Old thieves' cant for a gentleman — someone with money, manners, and a target on their back. In the criminal underworld of 18th-century Britain, a gentry cove was the mark worth following through a crowded market. The word "cove" was slang for any man or fellow, while "gentry" flagged his social class. It's the ancestor of every hustle that separates marks from their cash.
The pickpocket clocked a gentry cove stepping out of the carriage and signalled to his crew.
No comments yet — say something.
(obsolete, UK, thieves) A gentleman.
No comments yet — say something.
Add your own interpretation of "gentry cove".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.