Dictionnaire complet de l'argot employé dans les Mystères de Paris

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

24867

Title

Dictionnaire complet de l'argot employé dans les Mystères de Paris

Language

fr

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

This 1844 guide exposes the slang and criminal tactics of Parisian thieves, offering a comprehensive glossary of underworld terms and detailed explanations of common theft methods like window-breaking and pickpocketing.

Summary up to 500 words

Published anonymously in 1844, *Dictionnaire complet de l'argot employé dans les Mystères de Paris* serves as a definitive, albeit grim, guide to the criminal underworld of mid-19th century France. Compiled from the testimonies of a former prison guard and a former overseer of the Roquette prison, the work functions as both a glossary of criminal slang and a manual of theft techniques. The text warns honest citizens against the pervasive dangers facing merchants and the public, detailing how sophisticated criminals use accomplices to distract victims while executing their crimes. The book opens with an extensive glossary defining the lexicon of the *filoux* (pickpockets) and *floueurs* (swindlers). It categorizes people, objects, and actions, offering terms such as *pantre* for a peasant, *flouer* for to swindle, and *pognon* for money. The narrative emphasizes the sophistication of the thieves, who often employ complex ruses to bypass security and exploit human trust. For instance, the *vol au rendez-moi* involves a thief paying for goods with a counterfeit five-franc coin, then demanding a refund from a bewildered merchant who unknowingly returns the fake note. Similarly, the *vol à l'écornage* describes how children would use a knife to silently cut a hole in a shop window to steal items from the display. Beyond specific theft methods, the text exposes various scams, including fake sailors selling counterfeit goods, blind jewel thieves who steal from display cases, and counterfeiters using false keys. The book also highlights the role of informants and police informers within the criminal network, noting that some prisoners act as informants to gain favors, while others, known as *coqueurs*, steal from their own gang members to avoid arrest. The tone is cautionary and instructional, aiming to divulge the secrets of the underworld to society so that honest people can protect themselves. By exposing the methods of the *mystères* (mysteries) of Paris, the anonymous author provides a stark portrait of a city where danger lurks in every shadow, from the crowded boulevards to the quiet streets of the suburbs.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24867.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg24867.epub

Download EPUB

Downloaded at

2026-07-06 12:54 UTC

Categories

• Slang
• French language