat him soundly. | 1737 |
| TO SWINGE | To beat stoutly. | 1811 |
| TO THROTTLE | To strangle. | 1811 |
| TO TUNE | To beat: his father tuned him delightfully: perhaps from fetching a tune out of the person beaten, or from a comparison with the disagreeable sounds of instruments when tuning. | 1811 |
| TOPPER | A violent blow on the head. | 1811 |
| TOWER HILL PLAY | a Slap on the Face and a Kick on the Breech. | 1737 |
| TOWER HILL PLAY | A slap on the face, and a kick on the breech. | 1811 |
| TWIT | to hit in the Teeth. | 1737 |
| WIPE | a Blow; also a Reflection. He tipt him a rum Wipe; He gave him a swinging Blow. I gave him a Wipe; I spoke something that cut him, or gauld him. He wipd his Nose; He gulld him. | 1737 |
| WIPE | A blow, or reproach. Ill give you a wipe on the chops. That story gave him a fine wipe. Also a handkerchief. | 1811 |
| Violence : Weapons |
|---|
| BARKING IRONS | Pistols, from their explosion resembling the bow-wow or barking of a dog. IRISH. | 1811 |
| BARKING-IRONS | pistols; an obsolete term. | 1819 |
| BILBOA | A sword. Bilboa in Spain was once famous for well-tempered blades: these are quoted by Falstaff, where he describes the manner in which he lay in the buck-basket. Bilboes, the stock; prison. Cant. | 1811 |
| BILL | BILBOA; a Sword. Bite the Bill from the Cull; i.e. Whip the Sword from his Side. | 1737 |
| BOLT | A blunt arrow. | 1811 |
| BULL DOGS | Pistols. | 1811 |
| CHEESE-TOASTER | A sword. | 1811 |
| DAG | a Gun. | 1737 |
| DEGEN | a Sword. Nim the Degen, whip the Sword from the Gentlemans side. | 1737 |
| DEGEN, or DAGEN | A sword. Nim the degen; steal the sword. Dagen is Dutch for a sword. CANT. | 1811 |
| FERRARA | Andrea Ferrara; the name of a famous sword- cutler: most of the Highland broad-swords are marked with his name; whence an Andrea Ferrara has become the common name for the glaymore or Highland broad- sword. See GLAYMORE. | 1811 |
| HALBERT | A weapon carried by a serjeant of foot. To get a halbert; to be appointed a serjeant. To be brought to the halberts; to be flogged a la militaire: soldiers of the infantry, when flogged, being commonly tied to three halberts, set up in a triangle, with a fourth fastened across them. He carries the halbert in his face; a saying of one promoted from a serjeant to a commission officer. | 1811 |
| JORDAIN | a great Blow or Staff; also a Chamber-Pot. Ill tip him a Jordain, if I transnear; I will give him a Blow with my Staff, if I get up to him. | 1737 |
| JORDAIN | A great blow, or staff. Ill tip him a jordain if I transnear; i.e. Ill give him a blow with my staff, if I come near him. CANT. | 1811 |
| MORGLAG | a Watchmans brown Bill; as Glaives, are Bills or Swords. | 1737 |
| MORGLAG | A brown bill, or kind of halbert, formerly carried by watchmen; corruption of MORE, great or broad, and GLAVE, blade. | 1811 |
| POKER | a Sword. | 1737 |
| POKER | A sword. Fore pokers; aces and kings at cards. To burn your poker; to catch the venereal disease. | 1811 |
| POPS | Pistols, To pop, to fire a Pistol, etc. | 1737 |
| POPS | Pistols. Popshop: a pawnbrokers shop. To pop; to pawn: also to shoot. I popped my tatler; I pawned my watch. I popt the cull; I shot the man. His means are two pops and a galloper; that is, he is a highwayman. | 1811 |
| POPS | Pistols; an obsolete term. | 1819 |
| PORKER | a Sword. | 1737 |
| QUEER DEGEN | An ordinary sword, brass or iron hilted. | 1811 |
| QUEERE DEGEN | an Iron, Steel or Brass hilted Sword. | 1737 |
| RUM DEGEN | a Silver-hilted or inlaid Sword. | 1737 |
| RUM DEGEN | A handsome sword. CANT. | 1811 |
| RUM TILTER | See RUM DEGEN. | 1811 |
| RUM TOL | See RUM DEGEN. | 1811 |
| RUM-TILTER | the same as Rum-tol, or Rum-degen. | 1737 |
| RUM-TOL | the same as Rum-degen, being the newest Cant Word of the two. | 1737 |
| SHILLALEY | An oaken sapling, or cudgel: from a wood of that name famous for its oaks. IRISH. | 1811 |
| SLUG | A piece of lead of any shape, to be fired from a blunderbuss. To fire a slug; to drink a dram. | 1811 |
| SNAPPERS | Pistols. | 1811 |
| SPADO | A sword. SPANISH. | 1811 |
| SPIT | A sword. | 1811 |
| STICK | a pistol. | 1819 |
| STICKS | Pops or pistols. Stow your sticks; hide your pistols. CANT. See POPS. | 1811 |
| TAYLE | a Sword. | 1737 |
| TILTER | a Sword. To Tilt, to fight with a Rapier. Run a Tilt; a swift Pursuit. | 1737 |
| TILTER | A sword. | 1811 |
| TOASTING IRON, or CHEESE TOASTER | A sword. | 1811 |
| TOL | Toledo, a Sword. Bite the Tol; Steal the Sword. A Rum Tol; A silver hilted Sword. A Queere Tol; A Brass or Steel-hilted or ordinary Sword. | 1737 |
| TOL, or TOLEDO | A sword: from Spanish swords made at Toledo, which place was famous for sword blades of an extraordinary temper. | 1811 |
| TOOTH-PICK | A large stick. An ironical expression. | 1811 |
| TOWEL | An oaken towel, a cudgel. To rub one down with an oaken towel; to beat or cudgel him. | 1811 |
| WHINYARD | a Sword. | 1737 |
| WHINYARD | A sword. | 1811 |
| WITCHER-Tilter | a Silver-hilted Sword. He has bit, or drawn the Witcher-tilter; He has stole the Silver-hilted Sword. | 1737 |
