# Thieves Cant Even

##### A pretty gay take on the secret language of rogues.

\page # Thieves Cant Even To make a version of Thieves Cant that I could speak with my players, I used Polari--the “secret gay language” that was used in England before homosexuality was decriminalized--and some of the same techniques that Polari drew upon to create words: I stole from other European languages and hacked and shortened words. I also modified some Polari words to “conjugate” them or make them sound better in context. The greatest advantage to this version of Thieves Cant is that players and DMs can speak it aloud in front of other players and they won't understand. It sounds sort of like English and others may gain clues from context but it also sounds like gibberish. ## How to use This version of Thieves Cant can be spoken. All the words are written phonetically. That might cause a lot of looking up words between speakers but it's fun as hell. One way that I've used it is to write out a script between a PC and NPC and given that script to the player to read aloud with me. This allows the DM to deliver information only to the rogue while also confusing all the other players. ``` ``` > ### More Polari > * The Polari words came from this website: http://chris-d.net/polari/ > * and this Android Polari app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=polari.app. > * If you want to watch two people speak Polari, this is fascinating: https://vimeo.com/125398425 > * I should also acknowledge the Morrissey song, “Piccadilly Palare” which brought Polari to my attention a long time ago.

## Version 1.0 I will continue to update this document as I update the dictionary for my players. New versions can be found wherever you found this document and on my website http://everweird.world.

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INTRODUCTION

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## Words and Expressions | Word or Expression | Meaning and Use | |:----|:-------------| |a piece|a bit, a little amount (can be ironic to mean “a lot”)| |ajax|nearby| |batts|shoes, boots| |bijou|small| |bod|body| |bold|daring| |bona|good| |bona che varda|good to see you| |bona fides|reputation, good standing| |bona nochy|goodnight| |butch|masculine| |camp|effeminate| |capello|hat, helmet| |carsey|toilet, also spelt khazi| |chicken|young boy| |charper|search| |charpering omi|policeman| |cod|naff, vile| |coddy|naff, vile| |cottage|public loo| |crimper|hairdresser| |dis|this| |dish|an attractive male| |dizzy|scatterbrained| |dolly|pretty, nice, pleasant| |drag|clothes, esp. women's clothes| |dubes|drugs, pills| |dwog|dwarf| |ecaf|face| |ee, im|he, him| |eef|elf| |eek|face (abbreviation of ecaf)| |ends|hair| |esong|nose| |fake|make, do, take, do something with, show (In thieves’ cant, this verb is often used for any making or doing like the Spanish verb “hacer”)| |fantabulosa|wonderful| |feele|child| |fruit|queen (royalty)|

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PART 1 | WORDS and EXPRESSIONS

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| Word or Expression | Meaning and Use | |:----|:-------------| |Gardy loo!|Look out! Be careful!| |gates|the (literal or symbolic) entrance to a city, guard towers, security| |gelt|money| |glossies|magazines| |gnok|gnome| |gratz|thank you| |grid|city| |handbag|money| |hoofer|dancer| |jarry|food, also mangarie| |kaffies|trousers| |kerterver|bad, nasty, wicked| |khazi|toilet, also spelt carsey| |lallies|legs| |latty|room, house or flat| |lills|hands| |lilly|police (Lilly Law)| |luppers|fingers| |mais oui|of course| |mangarie|food, also jarry| |maung|to destroy, damage| |measure|business, job| |measures|money| |meese|plain, ugly| |meshigener|nutty, crazy, mental| |metzas|money| |mince|walk| |naff|bad, drab| |nanti|not, no| |national handbag|dole| |nishta|nothing, no| |oglefakes|glasses| |ogles|eyes| |omi|man| |Omi|Mr| |on yer tod|alone| |onk|nose| |orbs|eyes|

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PART 1 | WORDS and EXPRESSIONS

