subs. (popular).—1.  Money. [Ger.: Geld; Du.: Gelt.]

1

  ENGLISH SYNONYMS.—Add to those under ACTUAL:—Charms; checks; cole or coal; coliander seeds; corn in Egypt; crap; darby; dots; ducats; gingerbread; kelter; lowie; lurries; moss; oil of palms; palm-oil; peck; plums; rhino; rivets; salt; sawdust; scad; screen; scuds; shigs; soap; spoon; steven; sugar; tea-spoons; tinie.

2

  FRENCH SYNONYMS.—Le galtos (popular); l’odeur de gousset (obsolete); l’onguent (= palm grease, Sp., unguento; the simile is common to most languages); le morlingue (thieves’); la menouille (popular); le michon (thieves’: from miche, a loaf, cf., LOAVER); les monacos (popular); le monarque (prostitutes’: primarily a five franc piece); le blé = corn or loaver); les étoffes (thieves’).

3

  SPANISH SYNONYMS.—La lana (= wool); la morusa (colloquial); la mosca (= the flies); lo numerario; la pelusa (= down); lo zurraco (colloquial); lo unguento de Mejico (= Mexican Grease); a’ toca teja (colloquial: ready money); caire.

4

  ITALIAN SYNONYMS.—Cucchi; cuchieri; cucchielli; lugani.

5

  GERMAN SYNONYMS.—Fuchs (= fox: an allusion to the ruddy hue of gold pieces; fuxig or fuxern = golden, red; fuchsmelochener = goldsmith); gips or gyps (Viennese thieves’, from the Latin, gypsum); hora (= ready-money: from the Hebrew heren); kall (Han: especially small change: from Heb. kal = lowly light); kis, kies, kiss (applied both to money in general and the receptacle or purse in which it is carried); lowe, love (Han.); mepaie (from the Fr., payer) mesumme, linke mesumme = counterfeit money); moos (from Heb., mĕo = a little stone); pich, picht, or pech; staub (= dust).

6

  1599.  SHAKESPEARE, Henry V., ii. Chorus.

                    Three corrupted men …
Have for the GILT of France (O guilt, indeed!)
Confirmed conspiracy.

7

  1714.  Memoirs of John Hall (4 ed.), p. 9. And from thence conducted (provided he has GILT) over the way to Hell.

8

  1885.  Daily News, 25 May, p. 3, c. 1. Disputatious like mobs grouped together to discuss whether Charrington or Crowder had the most GILT.

9

  2.  subs. (old).—a thief; a pick-lock; also GILT- or RUM-DUBBER, GILTER, etc.

10

  1669.  The Nicker Nicked, in Harleian Miscellany (ed. PARK), II., 108 (given in list of names of thieves).

11

  1673.  Character of a Quack Astrologer. For that purpose he maintains as strict a correspondence with GILTS and lifters.

12

  1676.  A Warning for House-keepers, p. 3. This GILTER is one that hath all sorts of Picklocks and false Keys.

13

  1680.  COTTON, The Compleat Gamester, p. 5. Shoals of huffs, hectors, setters, JILTS, pads, biters, etc. … may all pass under the general appellation of rooks.

14

  1785.  GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.

15

  1882.  J. D. MCCABE, New York by Sunlight and Gaslight, ch. xxxiv., 509. GILT-DUBBER, a hotel thief.

16

  3.  (thieves’).—Formerly a pick-lock or skeleton key; now a crow-bar. For synonyms, see JEMMY.

17

  1671.  R. HEAD, The English Rogue, Pt. i, ch. v., p. 50 (1874). GILT, A Pick-lock.

18

  1724.  E. COLES, English Dictionary. GILT, c. a pick-lock.

19

  1839.  W. H. AINSWORTH, Jack Sheppard, p. 183 (ed. 1840). We shall have the whole village upon us while you’re striking the jigger. Use the GILT, man!

20

  TO TAKE THE GILT OFF THE GINGERBREAD, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To destroy an illusion; to discount heavily.

21

  1884.  HAWLEY SMART, From Post to Finish, p. 171. You see we had a rattling good year all round last, bar the Dancing Master. He TOOK THE GILT OFF THE GINGERBREAD considerably.

22