UNBETTY, to unlock.SeeBetty.
UNDUB, to unlock, unfasten,&c.SeeDub up.
UNPALLED, a thief whose associates are all apprehended, or taken from him by other means, is said to beunpalled, and he is then obliged towork single-handed.
UNSLOUR, to unlock, unfasten, or unbutton.SeeSlour. Speaking of a person whose coat is buttoned, so as to obstruct the access to his pockets, theknuckswill say to each other,the coveisslour’d up, we mustunslour himto get at hiskickseys.
UNTHIMBLE, tounthimblea man, is to rob, or otherwise deprive him of his watch.
UNTHIMBLED, having been divested of one’s watch.
UP IN THE STIRRUPS, a man who isin swell street.that is, having plenty of money, is said to beup in the stirrups.
UPON THE CROSS.SeeCross.
UPON THE SQUARE.SeeSquare.
UPON THE SUIT,&c.SeeSuit.
UPPER-BEN, UPPER-BENJAMIN, UPPER-TOG, a great-coat.
VARDO, a waggon.
VARDO-GILL, a waggoner.
WACK, to share or divide any thing equally, aswack the blunt, divide the money,&c.
WACK, a share or equal proportion, as give me mywack, that is, my due part.
WALKER, an ironical expression, synonymous withbender, and used in the same manner.
WALKING-DISTILLER.SeeCarry the Keg.
WANTED, when any of thetrapsor runners have a private information against afamily person, and are using means to apprehend the party, they say, such a one iswanted; and it becomes the latter, on receiving such intimation to keepout of the way, until thestinkis over, or until he or she can find means tostash the businessthrough the medium ofMr. Palmer, or by some other means.
WATER-SNEAK, robbing ships or vessels on a navigable river, or canal, by getting on board unperceived, generally in the night.The water-sneak, is lately made a capital offence.
WEAR IT, towear it upona person, (meaning towear a nose, ora conk,) is synonymous withnosing,conking,splitting, orcoming it, and is merely one of those fanciful variations so much admired byflash people.
WEAR THE BANDS.SeeBands.
WEDGE, silver; as awedge-feeder, a silver-spoon,&c.; but silver coin, as well as silver plate, are both comprehended under the name ofwedge.SeeRidge, andSpeak to.
WEED, tobacco.
WEED, to pilfer or purloin a small portion from a large quantity of anything; often done by young or timid depredators, in the hope of escaping detection, as, an apprentice or shopman willweedhis master’slob, that is, take small sums out of the till when opportunity offers, which sort of peculation may be carried on with impunity for a length of time; but experienced thieves sometimes think it goodjudgmenttoweeda place, in order that it may begoodagain, perhaps for a considerable length of time, as in the instance of a warehouse, or other depôt for goods, to which they may possess the means of access by means of a false key; in this case, by taking too greata swag, at first, the proprietors would discover the deficiency, and take measures to prevent future depredation. Toweed the swagis to embezzle part of the booty, unknown to yourpalls, before a division takes place, a temptation against which very few ofthe familyare proof, if they can find an opportunity. Aflash-cove, on discovering a deficiency in his purse or property, which he cannot account for, will declare that he, (or it, naming the article,) has beenwedded to the ruffian.
WEEDING DUES, speaking of any person, place, or property, that has beenweeded, it is saidweeding dueshave been concerned.SeeDues.
WEIGH FORTY, term used by the police, who are as well versed inflashas the thieves themselves. It is often customary with thetraps, to wink at depredations of a petty nature, and for which no reward would attach, and to let a thiefreignunmolested till he commits a capital crime. They thengrabhim, and, on conviction, share (in many cases) a reward of 40l., or upwards; therefore these gentry will say, Let him alone at present, we don’twanthim till heweighs his weight, meaning, of course, forty pounds.
WELL, towellyour accomplice, orput him in the well, is explained under the wordGarden, whichsee.
WHIDDLE, to speak of, or mention any thing, as, Don’t youwhiddleabout so and so, that is, don’t mention it.
WHIDDLER, a talkative or tell-tale person, who is not fit to be trusted with a secret.
WHIDS, words.SeeCrack a Whid.
WHISTLERS.SeeBrowns and Whistlers.
WIN, or WINCHESTER, a penny.
WIND, a man transported for his natural life, is said to belag’d for his wind, or to haveknap’d a winder, ora bellowser, according to the humour of the speaker.
WOOLLY-BIRDS, sheep.
WORK. Towork uponany particulargame, is to practise generally, that species of fraud or depredation, as, Heworks upon the crack, he follows house-breaking,&c.An offender having been detected in the very fact,particularly in cases of coining, colouring base-metal,&c., is emphatically said to have beengrab’d at work, meaning to imply, that the proof against him being so plain, he has no ground of defence to set up.
WRINKLE, to lie, or utter a falsehood.
WRINKLE, an untruth.
WRINKLER, a person prone to lying; such a character is called alsoa gully, which is probably an abbreviation of Gulliver, and from hence, togullysignifies to lie, or deal in the marvellous.
YACK, a watch (obsolete.)
YARN,yarningorspinning a yarn, is a favourite amusement amongflash-people; signifying to relate their various adventures, exploits, and escapes to each other. This is most common and gratifying, among persons in confinement or exile, to enliven a dull hour, and probably excite a secret hope of one day enjoying a repetition of their former pleasures.SeeBoned. A person expert at telling these stories, is said tospin a fine yarn. A man using a great deal of rhetoric, and exerting all his art to talk another person out of any thing he is intent upon, the latter will answer, Aye, Aye, you canspin a good yarn, but it won’t do; meaning, all your eloquence will not have the desired effect.
YELLOW, jealous; a jealous husband is called ayellow gloak.
YOKUFF, a chest, or large box.
YORK. To stare or look at any person in an impertinentmanner, is termedyorking; toyorkany thing, in a common sense, is to view, look at, or examine it.
YORK, a look, or observation; aflash-coveobserving another person (a flat) who appears to notice or scrutinize him, his proceedings, or the company he is with, will say to hispalls, Thatcoveisyorking as strong as a horse, or, There isYork-street concerned.
YOUKELL, a countryman, or clown.
YOURNABS, yourself; an emphatical term used in speaking to another person.
FINIS.
Printed by W. CLOWES, Northumberland-court, Strand.
FOOTNOTES[52]The Author (a prisoner under sentence of transportation for life) having, by an alleged act of impropriety, incurred the Governor’s displeasure, was at this period banished to Newcastle, a place of punishment for offenders: these sheets were there compiled during his solitary hours of cessation from hard labour; and the Commandant was accordingly presented by the Author with the first copy of his production.
FOOTNOTES
[52]The Author (a prisoner under sentence of transportation for life) having, by an alleged act of impropriety, incurred the Governor’s displeasure, was at this period banished to Newcastle, a place of punishment for offenders: these sheets were there compiled during his solitary hours of cessation from hard labour; and the Commandant was accordingly presented by the Author with the first copy of his production.
[52]The Author (a prisoner under sentence of transportation for life) having, by an alleged act of impropriety, incurred the Governor’s displeasure, was at this period banished to Newcastle, a place of punishment for offenders: these sheets were there compiled during his solitary hours of cessation from hard labour; and the Commandant was accordingly presented by the Author with the first copy of his production.