Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a prostitute, or one who sets up a client with a prostitute, who uses an establishment, such as a tavern, which provides rooms to be used on a freelance basis for prostitution.

1654		Mercurius Fumigosus 22 25 Oct.–1 Nov. 187: Of running Bawds, Black-potts, and Canns.
1660		Wandring Whore III 6: I remember how Jone Harman a running baud, and Nan. Robinson a common whore, served a Sea Captain as he walked thorough Pye-corner [...] they got him into a pimping-house.

(UK Und.) a criminal who poses as a window cleaner/mender so as to find empty houses that can be robbed.

1781		G. Parker View of Society II 179: Running Glazier. This fellow is on the look-out what families are leaving London.
1789		G. Parker Life’s Painter 175: Running glazier. A fellow that gets a little round hat, an apron, a pane of glass in one hand with a lump of putty stuck upon the corner of it; finds out what families have left town, knocks at the door, tells the house-keeper that he had orders to clean and mend the windows; but he no sooner begins cleaning and mending, than watching the first opportunity he robs the house.
1833		‘The Christening of Little Joey’ in Corinthian in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 45: I must [...] come running glazier.

a street-hawker of books, pamphlets, ballads and similar printed material.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Running-stationers, Hawkers or those that cry News and books about the Streets.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Running stationers. Hawker of newspapers, trials, and dying speeches.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1859		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. 84: RUNNING PATTERER, a streetseller who runs or moves briskly along, calling aloud his wares. [Ibid.] RUNNING STATIONERS, hawkers of books, ballads, dying speeches and newspapers.
1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. [as cit. 1859].
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 222/1: Running patterers [...] usually deal in murders, seductions, crim.-cons, explosions, alarming accidents, ‘assassinations’, deaths of public characters, duels and love letters.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict. 217: running stationer a hawker of books, ballads, dying speeches, and newspapers. Persons of this class formerly used to run with newspapers, blowing a horn, when they were sometimes termed flying stationers. Now-a-days, in the event of any political or social disturbance, the miserable relics of these peripatetic newsmen bawl the heads of the telegram or information in quiet London thoroughfares, to the disturbance of the residents.
1876		Lloyd’s Wkly Newspaper 3 Dec. 1/1: Lord Salisbury [...] became as prodigal of speech as a running patterer.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 69: Running Patterer, a street hawker who cries aloud his wares.

(UK Und.) one of a team of pickpockets who rolls a large grindstone down the street; when pedestrians move out of his way, the attendant pickpockets rob them.

1789		G. Parker Life’s Painter 168: The running rumbler is a fellow belonging to a gang of pickpockets, who, in order to give them an opportunity of working upon the buz, that is picking of pockets, gets a large grinding-stone, which he rolls along the pavement, the passengers hearing the rumble endeavour to get out of the way, for fear of its running against them, or over their toes; in this critical moment some of the gang snatch your watch, or pick your pocket.
1801		G. Hangar Life, Adventures and Opinions II 60: Various impositions, practised daily on the unwary [...] such as the running rumbler, skylarking, blue pigeon flying.
1833		‘The Christening of Little Joey’ in Corinthian in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 45: I shall go on the running rumble, if you will go with me, Mr Cock-a-brass.

(UK Und.) a shop-thief.

1703		Hell Upon Earth 3: Some are very acute for the Running-Smobble, which is a Lay Two or Three have together, one of ’em running into a Shop, when People are in a Back-Room, or busie behind the Counter, snatching up something, conveys it to one of his nimble Comrades.
1708		J. Hall Memoirs (1714) 6: Running-Smoblers, Such as go into a Shop in the Night, where People are busie in the Back-room, or elsewhere, and snatching something that’s nearest them, they run away with it.
1714		A. Smith Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 261: The Running-Smoble, which is, in a dark Evening for one of them to go into a Shop, pretending to be drunk, and, after some troublesome Behaviour, he puts the Candles out, and taking away whatever comes first to hand [...] whilst another flings handfuls of Dirt and Nastiness into the Mouth and Face of the Person that crys out to stop Thief.
1718		C. Hitchin Regulator 19: The Running-smabble, alias to run into a Shop or other Place, and blow out the Candle, and snatch what they can away.
1768		(con. 1710–25) Tyburn Chronicle II in Groom (1999) xxvii: [as cit. 1718].
c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Running Smobble. Snatching goods off a Counter, & throwing them to an Accomplice, who brushes off with them.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn).
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

(UK Und.) one who robs children on their way to school.

1781		G. Parker View of Society II 168: The Running Snavel. Men and women who watch little boys of a Monday Morning going to school, with their satchel of books thrown over their shoulders, and the money for their week’s schooling in their pockets, and a large piece of bread and butter in their hands. As soon as the Snaveller is up to this, he or she coaxes the child up some by-alley, narrow court, or dark passage, and grabbles the whole.
1789		G. Parker Life’s Painter 141: She works now upon the running snavel, and I do a little upon the kid rig, and sometimes I go upon the craft-rig.
1801		G. Hangar Life, Adventures and Opinions II 60: Various impositions, practised daily on the unwary [...] such as the runny snarel [sic].