E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Pickers and Stealers.
The hands. In French argot hands are called harpes, which is a contracted form of harpions; and harpion is the Italian arpione, a hook used by thieves to pick linen, etc., from hedges. A harpe d’un ohien means a dog’s paw, and “Il mania très bien ses harpes” means he used his fingers very dexterously.
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“Rosencrantz. My lord, you once did love me. Hamlet. And do still, by these pickers and stealers.”—Shakespeare: Hamlet, iii. 3.
