Thieves' Cant Dictionaries

Thieves' Cant was a secret language used by criminals in the 16th through 19th centuries. Thieves used this language to communicate with each other without tipping off the authorities or victims they were hoping to scam.

Thieves’ Cant dictionaries in England were published in order to save people from falling victim to criminals. During an uptick in crime in 1561, John Awdeley published one of the earliest English cant dictionaries, The Fraternity of Vagabonds.

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