nib-cove
An obsolete piece of British criminal slang for a gentleman, used historically in the thieves' cant subculture.
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Born ~1873 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
An obsolete piece of British criminal slang for a gentleman, used historically in the thieves' cant subculture. 'Nib' was a cant term for something fine or genteel, while 'cove' was a common cant word for a man or fellow. The combined term suggests a man of high social standing, likely used by the criminal underclass when referring to potential targets or social superiors. It is entirely archaic and would only appear in historical texts or fiction set in Georgian or Regency-era Britain.
The pickpocket spotted the nib-cove stepping out of his carriage and signaled to his associate.
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(slang, obsolete, UK) A gentleman.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
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.
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- dimber cove68%
(obsolete, UK, thieves) A gentleman.
- dimber cove66%
(obsolete, UK, thieves) A handsome man.
- gentry cove66%
(obsolete, UK, thieves) A gentleman.
- gentry cove66%
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.