or cuttle bung, subs. (old).—A knife used by cutpurses. [From Latin cultellus, a knife; unde, a cutlass.] For synonyms, see CHIVE.
1592. GREENE, The Second Part of Conny-catching, in wks., vol. X., p. 111. And feeling if his CUTTLE BOUNG were glibbe and of a good edge, went to this meale-man to enter combate hand to hand with his purse.
1599. NASHE, Lenten Stuffe (Harleian Miscellany, VI., 172). [He] unsheathed his CUTTLE-BONG, and from the nape of the necke to the taile dismembered him.
1608. DEKKER, The Belman of London, in wks. (GROSART) III., 154. He that cuts the purse is called the Nip.… The knife is called a CUTTLE-BUNG.
1610. ROWLANDS, Martin Mark-all, p. 37 [Hunterian Club’s Reprint, 1874]. A Roome CUTTLE: a sword. A CUTTLE BUNG: a knife to cut a purse.
