badgers
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A crew of desperate villains who robbed near rivers, into which they threw the bodies of those they murdered. Cant.
Era: ca. 1811 (Georgian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Grose’s Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue (1811 edition, public domain; Project Gutenberg #5402, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “badgers” mean?
A crew of desperate villains who robbed near rivers, into which they threw the bodies of those they murdered. Cant.
Is “badgers” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.