Books were rare treasures in the Middle Ages, painstakingly copied out by hand. So how to protect them from theft? Scribes sometimes added a curse to the first page of those books that was supposed to keep thieves away — and some were as vicious as...
To warn away thieves, medieval scribes sometimes added a written curse to the colophon of a precious book. Curses were once considered such powerful deterrents that they were sometimes added to Anglo-Saxon legal documents. This is part of a complete...
Tracy from Sherman, Texas, wonders why her dad always used cabbage as a verb to mean “to pilfer or swipe.” This term goes back to at least the 18th century, when the verb to cabbage had to do with employee theft. Specifically, it...
straight lining n.— «Although the city sometimes pulls meters to thwart the most egregious offenders, these water thieves use a method called straight lining to keep the water running. They insert a pipe that taps into the supply line...
patchwriting n.— «Ms. Blum also embraces various postmodern theories of plagiarism. Internet-savvy, intertextual ingénues don’t steal words; they engage in “patchwriting” and “pastiche,” constructing essays the way...
fly signs v. phr.— «He said he’s been arrested several times for “flying signs,” street lingo for panhandling on a street corner, and for theft of food and hygiene items at a Roth’s store.» —“Street kids and authority...