whiz n.4
1. constr. with the, the occupation of pickpocketing.
 | implied in on the whiz(z) | |
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Sharpe of the Flying Squad 329: ‘The Wizz’ – the term which describes the art of picking pockets. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | et al. DAUL 236/2: Whiz, the. The pocket-picking profession. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | He who Shoots Last 47: He was a master of the wiz, or master dip. | |
| Signs of Crime 207: Whiz, the The craft of the pickpocket: ‘Tom has been at the whiz these last ten years at least.’. |
2. a pickpocket.
| Rough Stuff 110: Georgie the Jap who is known throughout America as the cleverest whizz in the country. | |
| Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 252: whiz Lookout for pickpockets whizz A pickpocket at work. | |
| et al. DAUL 236/2: Whiz, n. A pickpocket. |
3. amphetamine, amphetamine sulphate.
| Curvy Lovebox 24: Burnt out on whizz. | |
| Reach 111: I find Patricia chopping up monster lines of whizz with her Barclaycard. | |
![[Scot]](/static/img/flags/sco.png "Scotland") | Be My Enemy 98: No stranger to posh or whizz when he needed an eighteen- [...] hour session at the computer. |
In compounds
a pickpocket.
| Lowlife (2001) 90: ‘Put your money away, before one of the whizz artists decides to take it off you. Come on.’ ‘Whizz artists?’ ‘Pickpockets.’. |
a pickpocket.
| Cheapjack 240: ‘Whizzboys,’ I knew, meant ‘pickpockets.’. |
a team of pickpockets.
| Gippsland Times(Vic.) 29 Jan. 3/2: Gangs of pickpockets are called ‘whizz mobs’. | |
| Triumphs of Detection 47: A ‘wizz mob’ which operated [...] at Hammersmith Broadway. | |
| Gilt Kid 279: ‘George King, just surrendered to his bail on a charge of being a suspected person loitering in the neighbourhood of Baker Street Tube Station with the intention of picking pockets.’ ‘Didn’t know you was in a whizz mob, Kingy.’. | |
| Phenomena in Crime 208: The ‘pick-up’ gangs and the ‘whizz mobs’ are kindred racketeers. | |
| Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 252: whiz gang A pickpocket gang or mob. | |
| in Sun. Graphic 23 Nov. in Norman’s London (1969) 39: He had once been a very prominent member of a highly respected whizzmob. | |
| (con. 1920s) Burglar to the Nobility 28: What do you want me to do [...] go picking pockets with a whizz-mob? | |
| You Flash Bastard 157: Guv – they made a nice show with that whiz-mob. |
(Aus. Und.) a confidence trickster.
| Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 2 Dec. 18/1: All sorts and conditions of crooks take part in the great trek — ‘whizz’ men, ‘broad-tossers,’ ‘shell’ wroughters, ‘Jack’ spinners; all are there. | |
| Sun. Mail (Brisbane) 13 Nov. 20/8: The men who worry the police most are the ‘whizz’ or ‘con.’ men. |
In phrases
working as a pickpocket.
| Jackson Dly News (MS) 1 Apr. 7/1: Crook Chatter [...] ‘Fresno Phil flew me a kite last week sayin’ they was a dozen raps against me for “throwin a hump” for him in St Louis. I was only on the “whizz” in that town once in my life’. | |
| 25 Years in Six Prisons 17: Some of the boys are ‘on the whiz’ (pickpockets), or ‘go screwing’ (burglars) or ‘telling the tale’ (confidence trick) or ‘tweedling.’. | |
| Rough Stuff 110: One day while I was strolling along the pier I ran into two of the best pickpockets, that is men on the whizz, in the country. | |
| Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 1: At the whizz: Picking pockets [Ibid.] 4: Doing the whizz; picking pockets in a crowd. | |
| Gilt Kid 244–5: They were, he knew, on the lookout for pickpockets [...] they might pinch him for being on the whizz. | |
| Back Where I Came From (1990) 22 1: There may be some old-timers who will go on the whiz again. | |
| Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 168: on the wiz Working at picking pockets. | |
| No Hiding Place! 189/1: At the Whiz. Pickpocketing. | |
| in Good Words (1987) 218: On the whiz. Out plying the pickpocket’s trade. |