A Brief Lexicon of the Cant of Theives and other Undesirables

Of all the languages I have had opportunity to study, the language of the Theives, also known as Cant has been the most fascinating, and the most dangerous. This list I have published anonymously for fear of the repercussions that would be sure to follow.

• Alfafl the Second Law of Thieves; an acronym. It advises that thieves should, always look for a free lunch..
• Arch  a captain just under the head of the guild; 10th level thief
• Arch Wench  the captain in charge of trollops and beggars
• Aunt's Place (aunt may be substituted for any female relative) a location with too many open or interested ears.
• Badger a thief who operates as a Highwayman, waylaying pilgrims, travelers and caravans.
• Bawler any priest or curate.
• Beak a judge, magistrate or other civil authority
• Bent to get caught by the guild, as opposed to the law
• Bleat to swear in court, to testify, to sign a warrant.
• Bleater a victim of the guild, or else a general complainer within the guild.
• Block about 1 gold bar or 2000 coins worth
• Blood the net take from a job, after expenses and splits -- it can be thick or thin.
• Booth a house/building.
• Bowman a second story thief or wall climber.
• Bricky stupid, frustrating, dead weight
• Bright a haul of mostly silver coins
• Cackle a formal confession of a crime to the civil authority.
• Cat or Cat's Tail a copper coin.
• Call permission, esp. by a higher rank to a lower.
• Cank someone who refuses to confess to civil authority.
• Charm a lock picking tool; to use the same.
• Clay, hidden, put away, in savings, esp. toward retirement or a different life, usu. theoretical
• Cock or Cock Pit a silver coin
• Cooler a woman.
• Cousin a guild member, not necessarily from the same city.
• Clink coins
• Cloak a fence, someone who buys stolen goods or exchanges stolen currency
• Creeping moving under cover of silence or darkness
• Crew a gang of thieves under an uncle.
• Crooked someone who operates as a thief without guild approval.
• Dalofaring the Fifth Law of Thieves, an acronym that means, Doors are left open for a reason; its never good. When something is too easy, it is usually a trap.
• Debbie an under performing thief, a hack or amateur.
• Dinner a scheduled and regular meeting of the guild.
• Dipping taking a cut, legitimately receiving a percentage of someone else's earnings
• Diver a thief who operates as a pickpocket.
• Dog or Dog bone platinum coin
• Eye a second story or higher window
• Fancy platinum
• Fat 60% to 95%
• Finger an assassin; a member of the guild who kills for money.
• Friend an intended victim cf. Old Friend is a former victim.
• Friendly any loot that is easily moved, largely liquid, cash esp. gold pieces
• Goose or Goose Egg a gold coin
• Grand Dame the Arch Wench; the Arch Madame, the head of the Madames.
• Gropers beggars; vagrants.
• Hack any person who makes their living by fighting or soldiering.
• Hand the Head of the Assassins. A feared and respected enforcer and killer for hire. He is usually not known to the guild and could be anyone they see... literally.
• Heater a man.
• Heaving Living; drawing breath; or just barely making a living.
• Heavy loot that is difficult to move or awkward to carry or needs to be fenced
• Hen a madame; a lieutenant of the Grand Dame.
• Hit 10 coins
• Honorable Gentleman. the chief beggar of the town.
• Hue Whip; flog; get punished by the civil authorities.
• Hug close quarters stabbing
• Jenny any thieves tool, but not a lock pick.
• Kin thieves who are not members of the same gang, but under the same Prince.
• Lad any guilded thief.
• Large 100 coins
• Lung a child, esp. an infant or toddler who screams.
• Lurched getting beat at a game; being swindled; being forced to pay exhorbitantly.
• Mill a spell or incantation.
• Miller a Wizard or spell user.
• Mouth a door or portal.
• Napper a cheater among thieves; someone who doesn’t join the guild.
• Napping to cheat; to steal without sanction or license.
• Nose a first story window.
• Old Man an Arch, a captain just under the head of the guild; a thief Lord
• Palm 5 coins
• Pie 100%
• Pullet a woman, esp a prostitute
• Prince the head of the guild; the guildmaster; “he who holds the stone”.
• Red a haul of mostly copper coins
• Riggle to avoid paying as one ought.
• Riggler someone who makes an attempt not to pay the fair tax on a job.
• Roll to go easy on; to make things simple.
• Run to live the life of a thief
• Rutter(kin) Captains of Slayers
• Salt poison
• Sashoshoo the Third Law of Thieves; an acronym. It stands for, shear a sheep often, skin him only once.
• Scalpel actual assassin, not a mere slayer or thug
• Scarecrow a paladin or knight
• Script a plan for a job.
• Sheep people you intend to make money off of, marks, sources of income
• Shiny a haul of mostly gold coins
• Sit or Sit down a formal meeting between guild members.
• Skinning taking an enormous, or out of proportion, cut, illegitimately receiving a percentage of someone else's earnings
• Slap arrest or detain.
• Slapper a law enforcement officer, constable, or reeve.
• Slayer a thug of the guild; muscle; fighters in guild’s employ.
• Slice a share of treasure
• Sleepy lack of knowledge, someone among theives who is not in the know; a "civilian".
• Stone a magical item that allegedly allows Princes to ferret out the truth of underlings.
• Stomach the gross take from a job, the whole contents of one's wallet.
• Strong Back a description of someone who continually shows a profit. 
• Tax the amount a guild member owes the guild on a score.
• Tall 1000 coins
• Tears acid
• Thin 5% or less
• Thick 10% to 45%
• Ticket the initiation fee to join the guild; the initial investment on a job in tools, bribes, etc.
• Tinhat the First Law of Thieves; an acronym. It means that, there is no honor among theives and all thieves know it well.
• Teeth a dog or pet.
• Tender a new member of the guild; a probationer.
• Tobdiz the Fourth Law of Thieves; an acronym. It means that, the only bad dip is zero. It is a way of cautioning against being afraid to take chances. Any amount of profit is still profit.
• Torch watchman, lampl lighter or crier.
• Twisted hung from the neck.
• Uncle a Master Thief, the NCOs of the guild, each heads a crew.
• Vomit any job that a thief breaks even on.
• Weak Back someone who rarely shows a profit, usu. means someone who won't work
• Wet involved, committed to action or accomplice to crime
• Whisker any Ranger or bard; anyone with Rogue Skills (thieving abilities) that isn’t a thief; also someone who pretends to be nobler than they are.
• Wide 50% to 55%
• Wink sell out, especially to the law, turncoat, someone who confesses