bess or bets(e)y or betty
– a simple picklock; a crooked nail used to open locks.
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.
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