gamins

Gamins is the plural of gamin, a French borrowing for a street urchin—a scrappy, mischievous boy who lives by his wits in urban settings.

The word evokes 19th-century Paris or Dickensian London: The gamins darted through the crowded market, pockets full of pilfered fruit.

The feminine form is gamine, which has taken on additional meanings related to a slim, boyish appearance in women.