Darkmans
The night, in the cant — when the angler hooked windows and the prig went to work.
Definitions
The night or darkness; the canting word for night-time, when much of the rogues' work was done.
Used in canting rhyme and dialogue alongside 'lightmans' (day) to mark the rogue's reversed clock.
By extension, the cover of darkness as a working condition for theft and burglary.
Darkmans In A Sentence
Origin & Usage
Recorded by Harman (1566) and standard in canting glossaries through B.E. (1699) and Grose (1785). It pairs with 'lightmans' (day); the '-mans' suffix is a recurring cant formative also seen in 'ruffmans' (woods).
People Also Ask
What does darkmans mean in thieves' cant?
The night — the canting word for darkness, recorded by Harman (1566) and pairing with 'lightmans' for day.
Why does it end in -mans?
The '-mans' is a recurring cant suffix, also seen in 'lightmans' (day) and 'ruffmans' (woods or hedges).
Why was the night so important to rogues?
Much of the thieving trade — burglary, angling, horse-stealing — was worked under cover of the darkmans.
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