Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

yegg

 - 4 dictionary results

yegg

[yeg]
–noun Slang.
1. a safecracker.
2. an itinerant burglar.
3. a thug.

Origin:
1925–30, Americanism; of obscure orig.; the proposals that the word is < G Jäger “hunter” or that it is the surname of a well-known safecracker are both very dubious
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To yegg
yegg   (yěg)   
n.   Slang
A thief, especially a burglar or safecracker.

[Origin unknown.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
yegg [jɛg]

  1. n.
    a tramp, thief, or safecracker. (Underworld.) : See if you can find that yegg we worked with on the bank job. He'll do.
  2. n.
    an obnoxious male. : A couple of drunken yeggs were talking a little too loud, so Spike showed them the door.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

yegg 
"thief, burglar," especially "safecracker," 1903, underworld slang, of unknown origin, said to be from John Yegg, a Swedish tramp, or from Ger. Jäger "huntsman."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see yegg on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: