Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a young or novice criminal.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Eriffs Canary-birds two years old.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: eriffs Canary-birds Two Years old, from whence, in a Canting Sense, it is taken for Rogues just initiated, and beginning to practise.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. 1725].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant n.p.: Eriffs young thieves in training.
1821		Flash Dict.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1871–82		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.
1881		Trumble Sl. Dict. n.p.: ‘It’s the gait all them eriffs dances,’ observed the one-eyed man [B&L].