A Conversation in Flash

[Jonathon Green]

George Thompson wrote:
> Commenting on the passage below, Jonathon Green wrote, in part:
>
> "Partridge, _Dict. Underworld_, has _feather_, albeit as a noun, in
> Alexander Smith's _History of the Highwaymen_ (1719-20): 'Whilst Stephen
> was bargaining for Three Quarters of a Yard of Cloth [...], his
> Companion had the Opportunity of taking the Feather, as Thieves call it,
> out of a Pin in the Window.' [etc.]
>
> I suppose that "feather" here is similar to "pluck"?
>
> GAT
>
>
EP, on rereading, suggests that the 'feather' in Smith implies a jewel
or stone, thus 'out of a Pin' and offers the phr. 'feather in one's cap'
as possibly cognate. I'm not sure about the feather = jewel, and surely
'feather in one's cap' is simply that, a feather (as adornment). Given
that EP doesn't conclusively define feather n. in his citation, and the
only cant uses of feather in 18C slang/cant dictionaries = 1. the pubic
hair, 2. (in pl.) money, we are in the end none the wiser. That said the
link to 'pluck' seems very persuasive, and perhaps the cant noun,
whatever its true meaning, is quite irrelevant.

BTW, the OED has feather v.
>  *12.* /Shooting/. To knock a few feathers from (a bird) without killing.
which would fit very well with the use of 'wing', if you agree with my
'shoot but not kill' suggestion. However the cites are late 19th century.


JG

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