The
Slang Dictionary Etymological, Historical and Andecdotal by John Camden Hotten
1913
Birk - a “crib,”—a house.
Cool - to look.
Cool him - look at him. A phrase frequently used when one
costermonger warns another of the approach of a policeman, or when any person
worthy of notice passes by. When any old lady has been bargaining with a
costermonger, and leaves his barrow without purchasing, the proprietor of the
barrow will call out to the rest, “COOL the delo nammow,” which, though it
means literally nothing beyond “Look at the old woman,” conveys to them an
intimation that she is, from their point of view, a nuisance, and should be
treated as such.
Dab - bad.
Dab tros - a bad sort.
Dabheno - a bad one, sometimes a bad market. See DOOGHENO.
Da-erb - bread.
Deb or DAB - a bed; “I’m off to the DEB,” I’m going to bed.
Delo nammow - an old woman.
Delog - gold.
Doog - good.
Doogheno - literally “good-one,” but implying generally a
good market, a good man, &c.
Doogheno hit - one good hit. A coster remarks to a mate,
“Jack made a DOOGHENO HIT this morning,” implying that he did well at market,
or sold out with good profit. Actually a good hit only is intended, but
redundancy has its charms in the back slang as well as in more pretentious
literary efforts.
Dunop - a pound.
Edgabac - cabbage.
Edgenaro - an orange.
E-fink - a knife.
Ekame - a “make,” or swindle.
Ekom - a “moke,” or donkey.
Elrig - a girl.
Emag, game - “I know your little EMAG.”
Enif - fine.
Enin gen, nine shillings.
Enin yanneps - ninepence.
Eno - one.
Erif - fire.
Erth - three.
Erth gen - three shillings.
Erth-pu - three-up, a street game, played with three
halfpence.
Erth sith-noms - three months,—a term of imprisonment
unfortunately very familiar to the lower orders. Generally known as a “drag.”
Erth yanneps - threepence.
Esclop - police, now used to signify a constable only.
Esclop is pronounced “slop” simply, but the c was never sounded. A policeman is
now and then called, by some purist or stickler for etiquette, an “esclopnam.”
Es-roch - a horse.
Esuch - a house.
Evif-gen - a crown, or five shillings.
Evif-yanneps - fivepence.
Evlenet-gen - twelve shillings.
Evlenet sith-noms - twelve months. Generally known as a
“stretch.”
Exis-evif-gen - six times five shillings, i.e., 30s. All
moneys may be reckoned in this manner, either with YANNEPS or GENS. It is, however,
rarely or never done.
Exis-evif-yanneps - elevenpence,—literally, “sixpence and
fivepence = elevenpence.” This mode of reckoning, distinct from the preceding,
is only made by special arrangement amongst slangites, who wish to confound
their intimates.
Exis gen - six shillings.
Exis sith-noms - six months.
Exis yanneps - sixpence.
Fi-heath - a thief.
Flatch - half, or a halfpenny.
Flatch kennurd - half drunk.
Flatch-yenork - half-a-crown. See preceding remarks.
Flatchyannep - a halfpenny.
Gen - twelvepence, or one shilling. Formerly imagined to be
an abbreviation of argent, cant term for silver.
Generalize - a shilling, almost invariably shortened to
GEN.
Genitraf - a farthing.
Gen-net - or NET GEN, ten shillings.
Genol - long.
Hel-bat - a table. } The aspirate is matter of taste.
Helpa - an apple.
Kanitseeno - a stinking one. Kanits is a stink.
Kennurd - drunk.
Kew (or more properly KEEU) - a week.
Kews - SKEW, or SKEEU, weeks.
Kirb - a brick.
Kool - to look.
Lawt - tall.
Ler-ac-am - mackerel.
Mottob - bottom.
Mur - rum. A “nettock o’ MUR” is a quartern of rum.
Nair - rain.
Nam - a man.
Nam esclop - a policeman. See ESCLOP.
Nammow - a woman; DELO NAMMOW, an old woman.
Neel - lean.
Neergs - greens.
