subs. (thieves’).—A prison cell. [? From CLINCH, to clutch, grip, and hold fast. Cf., CLINK.] Variants in English are BOX, COB, SALT-BOX, CHOKEY and SHOE. Fr. une cachemitte, une cachemar or cachemince (all thieves’, from cachot, ‘a black hole’); also un clou (military); maison de campagne (military); un mazaro, or lazaro; une matatane (military); un ours (popular); un abattoir (thieves’; properly ‘a slaughter house.’ This last, the name of the condemned cell in the prison of La Roquette, corresponds to the Newgate Salt Box). In German: Näck (only in Zimmermann; single cell in a prison; probably from the U.G. Noche and the M.H.G. Nacke = boat, from its shape; derivation from the Hebrew Nekef = hole, is also possible).
TO GET or KISS THE CLINCH or CLINK, verbal phr. (thieves’).—To be imprisoned. For synonyms, see COP.
1864. HOTTEN, The Slang Dictionary, p. 102, s.v.
