General
lightmans
What does lightmans mean?
The day or daylight; the canting word for daytime, the hours for begging, casing houses and lying low.
"Beg by lightmans, lift by darkmans — that was the order of the day."
Origin
Recorded by Harman (1566) and through B.E. (1699) and Grose (1785), always paired with 'darkmans'. The '-mans' suffix is a regular cant formative rather than a literal reference to men.
Frequently asked questions
What does lightmans mean in thieves' cant?
The day or daylight — the canting word for daytime, recorded by Harman (1566) and paired with 'darkmans'.
Does the -mans mean men?
No — it is a recurring cant suffix found in darkmans and ruffmans, not a reference to men.
What did rogues do by lightmans?
Daylight hours were for begging, casing targets and lying low; the bolder thieving waited for the darkmans.
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