noun General Slang

Cove

/koʊv/ · noun · slang

Cant for a man or fellow — your 'cove' could be a mate, a master, or the mark.

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Definitions

1

A dupe or mark, when paired as 'cully' or 'cull' — the man to be cheated.

“Mark the cully by the bar; his purse hangs heavy.”
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2

Specifically the master or keeper of a place — the 'cove of the ken' was the man of the house or alehouse.

“The cove of the ken wouldn't serve us another drop of bouse.”
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3

A man or fellow; the everyday canting word for a chap, neutral in itself and coloured by what's attached (a flash cove, a rum cove, a queer cove).

“There's a cove at the door asking after you — best see who.”
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Cove In A Sentence

A rum cove, that one — knows every fence between here and the river.
Ask the cove of the ken if there's a bed for the darkmans.
The pair of them gulled the poor cully out of his last shilling.

Origin & Usage

Attested from the late 16th century and through B.E.'s canting dictionary (1699) and Grose (1785). 'Cove' for a fellow survived deep into mainstream English; 'cull' and 'cully' for a dupe are the related forms.

Variants cullcullycuffin
Tags #thieves-cant#cant#historical#british#slang

People Also Ask

What does cove mean in thieves' cant?

A man or fellow — a neutral canting word coloured by its adjective, attested from the late 1500s through Grose (1785).

What is the difference between cove, cull and cully?

'Cove' is any man; 'cull' and 'cully' lean toward a dupe or mark to be cheated.

Is cove still used?

Yes — 'cove' for a chap survived well into mainstream British and Australian English long after the cant faded.

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