kidsman

Fagin's character was based on the criminal Ikey Solomon; there was a recognized specialty in the 19th-century London underworld called a "kidsman" - an adult who recruited children and trained them as pickpockets, exchanging food and shelter for the stolen goods the children brought "home."

OOM-PAH-PAH, OOM-PAH-PAH 2006

Fagin's character was based on the criminal Ikey Solomon; there was a recognized specialty in the 19th-century London underworld called a "kidsman" - an adult who recruited children and trained them as pickpockets, exchanging food and shelter for the stolen goods the children brought "home."

November 2006 2006

Charles Dickens 'Fagin is a "kidsman", an adult who recruits children and trains them as pickpockets and thieves, exchanging food and shelter for goods the children steal.

Indybay newswire 2009

But when it became apparent there was a public appetite for a whole book about Oliver, Dickens had to decide the fate of some of his characters - including Nancy, the young prostitute who was part of the gang led by Fagin, the notorious 'kidsman' who gave children food and shelter in return for the goods they stole.

Home | Mail Online 2009

Charles Dickens 'Fagin is a "kidsman", an adult who recruits children and trains them as pickpockets and thieves, exchanging food and shelter for goods the children steal.

unknown title 2009