French Slang Song from Vidocq.
As from ken
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,
knowing,
Tol lol, &c.
“Ay, bub or grubby,
I say.”
I pattered in flash, like a covey, knowing,
“Ay, bub or grubby, I say.”—
“Lots of gatter,”
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
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
lay.
With his smeller a trumpet blowing,
A regular swell-cove lushy lay:
To his clies
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,
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,
Then his other toggery
Toggery—clothes [from toga.]
stowing,
Tol lol, &c.
All with the swag,
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
by the beaks
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,
their ogles
throwing,
Tol lol, &c.
And old Cotton
Old Cotton—then Ordinary of Newgate.
humming his pray.
Humming his pray—saying his prayers.
“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.