Time and again, folks have believed that that they have found some universal, some fact or issue that moves all of society. It is the single greatest flaw in socialism/communism/statism....
I found this recently....the idea that, somehow, all criminals speak in some cryptic manner that identifies them to each other.... "The rogue fraternity have a language peculiarly their own...no matter what their dialect, or the nation where they were reared...The language of the rogue in New York is the language of the rogue the world over...
Kind of quaint....but interesting.
1. The very first book by a member of the NYPD was written by its first police chief, George W. Matsell, in 1859. called "Vocabulum: Or, The Rogue's Lexicon."
"Matsell compiled this dictionary for his colleagues in law enforcement, he recognized its value to the linguist. As he notes in the preface, criminal terms were beginning to enter general usage and appeared regularly in newspapers, court reports and other publications. Matsell's compilation includes such entries as "acorn" (a gallows), "hemp the flat" (choke a fool), "rumbo" (a prison) and "tyburn blossom" (a young thief). The appendix contains samples of criminal speech and writing (with translations) and the vocabularies of gamblers, billiard players, pugilists and stock brokers." [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Vocabulum-George-W-Matsell-Compiler/dp/1584774843]Vocabulum: Or, The Rogue's Lexicon: George W. Matsell (Compiler): 9781584774846: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]
2. According to Matsell, all criminals use a universal code: "The rogue fraternity have a language peculiarly their own...no matter what their dialect, or the nation where they were reared...The language of the rogue in New York is the language of the rogue the world over...and are being interwoven with our language and many are becoming recognized Anglicisms."
3. He includes the language of gypsy racketeers, the thieves guild of 'The Threepenny Opera,' the pidgin English of the streets, some of which has become proper, some has disappeared, and some of which has become O.K. (from 'oll korrect').
4. Matsell believed he was providing information about which the reader was unaware, including 'booze,; 'bordello,' 'negligee,' and 'pimp.' He included 'swag,' for stolen goods, 'scrape,' for trouble, and even 'bilk,' and 'bluff.'
5. Imagine a time when words like 'duds' and 'togs' were considered criminal. And 'Birthday suit,' for naked. No longer used....'wooden coat,' and 'eternity box' for coffin.
Watered-down liquor was said to be 'baptized,' and a black-dressed widow, an 'ace of spades.'
6. Translate this one: "Shut your potato-trap and give the red rag a holiday."
7. Some words have gone and returned: 'crib' was the house of the Bowery B'hoys...brought back by today's rappers. But 'rapper' was a perjurer.
8. Some words went out of style as the technology did: 'sweating' was 'reducing the weight of gold coin by putting it in a bag, shaking it violently for a time, then collecting the dust worn off;' and 'snagling' is stealing poultry by putting a worm on a fish hook....'
9. Some behaviors never go out of style: 'to hush, stifle, silence or make him easy,' are meanings easy to guess. So, too, are 'peach, snitch, or squeal.'
10. How about 'Philistines, Moabites, prigger-nappers, shadows, trappers, traps, and stops.' Did you guess 'cops'?
Careful who you share this knowledge with, Matsell cautions, as "this is dangerous, forbidden knowledge. Powerful people don't want you to know this stuff!"
The above from "Blue Blood," by Edward Conlon.
Currently there is a political philosophy that sees group identity in the same way that Matsell did.
And, they are just as wrong.
I found this recently....the idea that, somehow, all criminals speak in some cryptic manner that identifies them to each other.... "The rogue fraternity have a language peculiarly their own...no matter what their dialect, or the nation where they were reared...The language of the rogue in New York is the language of the rogue the world over...
Kind of quaint....but interesting.
1. The very first book by a member of the NYPD was written by its first police chief, George W. Matsell, in 1859. called "Vocabulum: Or, The Rogue's Lexicon."
"Matsell compiled this dictionary for his colleagues in law enforcement, he recognized its value to the linguist. As he notes in the preface, criminal terms were beginning to enter general usage and appeared regularly in newspapers, court reports and other publications. Matsell's compilation includes such entries as "acorn" (a gallows), "hemp the flat" (choke a fool), "rumbo" (a prison) and "tyburn blossom" (a young thief). The appendix contains samples of criminal speech and writing (with translations) and the vocabularies of gamblers, billiard players, pugilists and stock brokers." [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Vocabulum-George-W-Matsell-Compiler/dp/1584774843]Vocabulum: Or, The Rogue's Lexicon: George W. Matsell (Compiler): 9781584774846: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]
2. According to Matsell, all criminals use a universal code: "The rogue fraternity have a language peculiarly their own...no matter what their dialect, or the nation where they were reared...The language of the rogue in New York is the language of the rogue the world over...and are being interwoven with our language and many are becoming recognized Anglicisms."
3. He includes the language of gypsy racketeers, the thieves guild of 'The Threepenny Opera,' the pidgin English of the streets, some of which has become proper, some has disappeared, and some of which has become O.K. (from 'oll korrect').
4. Matsell believed he was providing information about which the reader was unaware, including 'booze,; 'bordello,' 'negligee,' and 'pimp.' He included 'swag,' for stolen goods, 'scrape,' for trouble, and even 'bilk,' and 'bluff.'
5. Imagine a time when words like 'duds' and 'togs' were considered criminal. And 'Birthday suit,' for naked. No longer used....'wooden coat,' and 'eternity box' for coffin.
Watered-down liquor was said to be 'baptized,' and a black-dressed widow, an 'ace of spades.'
6. Translate this one: "Shut your potato-trap and give the red rag a holiday."
7. Some words have gone and returned: 'crib' was the house of the Bowery B'hoys...brought back by today's rappers. But 'rapper' was a perjurer.
8. Some words went out of style as the technology did: 'sweating' was 'reducing the weight of gold coin by putting it in a bag, shaking it violently for a time, then collecting the dust worn off;' and 'snagling' is stealing poultry by putting a worm on a fish hook....'
9. Some behaviors never go out of style: 'to hush, stifle, silence or make him easy,' are meanings easy to guess. So, too, are 'peach, snitch, or squeal.'
10. How about 'Philistines, Moabites, prigger-nappers, shadows, trappers, traps, and stops.' Did you guess 'cops'?
Careful who you share this knowledge with, Matsell cautions, as "this is dangerous, forbidden knowledge. Powerful people don't want you to know this stuff!"
The above from "Blue Blood," by Edward Conlon.
Currently there is a political philosophy that sees group identity in the same way that Matsell did.
And, they are just as wrong.
gō\
