The world's toughest language game.
Apr 25, 2025
This week¡¯s theme
Dickensian eponyms
This week¡¯s words
The Artful Dodger introduces Oliver to Fagin and the gang of young
pickpockets
¡°You¡¯ve got to pick a pocket of two¡± from Oliver! (1968)
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg
Artful Dodger
PRONUNCIATION:
(art-ful DOJ-uhr)
MEANING:
noun: A nimble, cunning thief or a pickpocket.
ETYMOLOGY:
After the Artful Dodger, nickname of Jack Dawkins, in Charles
Dickens¡¯ 1838 novel Oliver Twist. Earliest documented use: 1839.
NOTES:
The Artful Dodger is part of a group of children who pick pockets
and are led in a life of crime by .
The Artful Dodger is the nimblest knave in this band of pint-sized
purse-liberators. Dressed like a dandy and slick as a buttered weasel,
he¡¯s a performance artist with pockets as his canvas.
Also see: .
USAGE:
¡°The pouches on these bags put your phone, wallet, and other daily
necessities on your chest, and that¡¯s tough to tackle for the Artful
Dodgers of this world.¡±
Michael Gebicki; How to Outwit the Pickpockets; Sydney Morning Herald
(Australia); Aug 26, 2023.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.
-Edward R. Murrow, journalist (25 Apr 1908-1965)
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