Wednesday, February 9, 2011
blunt
– money.
blunted
– in possession of money.
blunted crib
– a house with money in it.
blunt ken
– a bank or broker’s office.
Sources
- Barnes, Daniel R. “An Early American Collection of Rogues’ Cant.†The Journal of American Folklore 79 no. 314 (Oct.-Dec., 1966), 600-607.
- Barrère, Albert and Charles G. Leland. A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon, and Cant. [London]: The Ballantyne Press, 1889.
- Grose, Francis and Egan Pierce. Grose’s Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Revised and Corrected. London: Printed for Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, 1823.
- London Antiquary, A [Hotten, John Camden]. A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words. 2nd ed. London: John Camden Hotten, 1860.
- Matsell, George W. Vocabulum: Or, the Rogue’s Lexicon.
. New York: George W. Matsell, 1859.
- Partridge, Eric. A Dictionary of the Underworld. New York: Bonanza Books, 1961.
Note: See “Cant: The Language of the Underworld” to learn more about the background of the American Malefactor’s Dictionary.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
bludgeoner
– a bully, pimp, ponce.
“A fellow who passes off some well-dressed woman as his wife. She goes out in search of a gallant, and entices her victim into some unfrequented place. The bludgeoner waits outside until she gives him a signal that the man is robbed, when he rushes in with a knife, pistol, or club, and accuses the man with having seduced his wife. The poor fool gets away as fast as possible, and does not know that he is robbed†(Matsell).
Sources
- Farmer, John S. and W. E. Henley. A Dictionary of Slang and Colloquial English. Abridged from Slang and Its Analogues. London: George Routledge and Sons, 1912.
- Matsell, George W. Vocabulum: Or, the Rogue’s Lexicon.. New York: George W. Matsell, 1859.
Note: See “Cant: The Language of the Underworld” to learn more about the background of the American Malefactor’s Dictionary.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
blowen
– 1. a woman; 2. a thief’s mistress; 3. a prostitute; 4. a strange woman.
blowen, a fine
– lady.
blowen of the ken
– mistress of the house.
blowen spenie or blowen mush
– a thief’s girl.
blowen, to do him of his
– to rob him of his wife.
Sources
- Barnes, Daniel R. “An Early American Collection of Rogues’ Cant.†The Journal of American Folklore 79 no. 314 (Oct.-Dec., 1966), 600-607.
- Barrère, Albert and Charles G. Leland. A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon, and Cant. [London]: The Ballantyne Press, 1889.
- London Antiquary, A [Hotten, John Camden]. A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words. 2nd ed. London: John Camden Hotten, 1860.
- Matsell, George W. Vocabulum: Or, the Rogue’s Lexicon.. New York: George W. Matsell, 1859.
- Mount, Thomas. “The Confession, &c. of Thomas Mount†[1791]. Williams, Daniel. Pillars of Salt: An Anthology of Early American Criminal Narratives. Madison, WI: Madison House, 1993.
- Partridge, Eric. A Dictionary of the Underworld. New York: Bonanza Books, 1961.
- Tufts, Henry. Narrative of the Life, Adventures, Travels, and Sufferings of Henry Tufts. Dover, NH: Samuel Bragg, 1807.
Note: See “Cant: The Language of the Underworld” to learn more about the background of the American Malefactor’s Dictionary.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
blow a cloud
– smoke a cigar or pipe.
Sources
- Farmer, John S. and W. E. Henley. A Dictionary of Slang and Colloquial English. Abridged from Slang and Its Analogues. London: George Routledge and Sons, 1912.
- Grose, Francis and Egan Pierce. Grose’s Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. Revised and Corrected. London: Printed for Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, 1823.
- London Antiquary, A [Hotten, John Camden]. A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words. 2nd ed. London: John Camden Hotten, 1860.
- Matsell, George W. Vocabulum: Or, the Rogue’s Lexicon.. New York: George W. Matsell, 1859.
- Partridge, Eric. A Dictionary of the Underworld. New York: Bonanza Books, 1961.
Note: See “Cant: The Language of the Underworld” to learn more about the background of the American Malefactor’s Dictionary.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Sunday Cockfighting New Orleans - 1871
blackleg
– 1. a gambler; 2. someone who bets without intending to pay his losses; 3. a swindler, a criminal.
The term derives from criminals and swindlers who had black bruises on their legs from sitting in the stocks or from wearing fetters. Another possible origin comes from the black color on the legs of gamecocks, since gamblers and swindlers frequently attended cockfights.
Sources
- Barrère, Albert and Charles G. Leland. A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon, and Cant. [London]: The Ballantyne Press, 1889.
- London Antiquary, A [Hotten, John Camden]. A Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words. 2nd ed. London: John Camden Hotten, 1860.
- Matsell, George W. Vocabulum: Or, the Rogue’s Lexicon.. New York: George W. Matsell, 1859.
Note: See “Cant: The Language of the Underworld” to learn more about the background of the American Malefactor’s Dictionary.
