ackruffs
– River thieves; river-pirates (obsolete by 1900).
The word is an American variant of Ark Ruffians, who rob and murder on fresh water. One of their schemes is to pick an argument with a passenger on board the vessel and use the occasion to strip the passenger, throw him or her overboard, and then plunder his or her belongings. They are considered a species of badger in the old cant sense of the word, i.e., a robber who worked near a river and would throw the bodies of his murdered victims into the water. Ark is cant for a ship, boat, or vessel and probably derives from Noah’s ark.
Sources:
- Barrère, Albert and Charles G. Leland. A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon, and Cant. [London]: The Ballantyne Press, 1889.
- 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.
Thank you for visiting Early American Crime! Don't forget to check out Early American Crime Publishing or visit the Early American Crime Bookshop.
Post a Comment