Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to buy and sell stolen property.

1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 38: To Fence property, to sell anything that is stolne. [Ibid.] 43: When we haue tipt the loure & fenc’t away the duds / Then binge we to the bowsing ken / Thats cut the Robin Hood.
1678		Ordinary’s Account 17 Apr. 5: He had long and notoriously been concern'd in Fending, [sic] that is, as those Hellish Linguists understand the Canting word, receiving and putting off stolen Goods.
1719		A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) 205: Fence, to spend or lay out; also a receiver and securer of stolen goods. Fence his hog, i.e., to spend his shilling.
1735		Proceedings Old Bailey 11 Sept. 144/2: Now, says he, we will go over the Water, and Fence them.
1741		Ordinary of Newgate Account of the Malefactors executed at Tyburn 18th March 1740 part II 7: After they had fenced the Loges, &c. which was all carried abroad and disposed of by R---r J-----n, since dead.
1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 20: Burk will show you where you may buss a Couple of Prads, and fence them at Abingdon Gaff; that is, Burk, will show you a Couple of Horses that you may steal, and sell them at Abingdon Fair.
1764		Bloody Register III 171: [as cit. 1741].
1779		Proc. Old Bailey 15 Sept. 471/2: Dinmore said, Stumpy, where are these things fenced? I said they were at Mailling's.
1789		G. Parker Life’s Painter 136: I only napt a couple of bird’s eye wipes, which I have just fenc’d to the Cove at that there Ken.
1791		H. Lemoine ‘Education’ in Attic Misc. 116: With Nell he kept a lock, to fence, and tuz.
1801		G. Hangar Life, Adventures and Opinions II 60: Those necessary professional accomplishments, such as [...] how to scamp, prigg, floor, [...] mount, lumber, and fence.
1812		Vaux Memoirs in McLachlan (1964) 81: The stranger observing that he knew where to fence the book.
1824		‘Sonnets for the Fancy’ Egan Boxiana III 622: [as 1791].
1834		‘The Shickster To Her Dab Had Gone’ Flash Chaunter 14: His Ticker she took care to bone, / His Fogle too, d’ye see? [...] With the bawd she fenc’d them both, / Who has stow’d them away.
1841		‘Poll Newry, The Dainty Flag-Hopper’ Gentleman’s Spicey Songster 34: If a gent passes bye, she soon frisks his cly, / And she fences the lob with Sal Carey.
1848		Bell’s Life in Sydney 16 Sept. 3/4: John Napoleon Dillon had taken the horse out of a spree, and fenced his trappings to keep up the lark.
1854		N.Y. Pick (NY) 29 Apr. n.p.: He’s a dabster at fencing.
1857		‘Ducange Anglicus’ Vulgar Tongue 38: He cracked a case last night and fenced the swag.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 41/2: Tim, if he was ‘sugared,’ would stand for them himself, and afterwards ‘fence’ them in the Lane.
1867		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 21 Sept. n.p.: A ‘mob’ of ‘cly-fakers’ [...] ‘fencing the swag’.
1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1881		Sydney Punch 1 Oct. 7/2: [He] fences the swag for as much as a finnup and three or four casers.
1887		W.E. Henley ‘Villon’s Straight Tip’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 176: Fiddle, or fence, or mace, or mack; / Or moskeneer, or flash the drag.
1887		Cincinnati Enquirer (OH) 24 Dec. 12/2: ‘He lifted some stuff from a young gent [...] and before he had time to pawn it they had a “rap” out and he had to go to Baltimore to fence it’.
1896		A. Morrison Child of the Jago (1982) 117: The fat’s a-running boys fenced their swag with a publican at Hoxton.
1906		A.H. Lewis Confessions of a Detective 202: I fenced the fawney for fifty.
1920		F. Packard White Moll 70: Put those sparklers away with the rest until we get ready to ‘fence’ them.
1923		Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 11 Aug. 15/1: These commidities [i.e jewels & furs] are easily fenced.
1930		Eve. Herald (Dublin) 9 Dec. 4/6: ‘Fence’ is the name given to receivers of stolen property, and, as the name implies, they have to ‘fence’ between the ‘screwsman’ (burglar) and the police.
1933		C. Himes ‘Prison Mass’ Coll. Stories (1990) 167: He had driven across town to a garage where he could fence the bus.
1945		B. Frame Crown Jewels are Missing 38: It began to look as though no effort would be made to fence the gems until detectives had given up the search for them.
1953		‘William Lee’ Junkie (1966) 121: Lupita fences on the side.
1969		B. Jackson Thief’s Primer 88: When they steal stuff, they usually fence it through him.
1979		‘Iceberg Slim’ Airtight Willie and Me 71: I’ve heard that your father took a fall fencing.
1985		N. Pileggi Wiseguy (2001) 14: There’d be a crate of stolen toasters to be fenced.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 73: Too hot to hock [...] Too big to fence.
2000		N. Griffiths Grits 26: I’ve had [...] policemen on a tip-off that am fencing stolen goods an dealin drugs.
2015		G. Disher Heat [ebook] ‘You know anyone able or willing to fence it?’ [i.e. a painting].
2020		D. Winslow ‘Crime 101’ in Broken 72: He fences the rocks, washes the proceeds.
2023		A. Nette Orphan Road 57: ‘I’m not entirely sure what Dad did after the war, but it was all illegal. Fencing stolen materials, the occasional armed robbery’.

2. to spend money.

a.1674		‘Of the Budge’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 12: Then every man to the Boozing Ken / And there to fence his hog.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Fence, to Spend or Lay out. Fence his Hog, to Spend his Shilling.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 194: You Darkman-budge, will you fence your Hog at the next Boozen-ken [Night-budge will you spend your Shilling at the next Ale-house].
1719		A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) II [as cit. c.1698].
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict. 118: Friend, will you spend your two-Pence for a Pot of good Ale? Coll, will you fence your Duce for a Gage of Rum Bues?
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

3. (UK Und.) to pawn goods with a receiver.

1811		Lex. Balatronicum n.p.: fence To pawn or sell to a receiver of stolen goods. The kiddey fenced his thimble for three quids; the young fellow pawned his watch for three guineas. To fence invariably means to pawn or sell goods to a receiver.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1833		‘The City Youth’ in Out-and-Outer in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 139: He fences all his togs to buy her duds.
2012		T. Piccirilli Last Kind Words 155: ‘Besides, Wes, you don’t own a hell of a lot to fence’.

4. (UK Und.) to hide (stolen goods).

1846

Swell’s Night Guide 57: schikster: Where’s the plant, cully? gonniff: Fenced in a dunnniken. schikster: What? Fenced in a crapping ken?