A bill slang is a unique form of language used by criminals to communicate secretly. It originated among thieves in England in the 18th and 19th centuries as a way to disguise their conversations from authorities. Bill slang, also known as thieves’ cant or rogues’ cant, uses words substituted for common terms to create a coded vocabulary. The terms are meant to be understood by the criminal community but obscure the meaning from outsiders. Bill slang allows criminals to discuss illegal activities and plans without revealing themselves through their speech. Though less commonly used today, bill slang represents an early form of anti-language used by subcultures to resist mainstream society.
What is the origin of bill slang?
Bill slang first emerged in England in the 1700s among thieves and other criminals. As literacy spread more widely, authorities began collecting and publishing dictionaries of the terms used by criminals to better understand their activities. The earliest known collection of bill slang terms was published in 1699. The language likely originated even earlier, though, developing as a way for traveling criminals to communicate in code as they moved between areas.
The exact etymology of the term “bill slang” itself is unclear. One theory suggests it derives from the Greek word bilys, meaning terrible or formidable. This could reference how the coded language was used for nefarious purposes. Another possibility is that it comes from the Old English word bile, meaning a written proclamation. This would connect to the early collections of bill slang terms published in written dictionaries.
Early Development in England
In England during the 18th and 19th centuries, bill slang flourished among thieves. This reflected the major social changes underway, including increased urbanization, poverty, and crime. As displaced rural workers flocked to cities, many resorted to criminal activity to survive and became part of sophisticated underground networks. Bill slang provided a private language for discussing thievery, scams, plans, and other illegal endeavors without detection.
Its usage was centered in London’s urban slums and criminal subcultures. From there, it spread through traveling fairs, prisons, and transportation of convicts to Australia. Criminals incorporated it into their songs, stories, and tattoos to communicate discreetly with each other even across languages and borders. This further extended the reach of bill slang terms over time while also allowing for regional variations to develop.
Printed Dictionaries
Authorities sought insight into the criminal underworld by publishing dictionaries of bill slang starting in the 1600s. Captured criminals were sometimes forced to interpret terms and define this specialized vocabulary. The earliest surviving collection is B.E.’s New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew from 1699. It contains several hundred bill slang words and phrases with detailed definitions describing the code of thieves.
These early dictionaries also provide valuable evidence of how bill slang was used in context, its regional variations, and how it changed over time. Later examples include The Vulgar Tongue by Captain Francis Grose in 1785 and John Bee’s Slang Dictionary in 1811. While intended to help sheriffs interpret criminals’ coded language, the dictionaries had the side effect of spreading awareness of bill slang more widely.
What are some examples of bill slang?
Bill slang uses substitutes and coded language rather than straightforward terms to disguise meaning. This allows criminals to communicate without explicitly stating illegal or taboo topics. Many words involve rhyming slang, reversed syllables, or metaphors based on common objects. Here are some examples of bill slang terms and their meanings:
- Beak – A judge or magistrate (from criminal “beak” or nose)
- Cove – Man (from Romany cove “boy”)
- Fence – Someone who buys and sells stolen goods
- Lag – Criminal, usually one transported overseas
- Lumber – To pawn stolen goods
- Napper – Thief or pickpocket
- Nemmy/Nemee – Storekeeper (contraction of the Romany nēmeskro “unclean person”)
- Panny – House (from the Italian pane meaning “bread,” referring to house as basic need)
- Pratting – Riding a stolen horse
- Snidesman – Forger of documents
Rhyming slang was also commonly used, substituting rhyming words for common terms. For example:
- Barnet Fair – Hair (rhymes with “hair”)
- Bread and honey – Money (rhymes with “money”)
- Butcher’s hook – Look (rhymes with “look”)
- Cackle and pop – Shop (rhymes with “shop”)
- Frog and toad – Road (rhymes with “road”)
How was bill slang used by criminals?
Criminals in the 18th and 19th centuries used bill slang in various ways to disguise their communications when coordinating illegal activities:
Talking in Code
In face-to-face conversations, bill slang terms directly substituted for common words to make the meaning obscure to eavesdroppers. For example, a thief might say, “The beak’s fuzzed our panny” to covertly say “The judge has raided our house.” Listeners unfamiliar with bill slang would only hear seemingly unrelated terms.
Secret Messages
Criminals left messages for each other using bill slang. Messages might be spoken, written on paper, or even tattooed on messengers. Only those fluent in bill slang could decode the true meaning.
Disguising Songs and Stories
Ballads, stories, and rhymes popular in criminal circles incorporated bill slang terms so they could be freely discussed without revealing plots. Songs allowed news and messages to be shared among the criminal community.
Avoiding Detection
Even when arrested, criminals used bill slang to avoid providing authorities with useful information during interrogations or eavesdropped conversations with fellow inmates. Keeping the meaning secret hindered investigations.
Building Trust
Using bill slang displayed membership in the criminal subculture. Criminals relied on bill slang to identify trustworthy allies who proved their expertise by conversing in code. It fostered cooperation since both parties shared risk of punishment.
How has bill slang evolved over time?
