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Simple Thieves' Cant
Simple English-to-Cant | Simple Cant-to-English
Cant to English Dictionary
Below is a reference dictionary for the simple form of thieves' cant, from cant-to-English (cant words are to the left, and the definitions are on the right). The simple form of thieves' cant uses slang and certain code words to hide its true meaning. The simple thieves' cant was used by many common lower class individuals (not just thieves), and was often known by law officials who had been in the field for some time.
Alternatively, there is an advanced form of the Thieves' Cant:
Advanced Thieves' Cant: Introduction | Advanced English-to-Cant | Advanced Cant-to-English
Return to the Thieves' Cant Main Page
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| Abbess | The mistress of a brothel |
| Abram | Naked |
| Abram cove | A word used among thieves which signifies a naked or poor man. It can also mean a lusty strong rogue |
| Abram men | A beggar who pretends to be mad |
| Academy | Brothel |
| Ace of Spades | A widow |
| Acorn | "To ride a horse foaled by an acorn" is to be hanged on the gallows |
| Adam Tiler | A pickpockets associate, who receives the stolen goods, and runs off with them |
| Affidavit men | A witness for hire Someone who will swear to anything in court if paid to do so |
| Air and exercise | "He has had air and exercise" (ie he has been whipped at the carts tail) |
| Ambidexter | A lawyer who garners fees from both plaintiff and defender |
| Amuse (to amuse) | To fling dust into the eyes of the person intended to be robbed; also to invent some plausible tale to delude a shopkeeper in order to put them off their guard |
| Amuser | A rogue who uses the above tactic |
| Anabaptist | A pickpocket caught in the act, and punished by being thrown into a pond |
| Anglers | Pilferers or petty thieves who with a stick having a hook at the end, steal goods out of shop windows, grates etc. Also someone who 'draws in' victims in order to rob them |
| Angling for coppers | Begging out of a prison window with a cap or box let down on the end of a long string |
| Arch Rogue | The chief of a gang of thieves or gipsies |
| Ard | Hot, stolen |
| Ark | A boat |
| Ark ruffians | Rogues who in conjunction with watermen, robbed and sometimes murdered on the water by picking a quarrel with passengers in a boat, boarding it, plundering, stripping, and throwing them overboard |
| Artichoke | Hang (see hearty choke) |
| Aunt | A prostitute or someone who procures prostitutes |
| Autem Bawler | A priest |
| Autem Divers | Pickpockets who operate in churches and temples |
| Autem Mort | A female beggar who hires children in order to inspire charity |
| Avoir Du Pois Lay | Stealing brass weights off the counters of shops |
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| Babes in the wood | Criminals in the stocks or pillory |
| Badge | A term for one who has had his hand burned as punishment for theft |
| Bagged Flash | Magic Item |
| Bandog | A bailiff or sheriff |
| Barrow man | A man under sentence of transport |
| Bat | A very common prostitute |
| Bawd | A justice of the peace or magistrate |
| Bawdy basket | A Criminal who sells items from door to door, but makes most of their living by stealing |
| Beef | To "cry beef" is to give an alarm. To "be in a mans beef" is to wound him with a sword |
| Beggar maker | A man who owns a tavern |
| Beilby's Ball | To "dance with Beilby's ball" is to be hung |
| Ben | A fool |
| Bene | Good |
| Bene bowse | Good beer |
| Bene cove | Good fellow |
| Bene darkmans | Good night |
| Bene feaker | Counterfeiter |
| Bene feaker of gybes | Counterfeiter of false passes |
| Berry Wine | Sapphire |
| Bess or Betty | A crow bar |
| Bilboes | The stocks or prison |
| Bilk | To cheat or con |
| Bing | To go or escape |
| Bingo | Brandy or other spirit |
| Bingo boy | A drinker of brandy |
| Bingo mort | A female drinker of brandy |
