bess n.1
1. (UK Und.) a short iron bar, used to break open doors, force locks etc.
![]() | Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Bess, c. bring bess and glym, c. forget not the Instrument to break open the door and the Dark-lanthorn. | |
![]() | Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) 202: [as cit. c.1698]. | |
![]() | New Canting Dict. n.p.: bess c. Bring Bess and Glym; i.e. Forget not the Instrument to break open the Door and the Dark-lanthorn [...] betty or bess a small Engine to force open the Doors of Houses; Mill the Gig with your Betty; i.e. Break open the Door with your Instrument. | |
, , , | ![]() | Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. 1725]. |
![]() | (con. 1710–25) Tyburn Chronicle II in (1999) xxix: A Bess or Betty A small Iron Crow. | |
![]() | Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. | |
![]() | Dict. Sl. and Cant. | |
![]() | Lex. Balatronicum. | |
![]() | Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue. | |
![]() | Londres et les Anglais 313/1: bess, [...] instrument pour forcer les portes. |
2. a picklock.
![]() | Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 10: Betty, or Bess — a crooked nail to open locks. Several sizes are carried by cracksmen: they are bent first and hardened afterwards. | |
![]() | Vocabulum 10: bess A pick of a very simple construction. | |
![]() | Sl. Dict. (1890). | |
![]() | Aus. Sl. Dict. 8: Bess [...] pick-locks. |