(popular: 'a stick of liquorice'); un baladin (properly 'a mountebank, juggler, or buffoon'); une cagne (popular: 'a dog,' i.e., 'a worthless fellow,' 'a slut'; cagne or caigne in Old French signified 'dog,' and was derived from the Latin canis, whence caignot, 'a little dog.' It may also be noted that, prior to the establishment of the modern gendarmerie, the archers of the watch were known as chiens-courants); un cogne (thieves': another form of cagne); un balai (hawkers': properly 'a broom, brush, or besom'); un serin (popular: properly 'a canary'; serin is also slang for 'a foolish fellow,' 'a greenhorn'); un pousse (thieves': the guardians of public order formerly known in Paris as serjents or archers de l'écuelle were called pousse-culs); une vache (literally 'a cow'); un arnif (thieves'); une peste (thieves': literally 'a plague' or 'torment'); une tronche â la manque; un flaquadard; un cabestan (thieves': properly 'a hand-winch'; Michel thinks this is derived either from cabe, 'a dog'; or from capitan, 'a captain.' The latter, be it noted, has also the signification of 'hector' or 'braggadocio'); un raille or railleux (thieves': a detective. Michel derives it from raillon, a weapon with which the police were formerly armed. Victor Hugo thought it came from the English word 'rascal,' but there seems little, if any, authority for this); un sacre (Nicot gives this as 'a bird of prey,' but Henri Estienne adds that it was used to denote 'one who lays hands on everything that comes in his way'; also 'a gourmand'); un grive (thieves': 'a warder' or 'military patrol'); un laune (thieves'); un flique (popular: also a petty police magistrate. Thought to be a corruption of friquet, another opprobrious term for a police man); un bec du gaz; un estaffier (familiar: also, among thieves, 'a cat'); une bourrique (thieves': also 'an informer'); un pousse trottoir (pousse from pousser, 'to push'; trottoir, a footpath); un lampion rouge (thieves'); un escargot de trottoir (popular: literally 'a snail of the footpath'); un cierge (thieves' : properly 'a wax taper'); un sergo (popular); un grippe-Jesus (a term used by thieves in the north of France, and by seafaring men which, says Michel, might lead one to suppose that gendarmes only arrested innocent persons); un pince sans rire (thieves': a sly, malicious person); un pot â tabac (popular: 'a tobacco jar'); un singe de la rousse (singe = monkey, de la rousse, 'of the police force').
For German Synonyms, see Copper.
Italian Synonyms. Un' zaffo (literally 'a bung' or 'tipstaff'); un' foco or un' fuoco (literally 'fire').
Spanish Synonyms. Uno mastin (literally 'a mastiff' or 'bulldog'; 'a clumsy fellow'; 'a clown'); una harpia (un harpeo = 'grapnel' or 'grappling-iron'); una fiera (properly 'a wild beast').
2. (popular.)—A magistrate. Cf. foregoing, much of which has reference to this secondary meaning of beak. Sometimes Called a beak of the law.