| Birds of a feather | Rogues of the same gang |
| Bite | To steal |
| Bits | Money |
| Black art | The art of picking a lock |
| Black box | A lawyer |
| Blasted fellow | An abandoned rogue or prostitute |
| Blater | A stolen calf |
| Bleaters | Those cheated by a Jack in the Box (See Jack in the box) |
| Bleating rig | Sheep stealing |
| Blow | To "bite the blow" is to steal the goods |
| Blue pigeons | Thieves who steal lead off houses and other buildings |
| Bluffer | An inn keeper |
| Blunt | Money |
| Boarding school | Prison |
| Bob | Shoplifter's assistant, One who receives stolen goods |
| Boned | Seized, arrested |
| Booze | Jewel |
| Boredom | Risk |
| Borrow | To steal |
| Boung | A purse |
| Boung nipper | A cut purse |
| Box-man | Thief specialized in cracking safes |
| Brimstone | An abandoned woman or thief |
| Broken finger | A serious injury |
| Bubber | A thief who steals less value |
| Bung nipper | A pickpocket |
| Burning the ken | To flee a tavern without paying your bill |
| Bus napper | A constable |
| Bus napper kenchin | A watchman |
| Buttocks and file | A prostitute who steals from their clients |
| Button | A fake coin |
| Buzman | A pickpocket |
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| Cackle | To inform on a thief |
| Calle | A cloak or gown worn as a disguise |
| Cannon | Pickpocket |
| Canters | Thieves or beggers |
| Canting Crew | Thieves or beggers |
| Cap | Take an oath |
| Captain Sharp | A person in a fixed game of chance whose job is to bully those who refuse to pay their debts |
| Caravan | A large sum of money, or one who is cheated of a large sum of money |
| Cattle | Prostitutes or gypsies |
| Charactered | To have your hand burnt as a punishment for theft |
| Charm | A lockpick |
| Chatts | The gallows |
| Chunk o' Brandy | Ruby |
| Chunk o' Gin | Diamond |
| Clank | A silver tankard |
| Clank napper | A silver tankard stealer |
| Clear | Very drunk |
| Click | To hit |
| Clicker | The person who divides the booty between a group of thieves |
| Climb up a ladder to bed | To be hanged |
| Cloy | Steal |
| Cloyes | Thieves |
| Cly | A pickpocket |
| Cly the jerk | To be whipped |
| Cockles, to cry | To be hanged |
| Colt | One who lends a horse to a highway man, or an apprentice thief |
| Confect | Counterfeited |
| Content | A person murdered for resisting a robbery |
| Contraband | Illegal goods |
| Cove | A man |
| Cracksman | A house breaker |
| Cramp word | The sentence of death |
| Crash | Kill |
| Crawl in a hole | Hide |
| Crib | House |
| Crop | Hang |
| Cull | An honest man |
| Cullability | Easily cheated |
| Curbing law | The act off hooking items out of a window (see angling) |
| Cursitor | A bad lawyer |
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| Dangle | To hang |
| Danglestuff | Rope |
| Darbies | Chains (handcuffs) |
| Darby | Easy money |
| Darkee | A dark or hooded lantern |
| Darkmans | Night time |
| Dawb | Bribe |
| Deadly nevergreen | The gallows |
| Derrick | A hangman |
| Die Hard | Show no fear or remorse at the gallows |
| Dimber Damber | A chief thief |
| Ding boy | A mugger |
| Dive | To pick a pocket, a thieves' hideout |
| Dodgies | Innocent |
| Dommerer | A beggar who pretends to be mute |
| Drag | To follow a cart or wagon in order to rob it |
| Draw-latches | Robbers of houses |
| Drawing the King's picture | Counterfeiting coins |
| Dress up | Tie up |
| Dromedary | A bungling thief |
| Dropping a glove | Losing a hand (legal punishment) |
| Dub | A lockpick |
| Dub Lay | To rob a house by picking its lock |
| Dummee | A pocket book or purse |
| Dumps | Coins made of lead |
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| Earnest | A promise to pay |
| Equipt | Well dressed, rich |
| Expense Money | Bribe |
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| Fagger | A small boy who passed through a window in order to unlock the door to the house |
| Fam lay | Palming an item in order to steal it |
