Verdousier, m. (thieves’), apple-tree; garden; fruiterer.
Verdousière, f. (thieves’), fruiterer’s wife.
Verds, m. pl. (thieves’), formerly name given to the Paris police.
Oh! c’est que nous avons eu la moresque (la peur) d’une fière force: je sais bien que quand je m’ai senti les verds au dos le treffe (cœur) me faisait trente et un.—Mémoires de Vidocq.
Véreux, m. (thieves’), ticket-of-leave man.
Vergne, f. (thieves’), town. La grande ——, Paris. Une —— de miséricorde, literally une ville de misère et corde, a town where thieves have little chance of success. Michel says vergne is literally winter quarters, from the Italian verno, winter. More probably, however, it comes from vergne, alder plantation. Every small town has a square planted out with trees, used as a promenade, or for the holding of fairs, &c., a meeting-place for pedlars (who have contributed so many expressions to the jargon). Thus aller à la vergne possibly signified to go to the public square, and, by an association of ideas, to go to the town. It is to be noted, on the other hand, that the Latin verna, vernaculus, respectively mean slave born in the house of his master, native; so that the word vergne would be a native house, collection of native houses—hence town.
Vermeil, m. (thieves’), blood, “claret.”
Vermicelles, m. pl. (popular), hair, “thatch.”
Le Pierrot birbe, avec ses vermicelles autour du gniasse! oh! esbloquant, ça!—Richepin.