English · Idiom Historical

to well

Preserved but no longer current.

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To divide unfairly. To conceal part. A cant phrase used by thieves, where one of the party conceals some of the booty, instead of dividing it fairly amongst his confederates.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

phân chia không công bằng, che giấu một phần

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

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.

Topics: Water Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “to well” mean?

To divide unfairly. To conceal part. A cant phrase used by thieves, where one of the party conceals some of the booty, instead of dividing it fairly amongst his confederates.

Is “to well” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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