| Family man | A receiver of stolen goods |
| Fams | Gloves |
| Fancy Booze | Jewelry |
| Fang | Dog |
| Fat lady | Heavy (weight) |
| Fen | A prostitute |
| Fence | To sell stolen goods, One who buys stolen goods |
| Fencing ken | A place where stolen goods are hidden |
| Fidlam ben | Thieves |
| Figging law | The art of picking pockets |
| Figure dancer | One who alters the numbers on notes of credit, or other paper money |
| Filcher | see Angler |
| Finger Joint | Ring |
| Flag waving | Planning |
| Flash | Magic |
| Flash ken | A thieves' hideout |
| Flash lingo | Thieves' cant |
| Floating hell | A prison ship |
| Flog | To whip |
| Fob | Cheat |
| Footpad | A common thief |
| Fork | To pick a pocket |
| Fortune teller | A judge |
| Foyst | A pickpocket |
| Frummagemmed | Strangled or hanged |
| Fun | A cheat or trick |
| Fuzz | To pretend to shuffle a deck of cards |
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| Gallows bird | A thief or pickpocket or someone that associates with them |
| Game | Any mode of robbery |
| Gamon | To deceive |
| Gaoler's coach | A cart used to take felons to execution |
| Gentleman | Thief |
| Gentleman's master | A highwayman |
| Getting stripes | To be flogged |
| Gibberish | Thieves' cant |
| Gilt | A thief who picks locks |
| Ginny | A crowbar |
| Glazier | A thief who breaks windows in order to steal |
| Glim | A lantern used in housebreaking |
| Goin' home | Jail break |
| Goin' legit | To die |
| Grandpa | Judge |
| Grease | Bribe |
| Green Beer | Emerald |
| Gregorian tree | The gallows |
| Gudgeon | A gullible person |
| Guesthouse | Jail |
| Gull | A gullible person, to cheat someone |
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| Hamlet | A senior constable |
| Hang gallows look | A villainous appearance |
| Hang in chains | A vile, desperate person |
| Harmans | The stocks |
| Have a chat with | Kill |
| Hearty choke | To be hanged |
| Heave | To rob |
| Hempen fever | A person who has been hanged is said to have died of "hempen fever" |
| Hempen widow | One whose husband was hanged |
| High pad | A highwayman |
| Hike | To run away |
| Hired help | Accomplice |
| Hitman | Assassin |
| Hizzooner's guest | Prisoner |
| Hoist | To rob by entering through a window that had been left opened. |
| Hole in need of plugging | Informant |
| Hoodwink | Blindfold or fool someone |
| Hooked | Captured |
| Hookers | See angler |
| Hubbub | A riot |
| Hue | To whip |
| Hush | Murder |
| Hush money | A bribe |
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| Invited | Arrested |
| Iron | Money |
| Ironmongers shop | To "keep an ironmongers shop" is to be hung in chains |
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| Jack Ketch | Hangman |
| Jack in a box | A card sharper |
| Jail bird | Prisoner |
| Jammed | Hanged |
| Jem | A gold ring |
| Jemmy | A crowbar |
| Jiggers | Whipping post |
| Jordain | A stick or staff used by muggers |
| Juggler's box | The device used to burn the hands of criminals |
| Jukrum | The permission of the head of a thieves guild to operate within his territory |
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| Kate | A lockpick |
| Ken | A house |
| Ken Miller or Ken Cracker | Housebreaker |
| Ketch | Hangman |
| Kiddeys | Young thieves |
| King's pictures | Money |
| King's plate | Chain's, shackles |
| Knight of the blade | A bully |
| Knight of the post | A man willing to give fake evidence for money |
| Knight of the road | A highwayman |
| Knock-knock | Hello |
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| Laced mutton | A prostitute |
| Lag | A man transported for a crime |
| Land pirate | A highwayman |
| Lay | Danger |
| Leaf | To "go with the fall of the leaf" is to be hanged |
| Lid | Door |
| Lift | Steal |
| Lightmans | Daytime |
| Little snakesman | A small boy passed through a window in order to open a door |
| Lobe Latches | Earrings |
| Lone Wolf | Thief, independent |
