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Green’s Dictionary of Slang

doctors n.

also the doctor

1. false or loaded dice.

1552		G. Walker Detection of Vyle and Detestable Use of Dice Play in Judges (1926) 44: A finer [trick] than this invented an Italian, and won much money with it by our doctors.
1688		T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia n.p.: Cant List: The Doctor. A particular false Die, which will run but two or three Chances.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Doctor c. a false Die, that will run but two or three Chances. They put the Doctor upon him, c. they cheated him with false Dice.
1704		S. Centlivre Gamester Act I: Here is your true Dice [...] Here is your false, Sir, hey, how they run. Now, Sir, those we generally call Doctors.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1749		Fielding Tom Jones (1959) 280: ‘Here,’ said he, taking some dice out of his pockets, ‘here’s the stuff. Here are the implements; here are the little doctors which cure the distempers of the purse.’.
1774		Foote Cozeners in Works (1799) II 153: The dice are indeed often call’d doctors.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1829		Vidocq Memoirs (trans. W. McGinn) I 62: At the end of a game at which some doctors (loaded dice) were discovered.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1863		Leeds Times 12 Dec. 6/2: Dice can be ‘secured’ with such certainty [...] and dice are made unequal, are scratched, and worked with doctors [...] and despatchers — most appropriately named.
1902		H. Baumann Londinismen (2nd edn).
1906		Minneapolis Jrnl (MN) 24 Jan. 19/3: Our balsam and clickman toads don’t come from the doctors or ministers.
1938		(ref. to 18C) H. Asbury Sucker’s Progress 42: It is interesting to note that in England before the beginning of the nineteenth century dice were commonly known as ‘the bones’ and ‘the doctors,’ while casting them was ‘rolling the bones’.

2. counterfeit coins.

1923

J. Manchon Le Slang.

In phrases

load the doctors (v.) [SE doctor, to adulterate + doctor n. (2)]

to prepare the loaded dice.

1811		C. Hogg Metropolis I 169: Can you cog a die, or throw a main, when you please? Did you ever plumb the bones, alias load the doctors?
1938		H. Asbury Sucker’s Progress 42: Loaded dice were called ‘dispatches’ and ‘dispatchers’ then as now, and to prepare them thus for cheating was to ‘plumb the bones’ or ‘load the doctors’.

put the doctor(s) on (v.)

to cheat with loaded dice.

1688		T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia I i: Pox o’ th tatts for me! I believe, they put the doctor upon me.
1697		Cibber Woman’s Wit I i: He woul’d ha’ put the Doctor upon me, and communicated his Design to Ned Friendly, who immediately told me of it; upon which (unknown to him) I flung away the Doctor, and clapt into the Box a Pair of true Mathematicks: Fortune was on my side, and in less than two Hours I fairly nickt him of Five Hundred Pound.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
1705		‘Franck Telltroth’ Lunatick 2: Your Sharpers make their Court to me, in hopes to put the Doctor upon me.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.