Net enin gen - nineteen shillings.
Net evif gen - fifteen shillings.
Net exis gen - sixteen shillings.
Net gen - ten shillings, or half a sovereign.
Net nevis gen - seventeen shillings.
Net rith gen - thirteen shillings.
Net roaf gen - fourteen shillings. It will be seen by the
foregoing that the reckoning is more by tens than by “teens.” This is, however,
matter of choice, and any one wishing to be considered accomplished in this
description of slang, must do as he thinks best—must lead and not be led.
Net theg gen - eighteen shillings.
Net yanneps - tenpence.
Nevele gen - eleven shillings.
Nevele yanneps - elevenpence.
Nevis gen - seven shillings.
Nevis stretch - seven years’ penal servitude.
Nevis yanneps - sevenpence.
Nig - gin.
Noom - the moon.
Nos-rap - a parson.
Occabot - tobacco; “tib fo OCCABOT,” bit of tobacco.
Ogging ot tekram - going to market.
On - no.
On doog - no good.
Owt gen - two shillings. } Owt is pronounced OAT.
Owt yanneps - twopence.
Pac - a cap.
Pinnurt pots - turnip tops.
Pot - top.
Reeb - beer. “Top o’ REEB,” a pot of beer.
Rev-lis - silver.
Rof-efil - for life—sentence of punishment.
Roaf-gen - four shillings.
Roaf-yanneps - fourpence.
Rutat - or RATTAT, a “tatur,” or potato.
See-otches - shoes.
Sey - yes. Pronounced SEE.
Shif - fish.
Sirretch - cherries. Very often SIRRETCHES.
Sith-nom - a month. This is because the slang was made from
months, not month. Perhaps because the latter was not easy; perhaps because
terms of imprisonment run longer than a month, and are often enumerated in the
“kacab genals.” However it may be, “months” in this mode of speaking has a
double plural as it stands now.
Slaoc - coals.
Slop - a policeman. See ESCLOP.
Sneerg - greens.
Spinsrap - parsnips. All
these will take the s, which is now initial, after them, if desired, and, as
may be seen, some take it doubly.
Sret-sio - oysters.
Sres-wort - trousers.
Starps - sprats.
Stoobs - boots.
Storrac - carrots.
Stun - nuts.
Stunlaw - walnuts.
Tach - a hat.
Taf - fat. A TAF ENO is a fat man or woman, literally A FAT
ONE.
Taoc - a coat. “Cool the DELO TAOC” means, “Look at the old
coat,” but is really intended to apply to the wearer as well, as professors of
mixed slangs might say, “Vardy his nibs in the snide bucket.”
Taoc-tisaw - a waistcoat.
Teaich-gir - right, otherwise TADGER.
Tenip - a pint.
Theg (or TEAICH) gen - eight shillings.
Theg (or TEAITCH) yanneps - eightpence.
Tib - a bit, or piece.
Tol - lot, stock, or share.
Top-yob - a potboy.
Torrac - a carrot. “Ekat a TORRAC.”
Trork - a quart.
Trosseno, literally - “one sort,” but professional
slangists use it to imply anything that is bad. Tross, among costermongers,
means anything[357] bad. It is probably a corruption of trash. Possibly,
however, the constant use of the words “dab-tros” may have led them in their
unthinking way to imagine that the latter word will do by itself.
Wedge - a Jew. This may look strange, but it is exact back
slang.
Wor-rab - a barrow.
Yad - a day; YADS, days.
Yadnarb - brandy.
Yannep - a penny.
Yannep a time - a penny each. Costermongers say “a time”
for many things. They say a “bob a time,” meaning a shilling each for admission
to a theatre, or any other place, or that certain articles are charged a
shilling each. The context is the only clue to the exact meaning.
Yannep-flatch - three halfpence,—all the halfpence and
pennies continue in the same sequence, as for instance, OWT-YANNEP-FLATCH,
twopence-halfpenny.
Yap pu - pay up.
Yeknod, or JERK-NOD - a donkey.
Yenork - a crown.
Yob - a boy.
Zeb - best.
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