| Long tongued | Unable to keep a secret |
| Lowre | Money |
| Lully priggers | Thieves who steal wet clothes off clothes lines |
| Lurch | To be "left in the lurch" is to be betrayed by ones companions |
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| Mad Tom | A begger who feigns madness |
| Made | Stolen |
| Made man | A member of the thieves guild, high-standing |
| Mark | The target of a confidence game |
| Maunding | Begging |
| Milch cow | One who is easily tricked out of his money |
| Milk | Pearl |
| Moabites | Bailiffs |
| Mob | Group of thieves |
| Mobility | The commoners, intended as a pun on 'nobility' |
| Moon curser | A thief who uses the darkness as cover for his crime |
| Moon men | Gypsies |
| Moon pigs | Night watchmen |
| Morning drop | The gallows |
| Mort | A woman |
| Moss | Lead stolen off the top of buildings |
| Mot | A woman |
| Myrmidons | Constables |
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| Nab | To seize |
| Nab the stoop | To be put in the stocks |
| Napper | A cheat or thief |
| Napper of naps | A sheep stealer |
| Natty lads | Young thieves or pickpockets |
| Neck weed | Hemp to be made into rope |
| Needle point | A card sharper |
| New drop | The gallows |
| Newman's lift | The gallows |
| Nig | The metal clipped off a coin by a criminal |
| Night magistrate | A constable |
| Nim | To steal or pilfer |
| Nip | A cheat |
| Noisy dog racket | The crime of stealing brass door knockers from doors |
| Noose | Necklace |
| Noozed | Hanged (or married) |
| Nose | A criminal who gives evidence against his colleagues in order to gain a lighter sentence |
| Nubbing | Hanging |
| Nubbing cheat | The gallows |
| Nubbing cove | The hangman |
| Nubbing ken | The courthouse |
| Nypper | A cutpurse |
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| Oak | A rich man |
| Oaken towel | A cudgel |
| Office | To "give office" is to tell constables of a thieves activities |
| Old hand | An experienced thief |
| Onion | A seal or signet ring |
| Overseer | A man in the pillory or stocks |
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| Pad | The highway |
| Pad borrowers | horse thieves |
| Pair of eyes | A lookout |
| Palaver | A tale told in order to avoid blame for a crime |
| Panny | House |
| Papa Porker | Guard, head of the |
| Parenthesis | The stocks |
| Parings | The metal clipped off a coin by a criminal |
| Patter flash | To use thieves' cant |
| Paum | Conceal in the hand |
| Peach | Turn informer |
| Peeper | A spying glass (telescope?) |
| Penance board | Pillory |
| Pennyweighter | Thief who replaces valuable goods with worthless ones |
| Petty fogger | A lawyer willing to undertake any cause |
| Piece man | Trader of knowledge on where stolen property can be sold |
| Pig | An officer of the law |
| Pig poker | Dagger |
| Pigeon | A person easy to cheat |
| Pigeon plucker | Con-artist/swindler |
| Plate | Money, silver, gold etc... |
| Poney | Money |
| Pop | Pawn |
| Pop shop | Pawnbroker |
| Porridge | Prison |
| Posse mobilitatis | A mob chasing a criminal |
| Poulterer | A man who opens mail and steals the money enclosed within |
| Pound | Prison |
| Prad | Horse |
| Prad lay | The act of cutting the saddlebags of horses in order to steal their contents |
| Prig | A thief |
| Prig napper | One who catches a thief, A bounty hunter |
| Priggers | Thieves |
| Priggers of cacklers | Robbers of henhouses |
| Priggers of prancers | Horse thieves |
| Prince Prig | Head of a group of thieves or gypsies |
| Provendor | The victim of a thief |
| Public Ledger | A prostitute |
| Pull | Arrest |
| Purse collector | Pickpocket |
| Puzzle-cause | A lawyer who does not understand the case |
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| Quarromes | A body |
| Queer | "To queer" means to confuse someone |
| Queer bail | Someone who pretends to have money in order to act as surety for an arrested person. When the person is released they disappear |
