Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a form of confidence trick, involving confusing a shopkeeper when giving change [16C-17C SE lob, a country bumpkin; i.e. a lumpish person].

1708		J. Hall Memoirs (1714) 7: Some are Ingenious at the Lob, which is going into a Shop to have a Guinea or a Pistole changed, and the Change being given, the Bringer Palms Two or Three Shillings, and then says there wants so much, which the Shop-keeper telling over again, says ’tis true, and very Innocently makes up the Sum.
1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 260: He was also very good for the Lob, which is going with Confort [i.e. a sidekick] into any Shop to change a Pistole or a Guinea, and having about half his Change, quoth his Confort, What need you to change, I have Silver enough [...] Upon which, the other throws the Money back again into the Money-box, but with such Dexterity, that he has one of the Pieces [...] sticking in the Palm of his Hand, which he carries clean off without any Suspicion of Fraud.

2. a snuffbox, any box, thus lob-lay, stealing snuffboxes (by pickpocketing).

1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 242: Taking Lobs from behind Ratlers; that’s to say, Trunks or Boxes from behind Coaches.
1718		C. Hitchin Conduct of Receivers and Thief-Takers 15: A Wedge Lobb, alias Gold or silver Snuff Box.
1726		A. Smith Memoirs of... Jonathan Wild 3: The Gentlemen of the Wipe-Lay, Kid-Lay, File-Lay, Lob-Lay [...] gave Jonathan Wild a very great Opportunity of detecting them.
1729		Life of Thomas Neaves 34: They robb’d the Man of his Scout, his Lob, and his Cole, that is his Watch, Snuff-Box, and about seven Pounds in Gold and Silver.
1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 42: A Lobb full of Glibbs; a Box full of Ribbons.
1764		Bloody Register I 126: He [...] then went upon the other lay, taking Lobs (portmanteaus, boxes, trunks, &c. from behind coaches).
1786		Whole Art of Thieving [as cit. 1753].
1799		‘Cant Lang. of Thieves’ Monthly Mag. 7 Jan. [as cit. 1753].

3. a till, a cash register; thus dip/frisk/pinch/sneak a lob, to rob a till; make a good lob, to take a large amount of money from the till; lobber, a till robber.

1734		C. Johnson Hist. of Highwaymen &c. n.p.: He was also very good for the lob [F&H].
a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795) n.p.: rum lob a shop till.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum n.p.: So he fences all his togs to buy her duds, and then He frisks his master’s lob to take her from the bawdy ken.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London II 227: [They] regretted that there was no ‘wassel in the lob’ (money in the chest).
1839		H. Brandon Dict. of the Flash or Cant Lang. 163/2: Lobb – a till.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 57: She flokessed his nibs, and hooked it off to his crib, unscrewed the drum, made the lob and scarpered.
1847		G.W.M. Reynolds Mysteries of London III 71/2: If you should pinch a lob or plan — / A sneezer or a randlesman — / Or work the bulls and couters rum — / Or go the jump and speel the drum.
1857		J. Archbold Magistrate’s Assistant (3rd. edn) 455: A till – a lob.
1869		F. Henderson Six Years in Prisons of England (2008) 62: Stealing the till and opening the safe is what we call ‘lob-sneaking and Peter-screwing’.
1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 10: He blew on Sam who frisked a lobb and the same day came it on Joe for fencing the prad got on the cross. / He informed on Sam who robbed a till, and the same day informed on Joe for selling the horse come by dishonestly.
1894		A. Morrison Tales of Mean Streets (1983) 152: No boy would parlour-jump nor dip the lob for him.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 46: Lob, a money-drawer.
1935		R.T. Hopkins Life and Death at the Old Bailey 63: The following crooks’s words and phrases date from the old days of the old Old Bailey [...] to rob a till – pinch a lobb.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1950		P. Hoskins No Hiding Place! 191/1: Lob. Till.
1976		(ref. to 1930s) R. Barnes Coronation Cups and Jam Jars 206: Lobber – Till robber.

4. (Und.) thieves’ booty, a haul, thus a fortune, a large amount, usu. of money.

1824		letter 28 Dec. in Pierce Egan’s Life in London (10 Apr. 1825) 83/2: [W]e proceeded to the lane, by the fishpond; here we packed our lob (booty), and dinged (threw) several things into the pond .
1841		‘Poll Newry, The Dainty Flag-Hopper’ in Gentleman’s Spicey Songster 34: If a gent passes bye, she soon frisks his cly, / And she fences the lob with Sal Carey.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 57: Copped the lob, darked the hommo of the cassey, and scarpered with the swag, bona.
1848		Bell’s Life in Sydney 26 Feb. 1/4: Did you make a lob, Benney? A funt, that ere’s all.
1854		Sydney Morn. Herald 24 Nov. 2/1: Diggers who sought for alluvial gold [...] were not sufficiently provided with money to wait for the expected ‘lob’.
1862		Once a Week viii 535: Well, instead of about a pennyweight [...] the old fellow washed out a good half-ounce at least, so he must have a regular lob of gold stowed away somewhere .
1905		‘The Murrumbidgee Shearer’ in ‘Banjo’ Paterson Old Bush Songs 93: I went up to a station, and there I got a job; / Plunged in the store, and hooked it, with a very tidy lob.
1916		Joyce Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man 105: To the sellers in the market, [...] to the beggars who importuned him for a lob Mr. Dedalus told the same tale.
1938		J. Curtis They Drive by Night 109: There might be some ready lob.
1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.
1986		P. O’Farrell Tell me, Sean O’Farrell 79: A big cleft appeared in the mound. He saw lobs (large quantities) of treasure within and went home for a bag to collect some.

5. the head.

1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 5: Lobb - The head (pugilistic).
1889		Times-Democrat (New Orleans, LA) 9 July 3/6: Prize Ring Slang [...] ‘Brain canister’, ‘lob,’ ‘nob,’ ‘lolly,’ the head.

6. (Aus./UK prison) pay.

1914

Bulletin (Sydney) 13 Aug. 26/3: Oh, she was a tart wot noo a point, / So I never squeaked me lob, / But she foxed me down to the kindler joint / And got the strength a’ me job.

7. (UK police/und.) a wallet.

1950

P. Hoskins No Hiding Place! 191/1: Lob. Pocket-book.