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| Word or Expression | Meaning and Use | |:----|:-------------| |palare pipe|telephone| |palliass|back (as in part of body)| |park|give| |plate|feet| |polari|chat, talk| |polone|woman| |Polone|Ms| |pots|teeth| |reckon|think, imagine, assume| |riah/riha|hair| |riah shusher|hairdresser| |round|outside, beyond (as a location)| |rounder|the physical bar in a pub or tavern. I.e. not a pub as a whole but the bar inside| |savvy|to know, understand| |scar|to carve, cut| |scarper|to run off, to escape| |scotch|leg| |schwartze|dark, black| |sharda|what a pity| |see|find| |sharpy|policeman| |shush|verb:steal; noun: theft| |shush bag|holdall| |shyker/shyckle|wig, disguise| |siggy|signature, sign, sigil| |slap|makeup| |snatch|to catch| |stanleys|weapons (among thieves, this can be assumed to be black market)| |steamer|top man, assistant| |strillers|musical instrument| |swap|trade| |thews|thighs| |troll|to walk about| |uh|of, about| |vada/varda|see, meet| |vaf|look, see; interjection: look!| |wager|verb: bet, imagine| |wit|with| |yas|you (object)| |yer|you’re|

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PART 1 | WORDS and EXPRESSIONS

\page ## Letters and Names In this version of Thieves Cant, rogues often speak of others using their first initial instead of a name. This creates a great flexibility because players and DMs do not have to say actual names (which would hint at whom they were discussing) and because the conversation can adapt to whichever persons they might need to discuss. ``` ``` | Letter | Pronunciation / Spelling in Thieves Cant | |:----:|:-------------| | A | Ah | | B | Bey | | C | Tsay | | D | Dey | | E | Eh | | F | Fa | | G | Geh| | H | Ha| | I | Ee| | J | Yot| | K | Kah| | L | La| | M | Mi| | N | Na| | O | Uh| | P | Pi| | Q | Koo| | R | Ra| | S | Sol| | T | Tey| | U | Ooh| | V | Fau| | W | Wuh| | X | Zechs| | Y | Yah| | Z | Zed|

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PART 2 | LETTERS and NAMES

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## Sample conversation |Thieves Cant| Common| |:----|:-------------| |SMITH: boyno. Bona che varda.| Hello. It is nice to see you. | |ARIES: boyno|Hello| |SMITH: why a dolly eef trollin’ wit a coddy dwog?|What is a nice elf like yourself doing with a vile dwarf?| |ARIES: only together for a measure|It's a business arrangement| |SMITH: a measure uh shush?|Is this a theft?| |ARIES: nanti. some gelt inna swap.|No. We're buying something in a trade.| |SMITH: wager it's Omi Zed er Omi Geh|I bet it's with Mr Z or Mr G| |ARIES: why you reckon|Why do you assume that?| |SMITH: only measure to fake is wit em. Plus I vaffed you with the gnok. Ee’s Omi Zed’s steamer.|The only business like that you can do is with them. Also, I saw you with the gnome. He is Mr Z’s assistant.| |ARIES: whatcha savvy uh Omi Zed|What do you know about Mr Z?| |SMITH: Zed fakes the dubes in the grid. Geh fakes the Stanleys. both kerterver. They fake round the gates. They'll maung this grid a piece. Gardy loo.|Mr Z runs the drugs trade in the city. Mr G runs the arms trade. They're both wicked. They work outside of the city walls but they'll ruin the city. Be careful.| |ARIES: gratz|Thank you| |SMITH: yer not on yer tod. Need me and scar a siggy in the rounder. I'll vaf it and see yas.|You're not on your own here. If you need me, carve your sigil in the bar. I'll see it and find you.| |ARIES: gratz.|Thank you| |SMITH: Fake this. Eff yer snatched in tha Schwartze grid. Dis gelt fakes yer bona fides.|Take this. If you're caught in the dark city, this coin shows you have business there.| |SMITH to the dwarf: Bona che varda! Best scarper for the sharpies vaf yer meesee eek, ya frecken coddy dwog.|Great to see you! You better run off before the guards see your ugly face, you vile dwarf!| |SMITH To ARIES: Bona nochy. Gardy loo.|Good night. Take care.|

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PART 3 | CONVERSATION

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