Argot and Slang. Albert Barrere
arquepincer (thieves’ and popular), to take, or “to collar;” to seize, or “to grab;” —— l’omnibus, to catch the ’bus. Veuillez—— mon anse, pray take my arm.
J’ai promis de reconobrer tous les grinchisseurs et de les faire arquepincer.—Vidocq.
Ardent, m. (thieves’), candle, or “glim.” Fauche-ardents, snuffers.
Ardents, m. pl. (thieves’), eyes, or “glaziers.” See Quinquets.
Ardoise, f. (popular), head, or “tibby;” hat, or “tile.” Avoir l’——, to have credit, or “jawbone.” An allusion to the slate used for drawing up the reckoning.
Arga, m. (thieves’), share of booty, or “snaps.”
Arganeau, m. (thieves’), a link connecting two convicts’ irons.
Argot, m. (thieves’), animal; fool, or “go along;” thieves’ brotherhood, or “family men.”
Argoté (thieves’), one who lays claim to being witty.
Argotier, m. (thieves’), one of the brotherhood of thieves, or “family man.”
Argousin, m. (popular), foreman, or “boss.”
Arguche, m. (thieves’), cant, or “flash;” a fool, dunce, or “go-along.”
Arguemine, f. (thieves’), hand, or “famm.”
Aricoteur, m. (thieves’), executioner.
Aristo, m. for aristocrat (popular), a man in comfortable circumstances.
Aristocrate, m., an appellation given by prisoners to one of their number whose means allow him to obtain victuals from the canteen.
Arlequin (popular), broken victuals of every description mixed up and retailed to poor people. The word has passed into the language.
Autrefois chez Paul Niquet
Fumait un vaste baquet
Sur la devanture.
Pour un ou deux sous, je crois,
On y plongeait les deux doigts
Deux, à l’aventure.
Les mets les plus différents
Etaient là, mêlés, errants,
Sans couleur, sans forme,
Et l’on pêchait sans fouiller,
Aussi bien un vieux soulier
Qu’une truffe énorme.
Richepin, La Chanson des Gueux.
Arme, f. (military), passer l’—— à gauche, to die, “to lose the number of one’s mess.” See Pipe.
Armée roulante, f. (thieves’), formerly gang of convicts chained together which used to make its way by road to the hulks.
Armoire, f. (popular), à glace, the four of any card; head; (military) —— à poils, soldiers’ knapsack, or “scran bag.” An allusion to the hairy skin that covers or covered soldiers’ knapsacks.
Arnac, m. (thieves’), à l’——, with premeditation.
Arnache, f. (popular), deceit; treachery. Etre à l’——, to be cunning, wide-awake, a “deep one;” to deceive, and not allow oneself to be deceived.
Arnacq, arnache, m. (thieves’), detective, informer, “nark.”
Arnaud, m. (popular), avoir son——, être——, to be in a bad humour, to be “nasty.”
Arnauder (popular), to grumble.
Arnelle (thieves’), the town of Rouen. From La Renelle, a small river.
Arnellerie, f. (thieves’), rouennerie, printed cotton.
Arnif, m. (thieves’), policeman or detective. Also denominated “bec de gaz, bourrique, cierge, flique, laune, peste, vache.” In English cant or slang “crusher, pig, copper, cossack, nark.”
Arpagar, m. (thieves’), the town of Arpagon, near Paris.
Arpette, m. (popular), apprentice.
Arpion, m. (thieves’ and popular), foot, “trotter;” toe.
Moi, d’marcher ça n’me fout pas l’trac.
J’ai l’arpion plus dur que des clous.
Richepin, Chanson des Gueux.
Arpions, m. pl. (thieves’ and popular), toes.
Arquepincer. See Arcpincer.
Arquer (popular), s’——, to be bent down through age.
Arracher (thieves’), du chiendent, to be on the look-out for a victim (chiendent, dogs’ grass); (popular) —— son copeau, to work, “to grind” (copeau, shaving).
Arrangemaner (thieves’), to cheat, or “to stick.”
Arranger (swindlers’), les pantres, to cheat the public by means of the three-card trick or other swindling dodges.
Arrangeur, m. (gamesters’), one who sets a game going, or “buttonner.”
Arrêter (familiar), les frais, to put a stop to any proceedings. (Les frais, the fee for a game of billiards.)
Arrière-train, m. (familiar), the behind, or “tochas.” See Vasistas.
Arriver premier (sporting), to be the winner. Used figuratively to denote superiority of any kind over others. Arriver bon premier, “to beat hollow.”
Arrondir (popular), se faire—— le globe, to become pregnant, or “lumpy.”
On s’a fait arrondir el’globe,
On a sa p’tit’ butte, à c’qué vois. …
Eh! ben, ça prouv’ qu’on n’est pas d’bois.
Gill, La Muse à Bibi.
Arrondissement, m. (popular), chef-lieu d’——, woman in an advanced stage of pregnancy, “lumpy,” or with a “white swelling.”
Arrosage, m. (popular), action of drinking, of “having something damp.”
Arroser (gamesters’), to stake repeatedly on the same card; to make repeated sacrifices in money; (military) —— ses galons, treating one’s comrades on being made a non-commissioned officer, “paying for one’s footing;” (familiar) —— un créancier, to settle small portion of debt.
Arroseur, m. (thieves’),