Lark.—A frolic, joke, spree. Cut your larks, leave off larking.
Lawful Blanket.—A wife.—’Till I have no wife, I’ll have nothing else.
Lay.—A scheme or trick. Shabby genteel lay, a scheme of beggars to excite compassion by dressing as decayed tradesmen.
Leading strings.—The restraint of friends.
Leery.—To look sharp and knowing—from the rolling of the eye.
Leg Bail.—Running away.—Your legs did better service than your hands.
Legs.—Men who live by cheating. Blacklegs, gamblers, &c.
Levanters.—Persons who run away to avoid paying their debts of honour.
Lifter.—A thief.—Is he so young a man, and so old a lifter?—Shakespeare.
Lighthouse.—The watch-house.