P
PACKET. A false report.
PAD. A street; highway, "To go on the pad," to go on the street.
PAD THE HOOF. Walk the street; to be off.
PADDING KEN. A lodging-house.
PAIR OF WINGS. A pair of oars.
PAL. A companion; the partner of a thief.
PALAVER. Talk; flattery; conference.
PALLIARDS. Female mendicants who beg with a number of children, borrowing from others of the same fraternity if they have not enough of their own, giving an opiate to one to make it sleep, pinching and sticking pins into another to make it cry, and making artificial sores on the arms, hands, and face of a third, all to move the hand of the benevolent from their purses to the outstretched hand of the beggar.
PALLING IN. A connection formed by a male and female thief to steal and sleep together.
PALMER. A thief that adroitly slips jewelry from the top of a show-case into his pocket.
PAM. A knave.
PANEL-CRIB. A place especially and ingeniously fitted up for the robbery of gentlemen who are enticed thereto by women who make it their business to pick up strangers. Panel-cribs are sometimes called badger-cribs, shakedowns, touch-cribs, and are variously fitted for the admission of those who are in the secret, but which defy the scrutiny of the uninitiated. Sometimes the casing of the door is made to swing on well-oiled hinges which are not discoverable in the room, while the door itself appears to be hung in the usual manner, and well secured by bolts and lock. At other times the entrance is effected by means of what appears to be an ordinary wardrobe, the back of which revolves like a turn-style on pivots in the middle above and below. When the victim has undressed himself and got into bed with the woman, the thief enters, and picking the pocket-book out of the pocket, abstracts the money, and supplying its place with a small roll of paper, returns the book to its place. He then withdraws, and coming to the door raps and demands admission, calling the woman by the name of wife. The frightened victim, springing out of bed, dresses himself in a hurry, feels his pocket-book in its proper place, and escapes through another other door, congratulating himself on his happy deliverance. He soon, however, finds out that he has been victimized, and not unfrequently tells the story of his loss and shame to the police; while others, minus their cash, pocket the dear-bought experience.
PANEL-THIEF. One who fits up a place for the purpose of robbing men that are brought to the panel-crib by women who are trained to pick up gentlemen that are on a visit to the city on business or pleasure. They endeavor to select those who are not likely to remain and prosecute the thieves that have robbed and duped them of their money.
PANNAM. Bread.
PANNY. A house. "The cove done the panny," the fellow robbed the house; "the cops frisked my panny and nailed my screws," the officers searched my house and seized my picklocks, or false keys.
PANTER. The heart. "The lead reached the poor cove's panter, and so there was nothing to be done but to give him a ground sweat," the bullet entered the poor fellow's heart, and all that we had then to do was to put him in the grave.
PANZY. A burglar.
PAP LAP. An infant. "He is but a pap lap," he is but a baby.
PAPER-SKULL. A thin-skulled fellow.
PARCHMENT. A ticket of leave. "The cove has his parchment," the man has his ticket of leave.
PARCHMENT COVES. Ticket-of-leave men.
PARELL. To make clear.
PARK RAILING. The teeth.
PARNEY. A ring.
PARSON. A guide-post.
PARTIAL. Putting one's hand into another man's pocket; stealing.
PASH. Price; cost.
PATE. The head.
PATRICO. One who in olden time used to marry persons by placing the man on the right hand side and the woman on the left side of a dead animal. Causing them to join hands, he commanded them to live together till death did them part, and so, shaking hands, the wedding was ended.
PATTER. To talk. "How the Moll lushes her jockey and patters," how the girl drinks her gin and talks.
PATTERED. Tried in a court of justice. "The wire was pattered for drawing a skin from a bloke's poke, who buffed him home, and of course his godfathers named him, and the beak slung him for five stretchers and a moon," the pickpocket was tried for stealing a purse from the man's pocket, who caught him in the act, and of course the jury convicted him, and the judge sentenced him for five years and a month.
PAUM. To conceal in the hand. "To paum pennyweights" to steal rings or any kind of jewelry by working it with the fingers under the palm of the hand, and then up the sleeve or into a pocket. These fellows are called paum-coves.
