French synonyms. Un arnacq (also arnache); une bourrique (= an ass); le cadratin (generic); une casserole; un charieur; un contre-allumeur (= spy engaged by thieves to counteract the machinations of the police); un coqueur (also coqueur mouton, or musicien = a prison-informer); un coquin (= knave); un correcteur (a prison-spy); un cuisinier; un diable; un fileur; un flancheur; un friquet (= tree-sparrow); un gobemouches (= gull trap); un grand meudon; un gaffeur; un indicateur; un larnac (see arnacq: also rousse a larnac); un macaron; un mireur; un mouchard; une mouche (= FLY [q.v.]"; un mouton (a prisoner-spy); un bourgeois de nuit; un rousse (also roussin and une rousselette); une vache; un vesto de la cuisine.
1879. HORSLEY in Macm. Mag., xl., 505. He had a nark (policeman's spy) with him.
1887. Henley, Villon's Good Night. Likewise you copper's narks and dubs What pinched me when upon the snam.
1888. Daily Chronicle, 29 Dec. Take that, you copper's nark!
1889. Daily Telgraph, 11 Sept. You are what is known as a copper's nark, are you not?
1892. Milliken, 'Arry Ballads, 60. I once knew a copper's nark, as earned many a quid.
1895. Daily Telegraph, 26 Feb., 3. Is not a copper's nark an associate of thieves, who gives information against his companions to assist the police? Certainly not. A copper's nark would not go amongst thieves.
1898. Pall Mall Gaz., 19 Jan., 2, 3. The narks may light upon that swag even yet.
Verb. (thieves').—To see; to watch; to spy.
English synonyms. To buz; to castell; to dick; to fox; to lay; to mark; to nose; to ogle; to pipe; to quiz; to roast (or roast-brown); to shadow; to shepherd; to skin; to snitch; to spot; to stag; to tout; to twire; to be on the beefment; to be on the pounce.
French synonyms. Etre à l'affut (colloquial); battre l'antif (also = to pad the hoof); borgner; coquer; donner la chasse à la rousse (thieves': = to watch the police); faire le gaf; filer un sinve; faire la filature (or lâcher de la filature) à quel-qu'un; exhiber; gaffer (also gaffiner); allumer son gaz; surbiner.
1886-9. Marshall, Honest Bill ['Pomes,' 149]. You'd be sure to nark the ruby round his gill.
1889. Sporting Times, 29 June. And as terseness of expression was an art she'd studied well, She determined that her lady friend should nark it.
Narp, subs. (Scots).—A shirt: see
Flesh-bag.—Ducange (1857).
Narrish, adj. (colloquial).—Thrifty:
see Narrow.
1889. London Society, Oct., p. 367. I have been told that he is very narrish. . . . He has always paid his debts very scrupulously, lived within his income, and certainly I saw no signs of undue economy.
Narrow, adv. (old colloquial).—1.
Ne'er a; not one.
1750. Fielding, Tom Jones, VIII., ii. I warrants me there is narrow a one of all those officer fellows but looks upon himself to be as good as arrow a squire of £500 a year.
1711. Smollett, Hump. Clink., 186. As for master and the young squire, they have as yet had narro glimpse of the new light.
