Thieves’ cant. Also 7–8 cloy, 7 clay. [Possibly in origin identical with CLYE v. below (LG. kleien, klaien), with a modified sense ‘seize, grip, or pull with the claws, clutch,’ = CLAW v. 2. Cf. the range of meaning of the latter verb; in Lower Rhenish dial., klauen, kläuen, kleuen, is used in the sense ‘steal’; and beclæwen in MHG. is said of the devil, just like ‘the Ruffian (devil) cly thee!’ (See Grimm, Klauen 2.)]
1. trans. To seize; to take; to get.
1567. Harman, Caveat, 86. So may we cly the Iarke … The Ruffian clye thee!
1608. Dekker, Lanth. & Candle-lt., B ij b. The ruffian cly the ghost of the Harman beck.
1621. B. Jonson, Gipsies Metam., Wks. (1692), 615/1. Cly the Jack.
1641. Brome, Joviall Crew, II. Wks. 1873, III. 388. Here, safe in our Skipper, let’s cly off our Peck.
c. 1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, To Cly the Jerk, to be Whipt.
1828. Lytton, Pelham, III. xviii. 293. You deserve to cly the jerk for your patter. Ibid., 298. The ruffian cly thee, Guinea Pig, for stashing the lush.
2. esp. To steal.
1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-all (1874), 8. They are sure to be Clyd in the night, by the Angler, or hooker, or such like pilferers.
1671. R. Head, Eng. Rogue, I. v. (1874), 48. Cloy, to steal.
c. 1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Claying the Bung, cutting the Purse, or Picking the Pocket. Ibid., Cloy, to Steal. Cloy the Clout, to Steal the Hankerchief.
1739. Poor Robin (N.). Money is now a hard commodity to get, insomuch that some will venture their necks for it, by padding, cloying, milling, filching, nabbing, &c., all which in plain English is only stealing.
