Also 6 staul(e, 7 stal. [a. AF. estal, var. of estale: see STALE sb.3]
† 1. A decoy-bird. Chiefly fig. Obs.
a. 1500[?]. Chester Pl., 102 (MSS. B. W. h). Send forth women of thie countrye, namely those that beautifull be, and to thie Enemyes lett them draw nye, as stalles to stand them before.
1577. Knewstub, Confut. (1579), 8 b. They seduce some goodly and zealous men…, placing them at the porch of their Synagogue,… to stand there as baites and stalles to deceiue others.
1584–7. Greene, Carde of Fancie, Wks. (Grosart), IV. 91. Did I disdaine to looke at the lure, and shall I now stoope without stall? Ibid. (1592), Disput. He & She Cony-catchers, F 2. Sitting or standing at the doore [of a whore house] like a staule, to allure or draw in wanton passengers.
2. A pickpocket’s helper who distracts the attention of the victim whose pocket is being rifled; also the action or an act of stalling (see STALL v.2 1).
1591. Greene, Conny Catching, II. Wks. (Grosart), X. 103. They see him drawe his purse, then spying in what place he puts it vppe, the stall or the shadowe beeing with the Foist or Nip, meets the man at some straight turne and iustles him.
1607. Dekker & Wilkins, Jests, D.’s Wks. (Grosart), II. 328. The stall … gets before you, &… raggles himself too & fro, while the foyst dooing as much behind, they both disquiet you, & the one picks your pocket.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict., Stall, a violent pressure in a crowd, made by pickpockets.
1881. Daily Tel., 30 Dec., 3/2. I saw a woman … put her purse in her gown pocket, so I … said to my pal, ‘Chuck me a stall, and I’ll have that.’ Ibid. They go out with the clever ones, and do the ‘stall’ business for them.
3. slang. A pretext or something used as a pretext for thieving or imposition.
1851. Mayhew, Lond. Labour, I. 254/1. He induced a woman to let him have a halfpenny for a ‘stall,’ that is, as a pretext with which to enter a shop for the purpose of stealing.
1889. ‘R. Boldrewood,’ Robbery under Arms, xli. Well, but how did they know it was true?… It might have been only a stall.
4. Stall off: an act of stalling off (see STALL v.2 2); an evasive story or trick. slang.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict., Stall off,… generally it means a pretence, excuse, or prevarication—as a person … entering into some plausible story, to excuse himself, his hearers or accusers would say, O yes, that’s a good stall off.
1851. Mayhew, Lond. Labour, I. 424/1. Women [fortune-tellers] who go about with a basket and a bit of driss (lace) in it, gammy lace, for a stall-off (a blind), in case they meet the master.
