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English Synonyms. Boy; chap; cull; cully; customer; kidoy; homo or omee; fish; put; bloke; gloak; party; cuss; codger; buffer; gaffer; damber; duck; chip.
French Synonyms. Bête à pain (popular: literally a bread-eater; also a man who 'keeps' a woman); un bonhomme (familiar); un type (prostitutes' = a dupe); un gonce, gonse or gonze, and une gonzesse (thieves'); un goncier (thieves'); un gonsalé (thieves'); un gadouille; un nière or niert; un pante (thieves': from pantin, a puppet); un mastic (thieves': properly cement or putty); une mazette (military); une mecque (thieves'); un marquant (thieves': especially applied to bullies or Sunday-men); un marpaut or marpeau (old cant); un lancier (thieves'); un lascar (thieves'); un messier or messière (thieves': from mézière, a fool); un orgue (thieves'); un gas (thieves'); un gosselin (popular = Eng. covey; une fignolé gosseline = a 'natty piece'); un gniasse (thieves'); un loncegue (thieves').
German Synonyms. Baal (perhaps one of the most comprehensive terms in the Gaunersprache, and signifying not only a 'cove' [i.e., an individual], but also a master, husband, possessor, artist, expert, artisan—in fact, one owning or capable of anything. Combinations are Balbajis, Balbos [fem. Balboste, Balboëste] = master of the house; Baldower = a principal or leader of a gang, an adviser, the creator of opportunities, the spy; Baleze, Baleize = an adviser, also a chief of police; Balhoche [from Baal and hocho (there)], prostitutes' = 'one in possession' but removeable; Balhoche (thieves') = one with an opportunity of theft; Balhei is merely the abbreviation or Baal-*he or hei; Balmassematten [masso umattan], the business man, the leader of a gang; Balmelocho, the artisan; Balmelochestift, the artisan's apprentice; Balplete, Balpleite, the runaway; Balschochad, any official who takes bribes; Balspiess = a common lodging-house; Balm, Balmach, Balmachan, Palm, Palmer, Palmach, Pallmack, Pallmagen = a soldier; the Hanov. has Palemachome [Palemachen, Pallemacher]; Balverschmai = an inquisitor or judge); Brooker (Hanoverian = one in trousers, from the North German Broek or Bracca, trousers); Gatscho (from the Gypsy gaxo); Isch (from the Hebrew isch).
1567. Harman, Caveat. Cofe: a person.
1609. Dekker, Lanthorne and Candlelight, in wks. (Grosart) III., 196. The word cove, or cofe, or cuffin, signifies a Man, a Fellow, etc.
1654. Witts, Recreations. As priest of the game, And prelate of the same, There's a gentry cove here.
1714. Memoirs of John Hall (4 ed.), p. 12, s.v.
1837. Dickens, Oliver Twist, ch. x. 'Do you see that old cove at the book-*stall?'
1849. C. Kingsley, Alton Locke, ch. ii.: [a misquotation of a far older song.] 'The ministers talk a great deal about port, And they makes Cape wine very dear, But blow their hi's if ever they tries, To deprive a poor cove of his beer.'
1871. Figaro, 15 April. We need hardly say that the cove in question is not a man.
[For examples of the use of Covey and Covess, see same.]