| Queer birds | A person who when released from prison returns to a life of crime |
| Queer bit makers | Counterfeiters of coins |
| Queer bung | An empty purse |
| Queer cove | A thief |
| Queer cuffin | A justice of the peace |
| Queer ken | A prison |
| Queer mort | A diseased prostitute |
| Quod | Prison |
| Quota | A thieves share of the booty |
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| Racket | Larceny |
| Rag | Paper money |
| Rank rider | A highwayman |
| Rap | Taking a false oath |
| Rascal | Rogue or villain |
| Rat | An informer, To turn informer |
| Rattling cove | A coachman |
| Rattling mumpers | Beggers who beg from coaches |
| Reader | A pocket book or purse |
| Reader merchants | Pickpockets |
| Ready | Money |
| Recruiting service | Highway robbery |
| Repository | A goal |
| Resurrection men | Those employed by scientists to steal bodies from churchyards |
| Rhino | Money |
| Ribbin | Money |
| Ridding the rope | To hang |
| Ringing the charges | Exchanging silver coins for those made of less valuable metal |
| Roast | Arrest |
| Robert's men | Successful thieves |
| Rooton | Committing crimes |
| Rot gut | Cheap spiritous liquor |
| Rounder | Burglar, professional |
| Rovers | Pirates, wandering thieves |
| Rub | Run away |
| Rufflers | Beggers who pretend to be wounded soldiers or sailors |
| Ruffles | Chains or shackles |
| Rug | Safe and secure |
| Rum | Fine, good, valuable |
| Rum beck | A justice of the peace |
| Rum bite | A clever trick |
| Rum bob | A skilled apprentice thief |
| Rum bung | A false purse |
| Rum cod | A purse filled with gold |
| Rum diver | A skilled pickpocket |
| Rum dubber | A skilled lock picker |
| Rum file | A skilled pickpocket |
| Rum fun | A clever trick |
| Rum pad | The highway |
| Rum padders | Skilled and successful highwaymen |
| Rum prancer | A good horse |
| Rushers | Home invaders |
| Rust | Copper |
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| Salmon | An oath taken by a beggar |
| Scapegallows | One who deserves and has escaped the gallows |
| Score | Loot from a theft |
| Scragg'em fair | A public execution |
| Scragged | Hanged |
| Scratch | Injury |
| Screw | A lock pick or skeleton key |
| Shadow dance | Hide |
| Sham | A trick |
| Sham Abram (to sham abram) | To pretend to be sick |
| Sharper | A con man |
| Sheriff's ball | An execution |
| Sheriff's hotel | Prison |
| Sheriff's journeyman | Hangman |
| Sheriff's picture frame | Gallows |
| Shiny Tin | Platinum |
| Shop | Prison |
| Shoplifter | One who steals from a shop |
| Short man | Small (size) |
| Shoulder tap | Backstab |
| Show | Trial |
| Signals | Plan (noun) |
| Sing | Call out, inform |
| Slang | Chains or shackles, Thieves' cant |
| Slipgibbet | One who deserves and has escaped the gallows (also Scapegollows) |
| Smooth | Quiet |
| Snap the glaze | Break a window |
| Snapt | Captured |
| Sneak | A pilferer |
| Snoozing ken | Brothel |
| Sop | A bribe |
| Spring-ankle warehouse | Prison |
| Squeak | Escape, "To squeak" means to confess |
| Squeakers | Organ pipes |
| Stalling ken | Place where stolen goods can be sold |
| Star the glaze | Break a jewellers window |
| Stoop | The pillory |
| Stop hole abbey | The central hideout or guild hall for a thieves guild |
| Stretching | Hanging |
| Stuffing | Loot |
| Stuling ken | Place where stolen goods can be sold |
| Swaddler | A thief who beats and murders his victims |
| Swag | Booty, treasure |
| Sweating | Removing metal from a coin, by using chemicals |
| Swing | Hang |
| Switch | Sell |
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| Tail | A prostitute |
| Tall man | Big (size) |
| Tayle drawers | A thief who steals swords from a mans belt |
| Tea with the pigs | To have "tea with the pigs" means to be tortured |
| Teize | A flogging |
| Thatch-gallows | A man of poor character |
| Thief takers | Someone who associates with thieves in order to arrest them and obtain rewards |
| Thin woman | Light |