While originating in England centuries ago, bill slang evolved in many ways through its spread and changing use:
New Regional Dialects
As criminals traveled, they developed localized slang dialects. Australian convict slang, for example, had distinct terms from its British roots. American bill slang diverged from English versions, incorporating influences from immigrant languages.
Incorporating Foreign Words
Bill slang absorbed words from foreign languages encountered through travel and migrations, especially Romani borrowed from Gypsies. Cant, an early term for bill slang, derived from the Romani word for speech.
Updating with New Terms
New bill slang terms constantly entered usage to reflect changing technology and culture. Car thieves, for instance, might use updated rhyming code words to discuss vehicles. Slang dictionaries had to be rewritten to include contemporary vocabulary.
Spread to the General Population
Some bill slang worked its way into common slang as contacts occurred between criminals and the general population. Words like “fence,” for example, lost criminal connotations. Police also adopted certain terms in their interactions with the public.
Decline in Pure Forms
As bill slang blended into popular awareness and languages continued evolving, its pure forms faded. Most modern examples retain fragments or influences of historic bill slang rather than comprising fully separate codes. However, the core technique of word substitution persists in modern slang.
What is an example of bill slang used in literature?
Bill slang occasionally appeared in early English literature, both as part of efforts to translate and collect terms and in creating vivid criminal characters who employ it. Some examples include:
The Rogue’s Lexicon
Published in 1859, The Rogue’s Lexicon by George Kent contains a lengthy dictionary of terms compiled from printed and spoken sources. It preserves hundreds of bill slang words and definitions used by real criminals of the time.
Oliver Twist
Charles Dickens frequently wrote criminals using bill slang in his novel Oliver Twist, published between 1837-1839. The Artful Dodger, Fagin, and other youths have dialogue filled with slang, though Dickens did not always employ it completely accurately.
The Mysteries of London
This bestselling serialized novel from 1844-1846 by George W. M. Reynolds depicts London street gangs and criminal networks. The criminal characters speak in detailed bill slang to strategize and tip each other off about police activity.
Frauds of New York
Written in 1844 by J. H. Ingraham, this mystery novel was one of the first American portrayals of bill slang usage. A glazier using terms like “kicksies” and “counts the tails” features as a criminal informant about New York City intrigue.
What contributed to the decline of bill slang?
Several factors led to the fading of bill slang over time after its peak in the 18th and 19th centuries:
Growing Literacy
As education spread, written language became more standardized, and fewer people relied solely on specialized oral codes. Secret slang became less essential as more individuals could read and write.
Advances in Policing
Undercover police work and surveillance made purely secret communication difficult. Criminals also had to worry about informants betraying meanings. Successfully evading law enforcement required updating techniques.
Reduced Isolation
Increasing urbanization and communication brought isolated regional slang dialects into contact with each other, blending terms. Movement between criminal groups declined as identifying affiliations got riskier.
Publishing of Dictionaries
The printing of bill slang dictionaries, despite aiming to expose meanings, actually helped push some terms into general slang. Wide usage made them less effective codes.
Cultural Assimilation
As anti-social groups became less isolated from mainstream culture, specialized slang lost relevance and started incorporating more conventional language. Distinct criminal subcultures faded.
Does bill slang have any influence today?
While no longer a separate coded language, bill slang has left an impact on modern speech in certain ways:
Contributions to Slang
Many individual bill slang terms embedded themselves in English slang such as “fence,” “nitty-gritty,” and “loon.” Other terms now sound antique but were once criminal slang, like “filcher” and “golumptious.” Their subtly coded nature is replicated across informal vocabularies.
Rhyming Slang Tradition
The practice of rhyming substitution continues today, especially in British slang like “apples and pears” for stairs. Though no longer about secrecy, it demonstrates theongoing influence. Rhyming names are also sometimes still used as a way of obscuring identity, making them harder to recall.
Occupational Jargon
Each trade or profession evolves particular terms and codes to ease communication challenges specific to their work. This mirrors how bill slang smoothed coordinating crimes. These specialized vocabularies, like that used by lawyers or doctors, benefit from the precision of words tailored to common needs.
Youth Slang Trends
Teen and youth slang constantly changes to establish group identity and challenge adult norms. Though fluid, it often involves word play similar to how bill slang inverted meaning. Alterations to language shows belonging to a subculture with shared experiences and values.
Subculture Language Variations
Today many subcultures from hackers to street artists retain their own slang that outsiders struggle to follow. Unlike secret criminal codes, they identify expertise and status within a community built around specialized knowledge. Mastering the terms conveys legitimacy.
Conclusion
Bill slang represented an early linguistic innovation allowing marginalized groups to resist social controls and conventions. By developing their own coded vocabulary, criminals gained the benefits of private communication to organize illicit enterprises. The terms capture a distinct urban underworld that came into conflict with law and order. Though no longer an active language, bill slang pioneered techniques of altering vocabulary to suit the needs of a subculture. Many of its methods spread over time into general slang usage. Bill slang offers a unique window into both the early criminal underground and the evolution of language itself.