subs. (common).—A chum; a friend; a partner; an accomplice. [Probably from the Gypsy.]
1785. GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v. PALL. A companion. One who generally accompanies another, or who commit robberies together.
1789. G. PARKER, Life’s Painter, 150. PAL. When highwaymen rob in pairs, they say such a one was his or my PAL.
1821. D. HAGGART, Life, 172, s.v.
1821. P. EGAN, Life in London [DICK], p. 60. Jem is so cut up, that all his old PALS have turned their backs upon him.
1830. W. T. MONCRIEFF, The Heart of London, ii. 1. Your PALS have been laid up in lavender.
1836. H. M. MILNER, Turpin’s Ride to York, i. 3. A further reward … for the apprehension of his PAL, the gentleman highwayman.
1838. G. W. REYNOLDS, The Housebreaker’s Song [FARMER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 123].
| But if ever a PAL in limbo fell, | |
| He’d sooner be scragg’d at once than tell. |
1839. W. H. AINSWORTH, Jack Sheppard, (1889), 15. It’s all right, PALS, cried Baptist.
1841. The Comic Almanack, 260. I can’t even svear; my PALS u’d hardly know me.
1840–5. R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends, ‘The Auto-da-fé’ (1862), 267.
| Highborn Hidalgos | |
| With whom e’en the King himself quite as a ‘PAL’ goes. |
1843. W. T. MONCRIEFF, The Scamps of London, i. 2. Our young PAL.
1844. C. SELBY, London by Night, i. 2. I see you are not too proud to shake hands with an old PAL.
1858. A. MAYHEW, Paved with Gold, III. v. Ned and Phil, mutually agreed that their PAL was ‘a born genius.’
1871. Standard, 26 Dec. Their PALS outside, the gentry who hocus Jack ashore in the east, pick the pockets of Lord Dundreary in the west.
1879. JUSTIN MCCARTHY, Donna Quixote, xxxvii. A coward like that couldn’t even be true to his PAL.
1882. Daily Telegraph, 7 Oct., 6, 1. The witness added that the parties were very good friends; in fact, they were PALS together.
1891. J. NEWMAN, Scamping Tricks, 70. I had an old PAL with me.
1892. CHEVALIER, ‘The Little Nipper’ [FARMER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 192].
| ’E calls ’is mother ‘Sally,’ | |
| And ’is father ‘good old PALLY,’ | |
| And ’e only stands about so ’igh, that’s all! |
1893. P. H. EMERSON, Signor Lippo, v. His PALS didn’t seem to take notice.
Verb. (common).—1. To make friends with; to chum.
1879. J. W. HORSLEY, ‘Autobiography of a Thief,’ in Macmillan’s Magazine, XL. 500. I PALLED in with some older hands at the game.
1892. MILLIKEN, ’Arry Ballads, 7. We’ll PALL OFF to Parry.
1893. P. H. EMERSON, Signor Lippo, xvii. I PALLED IN with a lot more boys, done a bit of gonoffing or anything to get some posh, but it got too hot, all my pals got nicked, and I chucked it.
1898. Cigarette, 26 Nov., 13, 1. It’s their weddin day on Toosday; Married fifty year ago. That’s a TIDY time to PAL it! More than I could do, I know!
2. (thieves’).—See quot.
1851. H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, ix. 768. It was difficult to PALL him upon any racket (detect him in any pretence).
