cold wittles

[George Thompson]

The idea may be that the thieves pose as beggars.  They knock on a back
door and if anyone answers they ask for a handout of "cold vittles" as
a cover for having knocked, and if no one answers they try to break
in.  I have seen stories of thieves using such a technique, but haven't
seen this term.

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much lately.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mullins, Bill" <Bill.Mullins at US.ARMY.MIL>
Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 11:19 am
Subject: cold wittles

> Brooklyn Daily Eagle 20 Oct 1859, p. 3
> "A SNEAK THIEF. -- Some daring sneak thief stole an overcoat from the
> hall of No. 51 Willoughby street last night.  Keep your basement door
> locked and look out for the "cold wittles" gentry."
>
> Neither "cold wittles" nor "wittles" seems to be in the OED.  Any idea
> what the meaning of the phrase is?
>
> Perhaps "cold vittles", meaning that the overcoat thief can't
> afford hot
> food? (the only other use of the phrase I can find is in Jack London's
> "People of the Abyss", in which this meaning would seem to be
> appropriate.)
>