Green’s Dictionary of Slang

the teeth.

1823

‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc.

the teeth.

1935

A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks 31/2: Dining room furniture, the teeth.

(UK Und.) a species of robbery whereby one man poses as a lamplighter, leaning his ladder against the house that is to be robbed. The thief mounts it and makes an entry at a first-floor window. If the police appear and the ‘lamplighter’ runs, his partner has no means of leaving the house other than to jump.

1781		G. Parker View of Society II 139: Dining-Room Jump. This is executed by four men, one of whom dressed as a Gentleman pretends to want lodgings [...] At night another of the Gang, dressed like a Lamp-lighter, puts a ladder up against the dining room window [...] a third ascends, lifts the sash, gets in, and almost immediately guts the room. As soon as they have completed this robbery, the Jumper descends.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: The jump, or dining-room jump; a species of robbery effected by ascending a ladder placed by a sham lamp-lighter, against the house intended to be robbed. It is so called, because, should the lamp-lighter be put to flight, the thief who ascended the ladder has no means of escaping but that of jumping down.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1785].

(UK Und.) a method of robbery in which the villain poses as a postman, sends up a sham letter to a resident of a lodging house and, while waiting for the postage to be brought down, robs the first open and empty room they encounter.

1781		G. Parker View of Society II 139: Dining-Room-Post is a mode of stealing by a man, who, pretending to be the Postman, goes to lodging-houses under the pretence of having letters for the lodgers. These sham letters being sent up for the postage, which he seems to wait for, as soon as he is left alone, he goes into the first room which he finds open, and whips off with him whatever he can lay hold of, nor once minds the postage of his letter.
c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions .
1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd edn).
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.