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Category Archives: Dictionary

The American Malefactor’s Dictionary: billy noodle

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

billy noodle – 1. “a soft fellow that believes the girls are all in love with him”; 2. a ladykiller; 3. a conceited ass. 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: […]

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The American Malefactor’s Dictionary: billy

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

billy – “A piece of whalebone or rawhide about fourteen inches long, with an oval-shaped lump of lead at each end, one larger than the other, the whole being covered with backskin or india-rubber.” Sources Matsell, George W. Vocabulum: Or, the Rogue’s Lexicon.. New York: George W. Matsell, 1859. Note: See “Cant: The Language of […]

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The American Malefactor’s Dictionary: bilboa

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

bilboa – a pointed instrument. From Bilbao, a city in Spain known for making excellent swords and blades. Image via Wikipedia 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 […]

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The American Malefactor’s Dictionary: bet on time and betting his eyes

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Image by mhall209 via Flickr bet on time – being allowed to pay a gambling debt at a later time, after one has lost all of his or her money. betting his eyes – a “sucker” who watches a game of chance but does not bet. Sources Farmer, John S. and W. E. Henley. A […]

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The American Malefactor’s Dictionary: bess or bets(e)y or betty

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

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 […]

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