PAW. The hand or foot. "The fore-paw hand;" "the hind paw foot."
PEACH. To inform; "to turn stag;" to blow the gab; to squeal or squeak.
PEAK. Lace goods.
PEAL. A ball.
PEAR. To draw supplies from both sides; to give the officers information, and then tell the thieves to get out of the way.
PEAR-MAKING. The act of drawing supplies from both sides. See Pear.
PECCAVI. I have sinned; I am wrong; a confession of wrong.
PECK. Food.
PECK AND BOOZE. Food and drink.
PECKISH. Hungry.
PECULIAR. A mistress.
PED. A basket.
PEDDLER'S PONY. A walking-stick.
PEEL. Strip; undress.
PEEPER. A spy-glass; an opera-glass; a looking-glass. "Track up the dancers and pike with the peeper," jump up stairs and run off with the looking-glass.
PEEPERS. Eyes.
PEEPING TOM. A curious, prying fellow, who minds other people's business more than his own.
PEEPY. Drowsy.
PEER. To look cautiously about; to be circumspect; careful.
PEERY. Suspicious. "The bloke's peery," the man suspects something. "There's a peery, 'tis snitch," we are observed, nothing can be done.
PEGTANTRUM. Dead.
PELT. A passion; rage. "What a pelt the cull is in," what a passion the fellow is in.
PENNYWEIGHT. Jewelry; gold and silver trinkets.
PEPPERY. Warm; passionate.
PERSUADERS. Spurs. "The kiddy clapped his persuaders to his prad, but it was no go, the trap boned him," the highwayman spurred his horse hard, but the officer seized him.
PETER. A portmanteau; a travelling-bag; a trunk; an iron chest; a cash-box.
PETER-BITER. A man who steals baggage at hotels, railroad depots, and from the back of coaches.
PHARO. Strong malt liquor.
PHARSE. The eighth part.
PHILISTINES. Police officers; officers of justice.
PHIZ. The face. "A rum phiz," an odd face.
PHYSOG. The face.
PICAROON. A sharper; a rogue.
PICKLE. A smart fellow.
PICKLING. Stealing; petit larceny.
PICKLING-TUBS. Shoes and boots.
PICTURE-FRAME. The gallows.
PIECE. A prostitute.
PIG. A police officer. "Floor the pig and bolt," knock down the officer and run away.
PIG TOGETHER. Sleep together, two or more in a bed.
PIG WIDGEON. A simple fellow.
PIG'S EYES. Small eyes.
PIG'S FOOT. A jimmy cloven at one end like a pig's foot.
PIGEON. A thief that joins in with other thieves to commit a crime, and then informs the officer, who he pigeons for; and for this service the officer is supposed to be occasionally both deaf and blind.
PIKE. To run away; to pike off.
PILCHER. A stealer; generally applied to fellows who steal pocket-handkerchiefs.
PILGARLIC. I; myself. "There was no one with him but Pilgarlic," he was alone.
PIMP. A boarding-house runner; an attaché of a bawdy-house.
PIMPLE. The head.
PIN. To drink one's allotted share.
PIN-BASKET. The youngest child; the baby.
PIN-MONEY. Money received by a married woman for prostituting her person.
PINCH. To steal.
PINCHED. Arrested.
PINCHERS. Sometimes called "Exchangers;" fellows who go into stores or exchange offices with a twenty-dollar gold coin and ask to have it changed for bank bills, and after receiving the bills, suddenly pretend to have changed their minds, and, handing the bills back again, make very profuse apologies for the trouble they have given, etc., etc. The man during the short time that he had the money in his possession, contrived to change bad bills for some of the good ones.
PINK. To stab.
PINKED. Stabbed.
PINKED BETWEEN THE LACINGS. Convicted by reason of perjury. A man encased in steel or iron is only vulnerable at those parts where his corselet is laced; and hence when an honest man is convicted of a false charge by a treacherous advantage of some weak point, he is said to be "pinked between the lacings."
PINNED. Arrested.
PINNIPED. Sideways; crab-fashion.
