Page:Memoirs James Hardy Vaux.djvu/433

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156
BOD

cross-coves; and experience has proved, when too late, to many of them, that honesty is the best policy; and, consequently, that the above phrase is by no means à-propos.

BETTY, picklock; to unbetty, or betty a lock, to open or relock it, by means of the betty, so as to avoid subsequent detection.

BILLIARD SLUM. The mace is sometimes called giving it to 'em on the billiard slum. See Mace.

BISHOP. See Christen.

BIT, money in general.

BIT-FAKER, a coiner. See Fake.

BIT-FAKING, coining base money.

BLACK DIAMONDS, coals.

BLEEDERS, spurs.

BLOODY-JEMMY, a sheep's head.

BLOW THE GAFF, a person having any secret in his possession, or a knowledge of any thing injurious to another, when at last induced from revenge, or other motive, to tell it openly to the world and expose him publicly, is then said to have blown the gaff upon him.

BLOWEN, a prostitute; a woman who cohabits with a man without marriage.

BLUE-PIGEON, lead.

BLUE-PIGEON FLYING, the practice of stealing lead from houses, churches, or other buildings, very prevalent in London and its vicinity.

BLUNT, money.

BOB, or BOBSTICK, a shilling.

BODY-SLANGS. See Slangs.

BODY-SNATCHER, a stealer of dead bodies from church which