subs. (old).—1. A pickpocket. Also FILE CLOY or BUNG-NIPPER; cf., BUTTOCK. Fr., une poisse à la détourne.
1754. FIELDING, Jonathan Wild, bk. IV., ch. xii. The greatest character among them was that of a pickpocket, or, in truer language, a FILE.
1837. DICKENS, Oliver Twist, p. 123. You’ll be a fine young cracksman afore the old FILE now.
1859. G. W. MATSELL, Vocabulum; or, The Rogue’s Lexicon. The FILE is one who is generally accompanied by two others, one of whom is called the ‘Adam tyler’; and the other the ‘bulker,’ or ‘staller.’ It is their business to jostle or ‘ramp’ the victim, while the ‘FILE’ picks his pocket, and then hands the plunder to the Adam tyler, who makes off with it.
2. (common).—A man: i.e., a COVE (q.v.). Thus SILENT FILE (Fr., un lime sourde) = a dumb man; CLOSE-FILE = a miser, or a person not given to blabbing; HARD-FILE = a GRASPER (q.v.); OLD FILE = an elder; and so forth.
1821. P. EGAN, Tom and Jerry (ed. 1890), p. 54. He was one of the deepest FILES in London; indeed, he was ‘awake’ on every suit.
1836. DICKENS, Pickwick Papers, p. 360 (ed. 1857). ‘Wot a perverse old FILE it is!’ exclaimed Sam, ‘always agoin’ on about werdicks and alleybis, and that. Who said anysthings about the werdick?’ Ibid. (1837), Oliver Twist, p. 233. The Dodger … desired the jailer to communicate the names of them two FILES as were on the bench.
1841. THACKERAY, The Great Hoggarty Diamond, ch. xi. ‘You beat Brough; you do, by Jove! for he looks like a rogue—anybody would swear to him: but you! by Jove, you look the very picture of honesty!’ ‘A deep FILE,’ said Aminadab, winking and pointing me out to his friend, Mr. Jehoshaphat.
1876. BESANT and RICE, The Golden Butterfly, ch. xiii. If you were not such a steady old FILE I should think you were in love with her.
Verb (old).—To pick pockets.
