subs. (thieves’).—1. A receiver of stolen property; a FENCE (q.v.).
2. (general).—A chief in authority; an elder: e.g., THE FATHER OF THE HOUSE = the oldest member of the House of Commons (cf., BABE); among printers, the chairman of the CHAPEL, the intermediary between master and men; in naval circles, the builder of a man-of-war or Government ‘bottom.’
