Ce mot ... vient de la ligne, dite de vie, que les bohémiens consultaient sur la main de ceux auxquels ils disaient la bonne aventure.—Michel.
Lignard, m. (familiar and popular), foot-soldier of the line; journalist; (printers’) compositor who has to deal only with the body part of a composition; (artists’) artist who devotes his attention more to the perfection of the outline than to that of colour; (popular) rodfisher.
[Ligne], f. (artists’), avoir la ——, to have a fine profile. (Literary) Pêcher à la ——, or tirer à la ——, is said of a journalist who seeks to make an article as lengthy as possible. (Popular) Pêcher à la —— d’argent is said of an angler who catches fish by means of a money bait, at the fishmonger’s. (Printers’) Ligne à voleur, line containing only a syllable, or a very short word, which might have been composed into the preceding line.
Les lignes à voleur sont faciles à reconnaître, et elles n’échappent guère à l’œil d’un correcteur exercé, qui les casse d’ordinaire impitoyablement.—Boutmy.
Ligore, f. (thieves’), assize court.
Ligorniau, m. (popular), hodman.
Ligot. See [Ligotante].
Ligotage, m. (police), binding a prisoner’s hands by means of a rope or strap.
[Ligotante], or ligotte, f. (thieves’), rope, or strap; bonds; —— de rifle, or riflarde, strait waistcoat.
Ligoter (police and thieves’), to bind a prisoner’s hands by means of ropes or straps.