| Three-legged mare | The gallows |
| Three-legged stool | The gallows |
| Tilted Floor | Wall |
| Tin | Silver |
| Tinker | Healer, underworld |
| Tom of Bedlam | A begger who feigns madness (also Mad Tom) |
| Topping cheat | The gallows |
| Topping cove | Hangman |
| Touch | Arrest |
| Trounce | Punish |
| Tuck in bed | Knock unconscious |
| Tucked up | Hanged |
| Turn off | Hang |
| Turncoat | One who has betrayed his friends |
| Twig | Realize that something is up |
| Two to one shop | Pawnbrokers |
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| Uncle | Fence |
| Underdubber | A prison guard |
| Upright Man | Chief thief of a guild |
| Used up | Killed |
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| Vamp | Pawn |
| Varlets | Criminals |
| Vincent's law | The art of cheating at cards |
| Visiting the neighbors | Burglary |
| Vowel | To write an IOU |
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| Waterpad | River pirate |
| Wedge | Silver plate |
| Whack | A share of booty obtained by fraud |
| Whip jacks | Thieves who pretend to be sailors in order to gain free passage on boats and ships |
| Wiper | Handkerchief |
| Wiper drawer | A pickpocket who steals handkerchiefs |
| Wooden ruff | Pillory |
| Wry neck day | Day of execution |
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| Yellow Tin | Gold |
| Yelp | Cry out for the police |
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| Zad | A very crooked person |
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TreasureReturn to top
| Berry Wine | Sapphire |
| Bits | Money |
| Booze | Jewel |
| Bronze | Bronze |
| Chunk o' Brandy | Ruby |
| Chunk o' Gin | Diamond |
| Fancy Booze | Jewelry |
| Finger Joint | Ring |
| Green Beer | Emerald |
| Lobe Latches | Earrings |
| Milk | Pearl |
| Noose | Necklace |
| Rust | Copper |
| Shiny Tin | Platinum |
| Stuffing | Loot |
| Tin | Silver |
| Yellow Tin | Gold |
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TimeReturn to top
Time is measured in hours after sunset or sunrise. After sunset is "clean," after sunrise is "dirty." One hour is called a finger. "Fingers" can be divided into three 20 minute periods called "knuckles."
| "Almost clean" | Near Sunset |
| "First dirty knuckle on the eighth finger" | 2:20 pm |
| "Gettin' dirty" | Near Sunrise |
| "Nine clean fingers" | 3:00 am |
| "Second clean knuckle on the tenth finger" | 4:45 am |
| "Seventh dirty finger" | 1:19 pm |
| "Six dirty fingers" | Noon |
| "Thumbs" | Midnight |
If a thief suspects that he can be overheard, hand gestures may be used. In this case, the back of the hand is "dirty" and the palm is "clean." There are hundreds of variations in this scheme. Thieves planning a crime will agree beforehand on which to use.
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Size / WeightReturn to top
| Fat lady | Heavy |
| Short man | Small |
| Tall man | Big |
| Thin woman | Light |
Specific lengths and weights are given in the normal measurements.
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Example ConversationReturn to top
Thief #1: "Knock-knock, Blackhand an I were flag wavin' bout visiting Papa Porker's crib at seven clean fingers. We're lookin' fer a third gentleman for a pair o' eyes. Interested?"
Thief #2: "What style of stuffing ya wanna to borrow ? Who's your uncle?"
Thief #1: "Uncle's out of town. We're gonna pick bits.
Thief #2: "That's fat lady work. Sounds too boring. I'm not interested."
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Thief #1: "Hello, Blackhand and I were planing on burglarizing the Captain of the Guard's house tonight at 1:00 am. We need a third theif to act as lookout. Are you intrested?"
Thief #2: "What kind of loot are you going to steal? Who's your fence?
Thief #1: "We won't need a fence. We are going for money only."
Thief #2: "That's going to be heavy work. Sounds too risky. I'm not interested."
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