hawk/hock

[Douglas G. Wilson]

It's a punshop, isn't it?

Unless the owner's surname is Hawk or something like that (and maybe even
if it is), I suppose the name "Hawk Shop" is a play on "hock shop"? I don't
know whether that implies anything with respect to phonetic variations.

The slang term "hawk" = "steal" is, I suppose, basically a variant of
"hock" = "steal" ... or vice versa ... and this connection might be
relevant, perhaps?

-- Doug Wilson