certain Sergeant Dalton,
about the year 1869, charged a youthful prisoner at the
Melbourne Police Court with being "<i>a-larrr-akin</i>' about
the streets." The Police Magistrate, Mr. Sturt, did not quite
catch the word--"A what, Sergeant?"--"A larrikin', your
Worchup." The police court reporter used the word the next day
in the paper, and it stuck. (See quotation, `Argus,' 1896.)

This story is believed by 99 persons out of 100; unfortunately
it lacks confirmation; for the record of the incident cannot
be discovered, after long search in files by many people. Mr.
Skeat's warning must be remembered--"As a rule, derivations which
require a story to be told turn out to be false."

(2) That the word is thieves' English, promoted like
<i>swag</i>, <i>plant</i>, <i>lift</i>, etc., into ordinary
Australian English. Warders testify that for a number of years
before the word appeared in print, it was used among criminals
in gaol as two separate words, viz.--<i>leary</i> ('cute, fly,
knowing), and <i>kinchen</i> (youngster),--`<i>leary kinchen
</i>,'--shortened commonly into `<i>leary kin</i>' and
`<i>leary kid</i>.' Australian warders and constables are
Irish, almost to a man. Their pronunciation of `<i>leary
kin</i>' would be very nearly `<i>lairy kin</i>,' which becomes
the single word <i>larrikin</i>. (See quotation, 1871.) It is
possible that Sergeant Dalton used this expression and was
misunderstood by the reporter.

(3) The word has been derived from the French <i>larron</i>
(a thief), which is from the Latin <i>latronem</i> (a robber).
This became in English <i>larry</i>, to which the English
diminutive, <i>kin</i>, was added; although this etymology is
always derided in Melbourne.

1870. `The Daily Telegraph' (Melbourne), Feb. 7, p. 2, col. 3:

"We shall perhaps begin to think of it in earnest, when we
have insisted upon having wholesome and properly baked bread,
or a better supply of fish, and when we have put down the
`roughs' and `larrikins.'"

1870. `The Age,' Feb. 8, p. 3, col. 1:

"In sentencing a gang of `larrikins' who had been the terror
of Little Bourke-street and its neighbourhood for several hours
on Saturday night, Mr. Call remarked. . ."

1870. `The Herald,' April 4, p.3, col. 2:

". . . three larikins who had behaved in a very disorderly manner
in Little Latrobe-street, having broken the door of a house and
threatened to knock out the eye of one of the inmates."

1870. Marcus