swell-mobsman

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

A thief who dresses well and tries to appear respectable.

Register: archaic, slang

Where it’s used: Used American English
Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “swell-mobsman” mean?

A thief who dresses well and tries to appear respectable.

Is “swell-mobsman” formal or informal?

swell-mobsman is generally archaic, slang.