An obsolete piece of 18th-19th century British thieves and vagabond cant for a gentleman's house or fine residence — a target for theft. Gentry meant upper class, cove was cant for a fellow or person, and ken was cant for a house or dwelling. Entirely archaic and of historical linguistic interest.
The crew spent a week watching the gentry cove's ken before deciding it was worth the risk.
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UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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(obsolete, UK, thieves) A gentleman's house.
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