E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Thieves’ Latin.
Slang; dog, or dog’s Latin; gibberish.
1
“What did actually reach his ears was disguised so completely by the use of cant words and the thieves’ Latin, called slang, that he … could make no sense of the conversation.”—Sir W. Scott: Redgauntlet, chap. xiii.
“He can vent Greek and Hebrew as fast as I can thieves’ Latin.”—Sir W. Scott: Kenilworth, chap. xxix.
