Bargoens

This seemingly useless word is a type of Dutch slang. It is specifically a cant language that started during the 17th century. This form of slang was commonly used by useless tramps, criminals and travelling salesmen. The Bargoen slang was mainly used as a secret code  by these people.

In the latter part of the 19th century, the word “Bargoens” became a typical thieve’s cant. This lasted until the first half of the 20th century.

Bargoens has a lot of Yiddish loan words. This is because of the fact that the Jewish travelling salesmen have increased in number and these people were treated as outcasts.

So there you go. I hope you were able to pick some valuable facts from this post. I gotta go now, I still have to attend my Bargoens class later in the afternoon.