subs. (old).—1. A sixpence. [An abbreviation of CROOKBACK (q.v.).]
1789. G. PARKER, Life’s Painter, p. 178, s.v.
2. (general).—A thief; swindler; one who gets things ON THE CROOK (q.v.).
1887. Orange Journal, 16 April. Strange as the statement may seem, the public know nothing of the work of a really clever CROOK, and the police themselves know very little more. The explanation of this ignorance is a very simple one. A CROOK whose methods are exposed is a second-rate CROOK.
ON THE CROOK, adv. phr. (thieves’).—The antithesis of ON THE STRAIGHT (q.v.). Cf., ON THE CROSS.
1879. J. W. HORSLEY, ‘Autobiography of a Thief,’ in Macmillan’s Magazine, XL., 503. Which he had bought ON THE CROOK (dishonestly).
TO CROOK (or COCK) THE ELBOW, or the LITTLE FINGER, verbal phr. (popular).—To drink. [A French colloquialism, identical in meaning, is lever le coude; a hard drinker is un adroit du coude.] For synonyms, see LUSH.
1871. DE VERE, Americanisms. TO CROOK THE ELBOW, is one of the many slang terms for drinking.
1877. BESANT and RICE, With Harp and Crown, ch. xix. The secretary … might have done great things in literature but for his unfortunate CROOK OF THE ELBOW. As he only CROOKS it at night, it does not matter to the hospital.
1888. Detroit Free Press, 3 May, p. 4, col. 1. I’ll … ask him to take a drink, chat with him while he CROOKS HIS ELBOW.
