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.

The Sneaky Pickpocketing Guide
Margot Robbie learned to pickpocket like a pro for Focus (2015)

The Sneaky Pickpocketing Glossary

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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.

The Sneaky Pickpocketing Guide
Margot Robbie learned to pickpocket like a pro for Focus (2015)

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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.

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.


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.




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.

The Sneaky Pickpocketing Glossary



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.

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