E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Pigeon (To).
To cheat, to gull one of his money by almost self-evident hoaxes. Pigeons are very easily gulled, caught by snares, or scared by malkins. One easily gulled is called a pigeon. The French pigeon means a dupe.
1
“Je me deffieroy tantost que tu serois un de ceux qui ne se laissent si facilement pigeonner à telles gens.”—Les Dialogues de Jacques Tahureau, (1585).
Flying the pigeons. Stealing coals from a cart or sack between the coaldealer’s yard and the house of the customer.
2
Flying the blue pigeon. Stealing the lead from off the roofs of churches or buildings of any kind.
3
To pigeon a person is to cheat him clandestinely. A gullible person is called a pigeon, and in the sporting world sharps and flats are called “rooks and pigeons.” The brigands of Spain used to be called palomos (pigeons); and in French argot a dupe is called pechon, or peschon de ruby; where pechon or peschon is the Italian piccione (a pigeon), and de ruby is a pun on dérobé, bamboozled.
4
To pluck a pigeon. To cheat a gullible person of his money. To fleece a greenhorn. (See GREENHORN.)
5
“‘Here comes a nice pigeon to pluck,’ said one of the thieves.”—C. Reade.
