kidsmann.
/ˈkɪdzmən/ slang. Obsolete.
A person who trains children to become thieves, esp. one who also provides them with board and lodging. Cf. Fagin n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > [noun] > one who trains children to thieve
kidsman1839
1839 H. Brandon Dict. Flash or Cant Lang. in W. A. Miles Poverty, Mendicity & Crime 163/2 Kidsman, one who boards and lodges boys, training them to become thieves.
1859 G. W. Matsell Vocabulum 48 The kidsman accompanies the kid, and though committing no depradations himself, he controls and directs the motions of the others.
1870 D. J. Kirwan Palace & Hovel xliv. 620 ‘Ye'll not find a man or woman 'ere as would `crack a case'..and the ‘Kidsmen’ are..as perlite as young Sweks.’
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1997; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1839