Brewer's: Pickers and Stealers

The hands. In French argot hands are called harpe, which is a contracted form of harpions; and harpion is the Italian arpione, a hook used by thieves to pick linen, etc., from hedges. A harpe d'un chien means a dog's paw, and “Il mania très bien ses harpes” means he used his fingers very dexterously.

“Rosencrantz. My lord, you once did love me. Hamlet. And do still, by these pickers and stcalers.” —Shakespeare: Hamlet, iii. 3.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language