noun General Slang

Upright Man

/ˈʌpraɪt mæn/ · noun · slang

The top rank of the canting crew — the boss rogue who lorded it over every lesser vagabond.

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Definitions

1

By extension, a leading rogue of the first rank in the canting orders, distinguished from lesser beggars and thieves beneath him.

“He carried himself an upright man, and the lesser coves gave him room.”
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2

The chief or ruler of a band of vagabonds; the upright man held authority over rufflers, anglers and morts, took a share of all takings and first claim on the women.

“No doxy of the camp was had till the upright man had done with her — a brutal custom Harman set down plainly.”
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3

The bearer of the 'filchman' (a staff), symbol of his command over the crew on the road.

“The upright man rapped his filchman and the begging quietened at once.”
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Upright Man In A Sentence

Every barn they slept in, the upright man took his cut first.
Harman ranked the upright man at the head of all the orders of rogues.
To cross the upright man was to be cast out of the crew entirely.

Origin & Usage

Set down in detail by Thomas Harman in 'A Caveat for Common Cursitors' (1566), which laid out the formal 'orders' of rogues. The upright man sat at the top of this grim hierarchy of vagabonds and beggars.

Variants upright-man
Tags #thieves-cant#cant#historical#british#beggary

People Also Ask

What is an upright man in thieves' cant?

The chief of a band of vagabonds — the top rank in Harman's 1566 ordering of rogues, who took a share of all takings.

Where does the term come from?

From Harman's 'A Caveat for Common Cursitors' (1566), the earliest systematic English account of the canting crew.

What was a filchman?

The staff carried by the upright man as a badge of his authority over the begging crew.

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