The Underworld

Here we're really talking about professional criminals of all sorts, especially those who were carefully organized in one fashion or another.

People

• JamesMoriarty^? -- fiction: the man whom SherlockHolmes called "The Napoleon of Crime"
• AdamWorth^? -- a very real Napoleon of Crime, described as such in Ben Macintyre's book of the same title (New York: Delta/Dell, 1997)

Types

THE SIXTY ORDERS OF PRIME COVES.

• from Anon., “A Flash Dictionary,” Sinks of London Laid Open (J. Duncombe, 1848); at The Victorian Dictionary, which has the full text of the book. It’s not at all clear to me what if any reason informs the list order. Definitions for most if not all of these types may be found at the SlangDictionary. Note that shoplifters appear (#17 and #40), suggesting that this list may not be terribly carefully thought-out.

1. Rum-bubbers
2. Coves
3. Groaners
4. Duffers
5. Out and-outers
6. Coiners
7. Macers
8. Swigsmen
9. Bully rocks
10. Lully priggers
11. Ginglers
12. Ken coves
13. Bully huffs
14. Starrers
15. Strollers
16. Mounters
17. Shop-lifters
18. Swaddlers
19. Sweeteners
20. Clapper dogens
21. Cloak twitchers
22. Upright men
23. Dubs men
24. Forkers
25. Bullies
26. Autem men
27. Beau nappers
28. Badgers
29. Cadgers
30. Beau traps
31. Twirlers
32. Gammoners
33. Groaners
34. Fencers
35. Spicers
36. High topers
37. Footpads [the text puts a line-skip here, for unclear reasons]
38. Gamblers
39. Swindlers
40. Shoplifters
41. Sturdy beggars
42. Pad priggers
43. Money lenders
44. Ken crackers
45. Queer culls
46. Rushers
47. Fawney coves
48. Divers
49. Adam iglers
50. Knackers
51. Millers
52. Smashers
53. Filers
54. Gypsies
55. Buffers
56. Priggers
57. Rum padders
58. Gaggers
59. Dragsmen
60. Bloods

Crimes

References

See also ThievesCant

-- ChrisLehrich^? - 30 Dec 2004

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