PINS. Legs.
PIPER. A short-winded person; a broken-winded horse.
PIPING. Following; trailing; dogging; looking after; watching.
PIT. A pocket.
PLAIUL. Go home.
PLANT. To bury; to conceal. Stolen goods are said to be planted when they are concealed. "Plant your wids and stow them," be careful what you say.
PLANTER. One who hides stolen property.
PLANTING. Hiding; concealing.
PLASTIC. A model artist.
PLATE. Money.
PLATE OF MEAT. A street or highway.
PLAYED OUT. Exhausted; expended.
PLAYTHINGS. Burglar's tools.
PLUCK. To pull.
PLUCK THE RIBBON. Pull the bell.
PLUMB. Honest; upright; good.
PLUMBY. It is all right, or as it should be; we have plenty; they have enough.
PLUMP. Rich; plenty of money. "A plump skin," a full purse.
PLYER. A crutch.
POGY. Drunk.
POINT. To pay.
POKE. A pocket; a purse.
POLISHER. One who is in prison. "The cove polishes the people's iron with his eyebrows," the fellow looks out of the grated windows of his prison.
POLL. The head.
POLL HIM. Get hold of the property, and then refuse to pay for it.
POLT. A blow. "Lend the pam a polt in the muns," give the fool a blow in the face.
POMP. The game. "Save the pomp," save the game.
PONCE. A man who is kept by a woman.
PONCESS. A woman that keeps a man by prostitution.
POND. The ocean.
PONEY. Money. "Post the poney," put down the money.
PONGELO. Drink; liquor.
POP. To pawn; to shoot.
POPS. Pistols. "I popped the bloke," I shot the fellow.
POPSHOP. Pawnbroker's shop.
PORK. To inform the coroner of the whereabouts of a corpse.
PORKER. A saddle. Saddles are mostly made of hog's skins.
PORT ST. MARTIN. A valise; a portmanteau.
POSH. Money; smallest piece of money.
POST. Pay; put up.
POST THE COLE. Pay the money.
POT-HUNTER. A poor person who steals food only to prevent himself from starving.
POUCH. A pocket.
POULTERER. A fellow who opens letters, abstracts the money and then drops them back into the post-office box. "The kiddy was pulled for the poultry rig," the boy was arrested for opening letters and robbing them.
PRAD. A horse.
PRAD-BORROWERS. Horse-thieves.
PRAD-LAY. Stealing horses.
PRANCER. A horse.
PRATE ROAST. A talkative fellow.
PRATER. A hen.
PRATING CHEAT. The tongue.
PRATT. Back parts.
PREMONITORY. The penitentiary.
PRIG. A thief.
PRIGGER-NAPPER. A police officer.
PRIGGERS. Thieves in general.
PRIGSTAR. A rival in a love affair.
PRIM. A handsome woman.
PRIME TWIG. First-rate condition.
PROD. A cart or wagon; a coach.
PROG. Food.
PROP. A breast-pin.
PROPS. Dice.
PROSPECTING. Looking for something to steal.
PUFFERS. Peter Funks.
PULL. To arrest. To "pull a purse," is to steal a purse.
PUNCH. A blow struck with the fist. "A punch in the day-light, the victualling-office, or the haltering place," a blow in the eye, the stomach, or under the ear.
PUNK. A bad woman.
PUPPY. Blind.
PUSH. A crowd.
PUT. An ignorant clown.
PUT A FELLOW UP TO HIS ARMPITS. Cheated by his companions of his share of the plunder.
PUT AWAY. Locked up; imprisoned.
PUT TO BED WITH A SHOVEL. Buried in the earth.
PUT UP. Information given to thieves by persons in the employ of parties to be robbed, such as servants, clerks, porters, etc., whereby the thief is facilitated in his operations.
PUT UP JOB. A job is said to be put up if the porter of a store should allow a "fitter" to take an impression of the keys of the door or the safe; or when a clerk sent to the bank to make a deposit, or to draw an amount of money, allows himself to be thrown down and robbed, in order to have his pocket picked.
PUZZLE-COVE. A lawyer.