The Sneaky Pickpocketing Glossary

Pickpockets have a tricky language you've probably never heard unless you're part of the Whiz Mob. Here is the SPYSCAPE glossary for budding Fingersmiths who want to avoid Kissing the Dog.

Adam Tiler - The pickpocket's accomplice. The term originated in the 1660s and comes from Adam, the name of the first man, and tiler, slang for pickpocket.

Busk - Earning a livelihood on the streets. The word is believed to have come from the obsolete French busquer, ‘to prowl’.

Cannon - The star pickpocket who may work as part of a crew or alone when the Cannon is not ‘Working Single O’ (see below).

Chump - The target.

Dipper - A pickpocket.
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Duke Man - The runner who takes the wallet and hustles away so the Whiz Mob aren’t left holding the Mark’s stolen goods.
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Fine wirer:  A highly skilled pickpocket.

Fingersmith - Like a locksmith, a Fingersmith is good at using his fingers to snatch your wallet, phone or other items in your pocket.

Inattentional blindness - The phenomenon of focussing so intently on a single task that one fails to notice things in plain sight.

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Kissing the Dog - Mistakenly letting a victim see your face. 

Leather worker - Refers to the usual material of the wallet, the leather worker’s object of desire.

Mark - The Mark, known also as the ‘Vic’ or the ‘Chump’, is the victim of the Whiz Mob.

Mr. Bates - A businessman and a subcategory of the Mark.

Pappy - A senior citizen and, like Mr. Bates, a subcategory of the Mark.

Pit - Inside jacket pocket.

Prat - Side pant pocket.
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Shade - The Shade blocks the Mark’s view with his newspaper or body so the Mark can’t clearly see what’s happening. 

‍Skinning the poke - Removing cash from a stolen wallet and cleaning off fingerprints before tossing it. 

‍Slip-Gibbet - A pickpocket who avoids the gallows used in previous centuries for the punishment of hanging.

Stall - The Stall (aka the Stick) is a part of a pickpocketing gang who maneuver the Mark into position and hold him there. They may distract the Mark’s attention by asking for directions or spilling something on him.
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‍Steer - The steer chooses the victim to be robbed.

Tiler - Slang for pickpocket.

Tool - The Tool, aka the Dip, the Wire, or the Mechanic - is the thief who lifts the wallet off of the Mark. 

‍Whiz Mob - Also known as the Wire Mob, the Whizzer, and the Whiz Artist, these are pickpocketing gangs.

Working Single O - A pickpocket with enough skill to work alone without backup from the Whiz Mob.