hes in London.

In some cases, in the higher class of gaming establishments, the Greeks,
or decoys, being men of title or considerable standing in society, did
not receive a fixed salary for seducing young men of fortune, but being
in every case very needy men, they nominally borrowed, from time to
time, large sums of money from the hell-keepers. It was, however,
perfectly understood on both sides that the amount so borrowed was never
to be repaid.(51)

(51) Grant, Ubi supra.

WHY CHEATS WERE CALLED GREEKS.

M. Robert-Houdin says that this application of the term 'Greek'
originated from a certain modern Greek, named Apoulos, who in the reign
of Louis XIV. was caught cheating at court, and was condemned to 20
years at the galleys. I think this a very improbable derivation, and
unnecessary withal. Aristotle of old, as before stated, ranked gamesters
'with thieves and plunderers, who for the sake of gain do not scruple to
despoil their best friends.' We afterwards find them bearing just as bad
a character among the Romans. Says Juvenal--

Graeculus esuriens in coelum jusseris, ibit.
'Bid the hungry Greek to heaven, to heaven he goes.'

Dr Johnson translated the words, 'Bid him to h--l, to h--l he
goes'--which is wrong. A DIFFICULTY is implied, and everybody knows that
it is easier to go to the latter place than the former. It means that a
needy Greek was capable of doing anything. Lord Byron protested that he
saw no difference between Greeks and Jews--of course, meaning 'Jews'
in the offensive sense of the word. Among gamblers the term was chiefly
applied to 'decoys.'

GAMING TABLE SLANG AND MANOEUVRES.

Captain Sharp. A cheating bully, whose office it was to bully any
'Pigeon,' who, suspecting roguery, refused to pay what he had lost.

St Hugh's bones. Dice. A bale of bard cinque deuces; a bale of flat
cinque deuces; a bale of flat size aces; a bale of bard cater treys; a
bale of flat cater treys; a bale of Fulhams; a bale of light graniers;
a bale of gordes, with as many highmen and lowmen for passage; a bale of
demies; a bale of long dice for even or odd; a bale of bristles; a bale
of direct contraries,--names of false dice.

Do. To cheat.

Done up. Ruined.

Down-hills. False dice which run low.

Elbow-shaker. A gamester.

Fulhams. Loaded dice.

Fuzz. To shuffle cards closely: to change the pack.

Game. Bubbles, Flats, Pigeons.

Gull Gropers. Usurers who lend money to gamesters.

Greeks.