cutpurse
Old-timey pickpocket
A cutpurse was a thief who stole by cutting purses from belts—the common method of carrying money before pockets became standard in clothing.
The term survives as a literary or historical word for a pickpocket or petty thief: The streets were full of cutpurses and rogues.
It evokes Elizabethan England and similar settings.
Thief who steals carried items
- pilfererOne who steals trifles
- footpadAnimal's plantar surface
- highwaymanMounted thief targeting travelers
- brigandArmed robber, often rural
rogue · knave · scoundrel · ruffian · dipper · light-fingered · nimble-fingered · filcher
Of late 1500s England
- RenaissanceEuropean cultural reawakening
- shillingsTwelve-pence coins
- pouchSmall flexible bag
- gallowsExecution hanging apparatus
Old Bailey · Newgate · marketplace · tavern · alehouse · fob · bodkin · dagger
Sneak off with trifles
lift · slit · slice · furtive · surreptitious · sleight-of-hand · deft · dexterous
Small flexible bag
- walletSmall case for currency
- beltStrap securing trousers
- girdleBody-shaping undergarment
- pocketFabric compartment in clothing
satchel · coins · ducats · guineas · sovereigns · valuables · jewelry
Stealthily deceptive
- covertIntentionally concealed
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- unseenNot perceived visually
- undetectedNot discovered yet
shadowy · silent · slippery · stealthy · inconspicuous · unnoticed · lurking · skulking
pickpocket
Thief who steals carried items
- pilfererOne who steals trifles
- footpadAnimal's plantar surface
- highwaymanMounted thief targeting travelers
brigand · rogue · knave · scoundrel · ruffian · dipper · light-fingered · nimble-fingered · filcher · purloiner
Elizabethan
Of late 1500s England
- RenaissanceEuropean cultural reawakening
- shillingsTwelve-pence coins
- pouchSmall flexible bag
gallows · Old Bailey · Newgate · marketplace · tavern · alehouse · fob · bodkin · dagger · Tudor
pilfer
Sneak off with trifles
swipe · lift · slit · slice · furtive · surreptitious · sleight-of-hand · deft · dexterous · distraction
pouch
Small flexible bag
pocket · satchel · coins · ducats · guineas · sovereigns · valuables · jewelry
sneaky
Stealthily deceptive
- covertIntentionally concealed
- clandestineConcealed from authorities
- unseenNot perceived visually
undetected · shadowy · silent · slippery · stealthy · inconspicuous · unnoticed · lurking · skulking · prowling
- Outlawsoutlaw, bandit, desperado, highwayman, robber
- thievesthief, robber, burglar, pickpocket, shoplifter
- pickpocketspickpocket, dip, bag snatcher, snatcher
- cantcant, flash, patter, lingo, cove
- Tudor Roguesrogue, vagabond, pickpocket, ruffler, frater
- Olde Englishthee, thou, thy, thine, hath
cutpurseconstable
Low-ranking peace officer
watchman · lawman · peace officer · sheriff · guard
cutpursebenefactor
One who gives aid
philanthropist · almsgiver · patron · donor · giver