University of Virginia Library

previous section Miscellaneous writings of the late Dr. Maginn
next section
36

French Slang Song from Vidocq.

As from ken

Ken—shop, house.

to ken I was going,
Doing a bit on the prigging lay;

Prigging lay—thieving business.


Who should I meet but a jolly blowen,

Blowen—girl, strumpet, sweetheart.


Tol lol, lol lol, tol derol, ay;
Who should I meet but a jolly blowen,
Who was fly

Fly—(contraction of flash) awake, up to, practised in.

to the time o' day.

Time o' day—knowledge of business, thieving, &c.


Who should I meet but a jolly blowen,
Who was fly to the time o' day;
I pattered in flash

Pattered in flash—spoke in slang.

like a covey,

Covey—man.

knowing,
Tol lol, &c.
“Ay, bub or grubby,

Bub, grub—drink, food.

I say.”
I pattered in flash, like a covey, knowing,
“Ay, bub or grubby, I say.”—
37

“Lots of gatter,”

Gatter—porter.

quo she, “are flowing,
Tol lol, &c.
Lend me a lift in the family way.

Family—the thieves in general. The Family Way—the thieving line.


“Lots of gatter,” quo she, “are flowing,
Lend me a list in the family way.
You may have a crib

Crib—bed.

to stow in,
Tol lol, &c.
Welcome, my pal,

Pal—friend, companion, paramour.

as the flowers in May.
“You may have a bed to stow in;
Welcome, my pal, as the flowers in May.”
To her ken at once I go in,
Tol lol, &c.
Where in a corner out of the way.
To her ken at once I go in,
Where in a corner out of the way,
With his smeller,

Smeller—nose. Trumpet blowing here is not slang, but poetry for snoring.

a trumpet blowing,
Tol lol, &c.
A regular swell-cove

Swell cove—gentleman, dandy.

lushy

Lushy—drunk.

lay.
With his smeller a trumpet blowing,
A regular swell-cove lushy lay:
38

To his clies

Clies—pockets.

my hooks

Hooks—fingers; in full, thieving hooks.

I throw in,
Tol lol, &c.
And collar his dragons

Collar his dragons—take his sovereigns; on the obverse of a sovereign is, or was, a figure of St. George and the dragon. The etymon of collar is obvious to all persons who know the taking-ways of Bow-street, and elsewhere. It is a whimsical coincidence, that the motto of the Marquis of Londonderry is “Metuenda coralla draconis.” Ask the city of London, if “I fear I may not collar the dragons,” would not be a fair translation.

clear away.
To his clies my hooks I throw in,
And collar his dragons clear away;
Then his ticker

Ticker—watch. The French slung is tocquanta.

I set agoing,
Tol lol, &c.
And his onions,

Onions—seals.

chain, and key.
Then his ticker I set agoing,
With his onions, chain, and key.
Next slipt off his bottom clo'ing,
Tol lol, &c.
And his gingerbread topper gay.
Next slipt off his bottom clo'ing,
And his gingerbread topper gay,
39

Then his other toggery

Toggery—clothes [from toga.]

stowing,
Tol lol, &c.
All with the swag,

Swag—plunder.

I sneak away.
Then his other toggery stowing,
All with the swag I sneak away.
“Tramp it, tramp it, my jolly blowen,
Tol lol, &c.
Or be grabbed

Grabbed—taken.

by the beaks

Beaks—police-officers.

we may.
“Tramp it, tramp it, my jolly blowen,
Or be grabbed by the beaks we may;
And we shall caper a-heel-and-toeing,
Tol lol, &c.
A Newgate hornpipe some fine day.
“And we shall caper a-heel-and-toeing,
A Newgate hornpipe some fine day;
With the mots,

Mots—girls.

their ogles

Ogles—eyes.

throwing,
Tol lol, &c.
And old Cotton

Old Cotton—then Ordinary of Newgate.

humming his pray.

Humming his pray—saying his prayers.


40

“With the mots their ogles throwing,
And old Cotton humming his pray;
And the sogle-hunters

Fogle-hunters—pickpockets.

doing,
Tol lol, &c.
Their morning fake

Morning fake—morning thievery.

in the prigging lay.
previous section Miscellaneous writings of the late Dr. Maginn
next section