Nul mieux que lui ne savait prendre un malfaiteur sans l’abîmer, ni lui mettre les poucettes sans douleur ou le ligoter sans effort.—Mémoires de Monsieur Claude.
Ligotte, f. (thieves’), rope; string; strap.
Lillange (thieves’), town of Lille.
Lillois, m. (thieves’), thread.
Limace, f. (popular), low prostitute, or “draggle-tail;” soldier’s wench, or “barrack-hack,” see [Gadoue]; (thieves’) shirt, “flesh-bag, or commission.” From the Romany “lima,” according to Michel.
Limacier, m., limacière, f., (thieves’), shirt-maker. From limace, a shirt.
Limande, f. (popular), man made of poor stuff; one who fawns. From limande, a kind of sole (fish).
Lime, f. (thieves’), for limace, shirt, or “commission” in old English cant; —— sourde, sly, underhand man. The expression is old, and is used by Rabelais:—
Mais, qui pis est, les oultragearent grandement, les appellants trop-diteux, breschedents, plaidants rousseaulx, galliers, chie-en-licts, averlans, limes sourdes.—Gargantua.
Limer (familiar and popular), to talk with difficulty; to do a thing slowly. Literally to file.