Thieves' cant

"Le Grant Testament Maistre Françoys Villon et le Petit. Son Codicille avec le Jargon et ses Ballades." (c. 1500) It is one of the earliest examples of the use of thieves' cant in modern times.

Thieves' cant (also known as thieves' argot, rogues' cant, or peddler's French)[1] is a cant, cryptolect, or argot which was formerly used by thieves, beggars, and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries. It is now mostly obsolete and used in literature and fantasy role-playing, although individual terms continue to be used in the criminal subcultures of Britain and the United States.

  1. ^ Mikanowski, Jacob (5 December 2013). "The Tongues of Rogues: How secret languages develop in closed societies". Slate.

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