dimber cove

English

dimber cove (plural dimber coves)

(obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) A gentleman.
- 1837, Benjamin Disraeli, Venetia:
  'Tis a dimber cove,' whispered one of the younger men to a companion.
- 1901, Fergus Hume, The Millionaire Mystery:
  Is it Mr. Gramp you want, m'dimber-cove?
- 1918, Jeffery Farnol, Our Admirable Betty:
  "Come now, Benno my dimber cove," cried Jerry at last, "what's the game? What ha' ye brought me here for? Tip us the office!"
(obsolete, UK, thieves' cant) A handsome man.
- 2012, Kate Ross, A Broken Vessel:
  I seen his son once—Mr. Charles Avondale. Cor, he's a dimber cove! Hair like gold, and eyes as'd put blue violets to shame. He ever come here?
- 2013, Maria McCann, Ace, King, Knave:
  'Dimber cove, though, ain't he?'¶ 'Except his hair,' the other girl said. 'I don't care for this newfangled fashion, neither wig nor powder.'¶ 'But a fine colour,' Betsy-Ann said, thinking it would be a pity to powder such hair: like dulling a raven's wing.

[Francis Grose] (1788) “Dimber cove”, in A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 2nd edition, London: […] S. Hooper, […], →OCLC.
Albert Barrère and Charles G[odfrey] Leland, compilers and editors (1889–1890) “dimber cove”, in A Dictionary of Slang, Jargon & Cant […], volume I (A–K), Edinburgh: […] The Ballantyne Press, →OCLC, page 310.
John S[tephen] Farmer; W[illiam] E[rnest] Henley, compilers (1891) “dimber cove”, in Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present. […], volume II, [London: […] Harrison and Sons] […], →OCLC, page 287.