gentry cove's ken
An obsolete piece of 18th-19th century British thieves and vagabond cant for a gentleman's house or fine residence — a target for theft.
Definitions
An obsolete piece of 18th-19th century British thieves and vagabond cant for a gentleman's house or fine residence — a target for theft. Gentry meant upper class, cove was cant for a fellow or person, and ken was cant for a house or dwelling. Entirely archaic and of historical linguistic interest.
The crew spent a week watching the gentry cove's ken before deciding it was worth the risk.
Comments
(obsolete, UK, thieves) A gentleman's house.
Comments
Used in
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "gentry cove's ken".
🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "gentry cove's ken" (G)
Browse all slang words starting with G.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- 87%
(obsolete, UK, thieves) A gentleman.
- 87%
Old thieves' cant for a gentleman — someone with money, manners, and a target on their back. In the criminal underworld of 18th-century Britain, a gentry cove was the mark worth following through a crowded market. The word "cove" was slang for any man or fellow, while "gentry" flagged his social class. It's the ancestor of every hustle that separates marks from their cash.
- 70%
(obsolete, UK, thieves) A gentleman.
- 69%
(obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) A friend; a good fellow; a good companion.