Early American Crime

badger

– 1. someone who robs a man after he has been caught in bed with a woman or in some other compromising position; 2. a panel thief; 3. to torment.

badger-crib or badger’s crib, also badger house

– a room that is fitted to carry out a badger game, usually with a sliding panel or other secret entrance.

badger game or badgering

– a robbery carried out by a couple where the woman entices a stranger into bed, and after picking his pocket she gives a signal whereby the man enters the room claiming to be her husband. The victim usually runs from the room happy to be leaving with his life, his picked pocket being the least of his worries. The same situation can be used to blackmail or rob the victim after the “discovery.”

A panel thief carries out his crime by using a sliding panel or secret entrance to a given room. The room in which he works is called a panel-crib, which is a synonym of badger-crib.

Sources

• 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.