Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und., also kenner, ker) a house; a home, a room.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 83: a ken a house.
1594		Nashe Unfortunate Traveller in Works V (1883–4) 172: Out of ken we were ere the Countesse came from the feast.
1608		Dekker Lanthorne and Candle-Light Ch. 1: Ken, signifying a House, they call a Prison, a Quier ken, thats to say, an ill house.
1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 39: Ken an house.
1622		Beaumont & Fletcher Beggar’s Bush V i: Or surprising a boor’s ken, for grunting-cheats?
1637		Dekker Canting Song in Eng. Villainies O: If we niggle or mill a Bowsing Ken [...] And then to the quier Ken to scowre the cramp-ring.
1648		Dekker Canters Dict. Eng. Villainies (9th edn).
1665		Head Eng. Rogue.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn).
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Ken c. a House. A bob Ken, or a Bowman-ken, c. a good or well Furnished House, full of Booty, worth Robbing, also a House that Harbours Rogues and Thievs. Biting the Ken, c. Robbing the House. Ken miller c. a House-breaker.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 196: To mill each Ken, let Cove bring then, / through Ruffmans Jauge or Laund.
1719		A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) 207: Ken, a house.
1724		Hist. of the remarkable Life of John Sheppard 17: The Prisoner told him [...] that he knew a Ken where they might get something of Worth.
1735		Dyche & Pardon New General Eng. Dict. n.p.: Ken. a Cant Name for a Dwelling House of any Sort.
1747		Life and Character of Moll King 12: But who had you in your Ken last Darkee?
1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 18: Elger jump’d the Glasses of a Gentlman’s Ken; that is, lifted up the Window of a House at the lower End of the Square, and jump’d into the Parlour.
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict. 16: Broker’s Shop – Stolen-ken.
1764		Bloody Register II 293: He knew a Ken where they might get something of worth.
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		‘Flash Lang.’ in Confessions of Thomas Mount 18: A house, a ken.
c.1800		‘The Rolling Kiddy’ in Holloway & Black (1975) I 233: And goes with the Garden lads to every night bawdy ken.
1808		B. Bradshaw Hist. of Billy Bradshaw 10: In Black-boy alley I’d a ken.
1819		‘One of the Fancy’ Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 37: And loud and long we cheer’d his prattle / With shouts, that thunder’d through the ken.
1829		Vidocq Memoirs (trans. W. McGinn) III 64: The fence’s ken (receiver’s house) is only a stone’s throw off.
1838		Dickens Oliver Twist (1966) 142: Is he to be kidnapped to the other ken, Nancy says?
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 65: Padding Kens. Among the numerous dossing casseys with which this flash locality is crowded, is [...] No. 160, Mint, Borough, Southwark.
1848		G.W.M. Reynolds Mysteries of London II (2nd series) 276: I made you stay close with me at the flash lodging-ken.
1856		C. Reade It Is Never Too Late to Mend II 254: You two meet me at Jonathan’s ken in an hour.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 425/1: This bill specifies the best prices for rage, left-off clothes &c. One fellow goes and drops these bills at the kens (houses).
1867		(con. 1600s) M. Lemon Leyton Hall I 236: A barnacle—a foist, I think you call him—hath eased me of my purse.’ ‘Oh!’ said Honest Joe [...] ‘So clapperclawed already? I trust by a ben cull of my ken.’.
1875		G.A. Atkins Brine letter Apr. 19 in Ribton-Turner (1887) n.p.: A quack who was lodging at the same ‘ken’ with me asked me if i was willing to earn a couple of shillings easily.
1881		Newcastle Courant 2 Sept. 6/5: The Raven steered directly to the ken Sam had just left.
1889		Answers 27 July 136/1: My associations in the fourpenny lodging ken were such as would have degenerated a stronger character than mine [F&H].
1893		P.H. Emerson Signor Lippo 105: I can’t return any more to the ken.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 41: Ken, a house.
1906		E. Pugh Spoilers 6: Won’t you come to the ken first?
1910		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘Young Actresses’ Sporting Times 8 Oct. 1/3: She always, when they’ve vanished from her ken, / Brings the house down with her capers.
1930		S.J. Perelman letter in Crowther Don’t Tread on Me (1987) 31 Oct. 6: An old acquaintance swam into our steaming ken a couple of days ago.
1932		Western Gaz. 18 Mar. 12/4: What sort of ‘kenners’ did it work at? The best, my boy; only the best [...] Never any use trying it with poor folks. They’d ‘squeal’.
1936		J. Curtis Gilt Kid 231: Who the hell had ever heard of a screwsman rolling up to his mort’s ken with a bunch of violets. Sounded silly, nancy.
1958		D. Reeve Smoke in the Lanes 256: I likes it in the kenner, ’tis warm. [Ibid.] (Gloss. of Romani terms) 301: Kenner, Ker ... House.
2001		K. Sampson Outlaws (ms.) 13: To be fair, Marie’s always doing something new to their ken.
2019		P. Baker Fabulosa 294/1: ken a house.

2. (UK Und.) a disreputable drinking place.

1608		Dekker Belman of London (3rd) J4: Where is the ken that hath the bene bowse?
1610		Rowlands Martin Mark-all 42: Out budgd the Coue of the Ken, / With a ben filtch in his quarr’me.
1639		J. Taylor Crabtree Lectures 193: Mort. [...] Cove be sure thou tip me some Lower, when you budge backe from the Ken.
1641		R. Brome Jovial Crew II i: For all this bene Cribbing and Peck let us then, / Bowse a health to the Gentry Cofe of the Ken.
1789		G. Parker Life’s Painter 136: Then we’ll all roll in bub and grub / Till from this ken we go.
1800		Sporting Mag. Apr. XVI 26/1: Called at a ken in the way home, drank four goes of brandy.
1822		D. Carey Life in Paris 335: How long the gemmen kept it up, in this both low and lofty ken, the females of which were up to trap, is not in our record.
1841		‘F.L.G.’ Swell’s Night Guide K2: Ken A Low Drinking Room.
1851		G. Borrow Lavengro I 123: We found them in what was in my time called a ken, that is a house where only thieves and desperadoes are to be found.
1859		Wkly Varieties (Boston, MA) 3 Sept. 6/2: Brown, keeper of a shebang, No. — Union street, is deserving of five years [...] for allowing such a drunken set of thieving molls to frequent his ken.
1861		Melbourne Punch ‘The Lay of the Lags’ 14 Mar. 1/1: Ye who screeve, and ye who blob, / Close the ken and dub the jigger, / Great’s the news for all who rob.
1920		Ade Hand-made Fables 269: This very Ken in which you are now standing was a favoured Rendezvous for Collegians attending Athletic Contests in yonder field.

3. (UK tramp) a bed.

1837

Disraeli Venetia I 153: Trim a ken for the gentry cove.

4. a brothel.

1842

Wkly Rake (NY) 9 July n.p.: the rake advisesSamuel R. to kep away from a certain ‘ken’ in Greenwich street .

5. (US) in sense of house n.¹ (1), a private house that doubles as a centre for commercial sex.

1867

Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 21 Sept. n.p.: After calling at a number of first-rate ‘bordelloes’ [...] a visit was proposed to the ‘ken’ of a notorious colored woman. [...] The beauty in question resides ina rickety old ‘ken,’ takes in washing [...] to cover her real business, that of a procuress.

6. see patten-ken n.