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1603Sir Walter Raleigh's notes
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1604First English dictionary
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1605Letter about Guy Fawkes
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1605Gunpowder Plot conspirators
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1605The head of Guy Fawkes
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1608Shakespeare's King Lear
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1610The Globe Theatre
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1611King James Bible
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1617Surgeons' tools
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1623Chinese globe
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1623Shakespeare's First Folio
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1636Lotus Sutra
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1640Witch hunting
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1643English Civil War scenes
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1649Execution of Charles I
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1649Agreement of the People
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1649Charles I's executioner
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1650Early A - Z of London
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1650Advert for a quack doctor
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1660Oliver Cromwell as the Devil
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1665A cure for the Plague
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1665Robert Hooke, Micrographia
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1666Great Fire of London map
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1666Great Fire of London
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1666Wren's plans after the fire
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1669Theatrical figures
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1674Dictionary of criminal slang
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1674Games and pastimes
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1679Habeas Corpus Act
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1679Map of the moon
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1684A London Rhinoceros
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1685Henry Purcell
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1690Locke's Two Treatises
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1693East India Company
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1693Account of a shipwreck
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1698Map of South America
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Intro
The word 'cant' refers to the secret language spoken by professional thieves and beggars. The Canting Academy, or Devils Cabinet Opened, by Richard Head, was first published in 1673. It records the customs, phrases and songs of urban villains and scoundrels, including an early dictionary of criminal slang. The baffling language of the criminal underworld helped pickpockets and cutpurses to communicate with each other in secret. The Canting Academy followed a tradition of books designed to warn the innocent city dweller against rogues, vagabonds, and pickpockets.
Here you see the title page, and a page defining a range of words, including Prig-napper (a horse thief), Peeper (a looking glass), or smudge ('one that lies underneath a Bed, to watch an opportunity to rob the house'). A number of the words are still familiar today, such as swag and shoplift.
Shelfmark: 1551/63
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Transcript
Dictionary of criminal slang
The Canting Academy - Prig-nappers
Peak Any Lace
Pike To Run
As Pike on the been; Run for it as fast as you can.
Peery Fearful
Peeter A portmantle
Pad The High-way
Plant your Be careful what you say or speak.
whids and stow them
Prig-napper A Horse-stealer
Peeper A Looking-glass
As track the Dancers, and pikes with the Peeper:
Go up the Stairs, and trip off with the Looking-glass.
Peeping Drowsie, or sleepy.
QQQ
Quarron A Body
Quacking-cheat A Duck
Queer Base, or Roguish
Queer-Ken A Prison
Queer-Mort A pockie Baggage
Queer-Cove A Rogue
RRR.
Rum-gutlers Canary Wine
As Rum-hopper, tip us presently a Bounsing cheat of Rum gutlers; Drawer fill us presently a bottle of best Canary.
Rum-dropper A Vintner
Ratling-Cove A Coachman
Rum-glimmar King of the Link-boys
Rumboyle A Ward or Watch
Rum Gallant
Rum-vile London
Ruffin The Devil
As the Ruffin nap the Cuffin-quer, and let the Harmanbeck trine with his Kinchins about his Colquarron; That is, let the Devil take the Justice, and let the Constable hang with his Children about his neck.
Rum boozing Welts A Bunch of Grapes
Roger A Cloak-bag
Ridgcully A Goldsmith
Ruffler A notorious Rogue
Ruff-peck Bacon
Redshank A Mallard
Rum-pad The Highway
Rum-padders The better sort of Highway men.
Rum-cully A rich Coxcomb
Ratling mumpers Such who only beg at Coaches
Romboyl’d Sought after with a Warrant
Rum-hopper A Drawer
SSS.
Squeeker A Bor-boy
Smacking-Cove A Coach-man
Scout A Watch
Swag A Shop
Smudge One that lies underneath a Bed, to watch an opportunity to rob the house
Shop-lift One that filcheth Commodities out of a Shop, under the pretence of cheapning or bying them of the Shop-keeper.
Stampers Shoos
Stamps Leggs
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