Page:Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant (1889) by Barrere & Leland.djvu/30

 to the eldest representative of certain Irish and Scotch clans or families, such as The O'Conor Don, The Chisholm, &c. As Aaron was the first high-priest, and the Aarons are the chiefs of the Hebrew tribes, it is probably of Jewish origin in its slang application. Aaron was an old cant term for a cadger who combined begging with acting as a guide to the summits of mountains, chiefly to evade the laws against vagabondage, no doubt a play in its slang sense on its Hebrew equivalent, lofty.

A-baa (various). An abaa cove, a bad man; an abaa muff, a silly person. Among trade unionists an abaa signifies a non-unionist, who is generally assailed with the derisive shout, "Baa, baa, black sheep."

Abacter (old), a dishonest drover or shepherd, one who connives at the stealing of his master's cattle. Probably from the Latin abactores, stealers of cattle. One of the tricks of the abacters of old Smithfield was the driving a bullock into a jeweller's or other shop, and during the confusion and excitement of expulsion the abacter's confederates, under the cloak of assistance, would help themselves to any valuables handy. The Annual Register for 1818 records that one shop was so served three times in that year.

Abaddon (old), a treacherous thief, one who turns informer against his fellow-rogues. From the Hebrew abaddon, a destroyer; often confounded with the Cockneyism a-bad-'un, a bad one.

Abandannaad (thieves), one who risks his liberty by committing an act of contemptible petty larceny. The phrase originated through a footpad robbing a woman of a paltry bandanna (hence abandannaad) shawl valued at ninepence, for which a notorious high-class, or "high-toby" thief, one "Kiddy Harris," was hanged, although innocent of any connection with the robbery, the real culprit having soon after confessed to the crime. The poor prosecutrix was so horrified at discovering her mistaken identification that she became a lunatic. This incident was the chief cause of the passing of Sir Samuel Romilly's Act for the abolition of capital punishment for robberies on the highway of property under forty shillings value.

Abandoned habits (society), the riding costume of the "Pretty Horsebreakers" of "the Lady's Mile," in Hyde Park.