fencing-cully
Definition
Noun: - A receiver of stolen goods: "fencing-cully" is an archaic term referring to a person who knowingly buys or receives stolen property, typically to sell it for profit. The word combines "fencing" (the act of dealing in stolen goods) and "cully" (a slang term for a man or a dupe, though here it denotes a criminal associate).
Usage Examples
- (A person who buys stolen items.)
- (A historical reference to a receiver of stolen goods.)
Advanced Usage
- Historical context: This term is rarely used in modern English, but it appears in historical novels or discussions of criminal slang from the 1600s–1800s.
- The author described the fencing-cully as a shadowy figure who never asked where the jewelry came from. (A literary use in a period piece.)
Variants and Related Words
- Fence (n): a more common modern term for a receiver of stolen goods.
- The fence paid the thief a fraction of the item's value. (A person who deals in stolen property.)
- Cully (n): an old slang term for a man, often a friend or associate, but sometimes a gullible person.
- He was a clever cully who knew the streets well. (A colloquial term for a man.)
Synonyms
- Receiver: a person who accepts stolen goods.
- Fence: the standard contemporary term for a fencing-cully.
- Fencing master: an older synonym for a skilled receiver of stolen goods.
Related Idioms
- To be on the fence: (Note: This is a separate idiom meaning "to be undecided" and is not directly related to fencing-cully, but it shares the word "fence.")