Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. usu. in pl., a glove, esp. those worn by housebreakers to hide fingerprints.

1857		‘Ducange Anglicus’ Vulgar Tongue.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1893		P.H. Emerson Signor Lippo 55: One day he walked straight into this kitchen clobbered in a pair of rounds, tight to his legs, [...] and a long sleeve cadi on his napper, and a pair of turtles on his martins.
1910		Eve. Teleg. (Dundee) 3 Aug. 4/1: He puts on a clean 'Oxford,' changes his 'almonds,' brushes his 'Barnet,' and dons his 'turtles.' He then pays a visit to the 'rub-a-dub'.
1936		J. Curtis Gilt Kid 24: ‘Got any turtles?’ The Gilt Kid, having no gloves, answered: ‘No, but I’ll buy a pair.’.
1937		L. Lane Me and My Girl I iii: Nah gis me titfa and me turtle doves an’ I’ll be on me Edna May.
1943		R. Llewellyn None But the Lonely Heart 116: Always leaving his turtle doves in his sky rocket, he is.
1948		Truth (Brisbane) 1 Aug. 5/3: . [F]our women's gloves were found concealed in Bray’s clothes (in Bray’s rhyming slang,‘gloves’ would probably be ‘turtle doves’ or ‘light-o’-loves’).
1959		‘Screwsman’s Lament’ in Encounter n.d. in Norman Norman’s London (1969) 67: We went round to my gaff, to get my turtle doves, / My stick, tools and glimmer, which every screwsman loves.
1969		S.T. Kendall Up the Frog 12: That’s a decent pair of turtle doves you’ve got!
1977		D. Powis Signs of Crime 206: Turtle (doves) or turtles Gloves (commoner than may be expected, used to refer to housebreakers’ and safe-cutters’ gloves).
1989		(con. 1950s–60s) in G. Tremlett Little Legs 198: turtles gloves (abb. for turtle doves).

2. love.

2002

M. Coles More Bible in Cockney 22: Me turtle-dove for you is too blinkin’ strong, inni?