Heading
tory of the word 'chattel' appears to bear out his contention. The Norman catel passed later into cattell, and these forms were in the sixteenth century restricted to live-stock, chattell passing from legal French into general use for the wider sense—article of property.]
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v.
1725. New Cant. Dict., s.v.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict., s.v.
1864. Hotten, Slang Dict., s.v.
English Synonyms. Active citizens; crabs; crumbs; friends in need; back friends; grey backs; black cattle; Scots Greys; gentleman's companions; creepers; gold-backed 'uns; German ducks; dicky-birds; familiars; saddle-backs; Yorkshire Greys.
French Synonyms. Les espagnols (popular: formerly lice were called 'Spanish bugs,' poux espagnols, to distinguish them from the cimex lectuarius, or common bed bug); un coquillon (popular: also 'a pilgrim'); les goux (thieves'); le garnison (pop. = garrison); un loupate (= poux, disguised); un habitant (= a householder or 'citizen'); un grenadier (popular); un got (thieves'); un mousquetaire gris (pop. = a grey musketeer).
German Synonyms. Hutte-*rerg' sell'n (perhaps the nearest German equivalent to the English 'gentleman's companion,' the German word signifying 'skin-society'); Jokel, or Jokelche, Jokelcher, Juckel, Juckeler (sing.: also = a postillion, 'one who rides,' the latter, however, being more commonly rendered Post-Juckel. Ave-Lallement derives it from Jäckel or Jockel, diminutives of Jacob, but there are the German words, Jucken, 'to itch,' and Juckler, 'one who itches.' It is quite possible that the two last are later, historically. In connection, see next example); Hans Walter (in Luther's Liber Vagatorum [1529]. Hanz literally means Jack, or John [Cf., preceding Jokel], the old word Hansa refers to a multitude; old German Hanse, a society; Hans, a companion); Kinne, pl. Kinnim (of purely Hebrew origin; Kinni-*machler = a 'dirty, filthy fellow,' or 'an avaricious man,' literally 'a lice-eater'; Kinnimer, a man full of lice. The Fieselsprache has Kineh and Kinehbruder to signify 'an intimate companion,' or 'chum'; Marschirer or die stillen Marschirer (Viennese thieves' for lice; literally 'the silent walkers'); Sand (used for vermin in general and lice in particular; sandig sein, to be lousy).
Italian Synonyms. Grisaldi; grisanti; guallino.
Spanish Synonym. Cancano, (m; a low term).
Chat-Hole, subs. (prison).—A hole
made by convicts in a wall,
to carry on a conversation.
[From chat, an abbreviation of
chatter, + hole.]
Chats, subs. (old).—1. See Chates.
2. (thieves').—See quot.
1821. D. Haggart, Life, Glossary, p. 171. Chats, seals.
3. (Stock Exchange).—London, Chatham and Dover Railway Stock.
Chatter-Basket, subs. (common).—A
prattling child. Originally
