Cambrouser (servants’), to get engaged as a maid-servant.
Cambrousien, m. (thieves’), peasant, or “joskin.”
Cambrousier, m. (thieves’), country thief.
Cambroux, m. (thieves’), servant; waiter.
Cambuse, f. (popular), house, or “crib;” sailors’ canteen; wine-shop.
Camélia, m., kept woman (La Dame aux Camélias, by A. Dumas fils).
Camelot, m. (popular), tradesman; thief; hawker of any articles.
Le camelot, c’est le Parisien pur sang … c’est lui qui vend les questions, les jouets nouveaux, les drapeaux aux jours de fête, les immortelles aux jours de deuil, les verres noircis aux jours d’éclipse … des cartes transparentes sur le boulevard et des images pieuses sur la place du Panthéon.—Richepin, Le Pavé.
Camelote, f. (popular), prostitute of the lowest class, or “draggle-tail;” (thieves’) —— grinchie, stolen property. Etre pris la—— en pogne, or en pied, to be caught, “flagrante delicto,” with the stolen property in one’s possession. Laver la——, to sell stolen property. Prendre la—— en pogne, to steal from a person’s hand.
Cameloter (popular), to sell; to cheapen; to beg; to tramp.
Camerluche or camarluche, m. (popular), comrade, or “mate.”
Camionner (popular), to conduct; to lead about.
Camisard, m. (military), soldier of the “Bataillon d’Afrique,” a corps composed of liberated military convicts, who, after having undergone their sentence, are not sent back to their respective regiments. They are incorporated in the Bataillon d’Afrique, a regiment doing duty in Algeria or in the colonies, where they complete their term of service; —— en bordée, same meaning.
Camisole, f. (popular), waistcoat, or “benjy.”
Camoufle, f. (thieves’), description of one’s personal appearance; dress; light or candle, “glim.” La—— s’estourbe, the light is going out.
Camouflement, m. (thieves’), disguise.
Camoufler (thieves’), to learn; to adulterate. Se——, to disguise oneself.
Je me camoufle en pélican,
J’ai du pellard à la tignasse.
Vive la lampagne du cam!
Richepin.
Camouflet, m. (thieves’), candlestick.
Camp, m. (popular), ficher le——, to decamp. Lever le——, to strike work. Piquer une romance au——, to sleep.
Campagne, f. (prostitutes’), aller à la——, to be imprisoned in Saint-Lazare, a dépôt for prostitutes found by the police without a registration card, or sent there for sanitary motives. (Thieves’) Barboteur de——, night thief. Garçons de——, or escarpes, highwaymen or housebreakers who pretend to be pedlars.
Campe, f. (cads’), flight; camping.
Camper (cads’), to flee, “to brush.”
Camperoux. See Cambroux.
Camphre, m. (popular), brandy.
Camphrier, m. (popular), retailer of spirits; one who habitually gets drunk on spirits.
Campi (cads’), expletive. Tant pis——! so much the worse!
Camplouse, f. (thieves’), country.
Camuse, f. (thieves’), carp; death; flat-nosed.
Can, m. (popular), abbreviation of canon, glass of wine. Prendre un—— sur le comp, to have a glass of wine at the bar.
Canage, m. (popular), death-throes.
Canaillade, f. (popular), offence against the law.
J’ai fait beaucoup de folies dans ma jeunesse; mais au cours d’une existence accidentée et décousue, je n’ai pas à me reprocher une seule canaillade.—Macé.
Canaillon, m. (popular), vieux——, old curmudgeon.
Canard, m. (familiar), newspaper; clarionet; (tramcar drivers’) horse. (Popular) Bouillon de——, water. (Thieves’) Canard sans plumes, bull’s pizzle, or rattan used for convicts.
Canarder (popular), to take in, “to bamboozle;” to quiz, “to carry on.”
Canardier, m. (popular), journalist; vendor of newspapers; (journalists’) one who concocts “canards,” or false news; (printers’) newspaper compositor.
Canarie, m. (popular), simpleton, or “flat.”
Canasson, m. (popular), horse, or “gee;” old-fashioned woman’s bonnet. Vieux——! old fellow! “old cock!”
Cancre, m. (fishermens’), jus de——, landsman, or “land-lubber.” Cancre, properly poor devil.
Cancrelat, m. (popular), avoir un—— dans la boule, to be crazy. For other kindred expressions, see Avoir. Cancrelat, properly kakerlac, or American cockroach.
Cane, f. (thieves’), death.
Canelle, f. (thieves’), the town of Caen.
Caner (thieves’), la pégrenne, to starve. Caner, properly to shirk danger.
Caneson. See Canasson.
Caneton, m. (familiar), insignificant newspaper. Termed also “feuille de chou.”
Caneur, m. (popular), poltroon, or “cow babe.”
Caniche, m. (popular), general term for a dog. Properly poodle. Termed also “cabgie, cabot.” It also has the signification of spectacles, an allusion to the dog, generally a poodle, which acts as the blind man’s guide. (Thieves’) Caniche, a bale provided with handles, compared to a poodle’s ears.
Canne, f. (police and thieves’), surveillance exercised by the police on the movements of liberated convicts. Also a liberated convict who has a certain town assigned him as a place of residence, and which he is not at liberty to leave. Casser sa——, to break bounds. Une vieille——, or une——, an old offender. (Literary) Canne, dismissal, the “sack.” Offrir une——, to dismiss from one’s employment, “to give the sack.”
Canon, m. (popular), glass of wine drunk at the