American slang, largely dated, for a person fleeing from law enforcement or justice. Closely related to 'on the lam', the lamster is actively running, hiding, or evading arrest. The term has a distinctly mid-20th century crime fiction feel -- you would find it in hardboiled detective novels more than modern news coverage. Still understood but rarely used outside deliberately vintage or noir contexts.
The detective knew every lamster in the city eventually turned up at the same three motels.
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A lamster is old American slang for someone who's on the run from the law — a fugitive who's taken it on the lam. The word comes from the thieves' cant phrase on the lam, meaning to flee. It has a vintage, noir quality: hardboiled detectives and crime pulp writers would have used lamster naturally. Rarely heard today but still understood.
The detective knew the lamster had a twelve-hour head start and wouldn't stop until he hit the state line.
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(slang) A fugitive from justice.
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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.