Bargoens [bɑrˈɣuns] is a form of Dutch slang. More specifically, it is a cant language that arose in the 17th century, and was used by criminals, tramps and travelling salesmen as a secret code, like Spain's Germanía or French Argot. It is speculated to originate from Rotwelsch.
However, the word Bargoens usually refers to the thieves' cant spoken between 1850 and 1950. The actual slang varied greatly from place to place; often Bargoens denotes the variety from the Holland region in the Netherlands. While many words from Bargoens have faded into obscurity, others have become part of standard Dutch (but are more often used in the "Hollandic" than in other Dutch dialects). Hufter (jerk), gappen (to steal) and poen (money) are examples of words now common in Dutch. As is the case for most thieves' languages, many of the words from Bargoens are either insults or concern money, crime or sex.
Bargoens has many Yiddish loanwords. Examples are sjacheren (to barter), mesjogge (crazy), jatten (hands, to steal), gabber (buddy, friend), tof (great), hachelen (to eat).
The name of this cant is close to baragouin, which means "jargon" in French. It is supposed to have been derived either from the Breton words bara+gwin (bread+wine) or from Bourgondisch ('Burgundish', i.e. [the language] from Burgundy).
Many Woonwagenbewoners (indigenous Dutch Travellers and Romani) used to speak this language as well.
Examples
| apehaar | (bad) tobacco |
| appie kim | OK |
| bajes | prison (from Yiddish בית) |
| bekakt | snobbish, posh |
| bollebof | manager |
| bisnis | business life, more specifically in prostitution |
| eisjedies | adultery |
| gabber | friend (from Yiddish חבר) |
| gozer | young man (slang of Geuzen) |
| hufter | bastard |
| lef | courage (Old German (van Dale)) |
| jatten' | noun: hands; verb: steal (from Yiddish) |
| penoze | underworld, organized crime (from Yiddish פּרנסה) |
| opduvelen! | bugger off! |
| saffie | cigarette; in earlier days also cigar (from the Morocco leather used for cigar kokers) |
| smeris | policeman (from Yiddish שמירה) |
| temeier | prostitute (from Yiddish טמאה) |
| kassiewijle | dead, defect (conjugation of box and old Germanic word) |
| toges/tokus | pump, anus (from Yiddish תּחת) |
Also the nicknames of former Dutch guilders were Bargoens:
| spie | cent |
| hondje, beisje | dubbeltje, 10 cent coin |
| heitje | Twenty-five cent coin (from Yiddish ה) |
| piek, pegel | guilder |
| knaak | rijksdaalder |
| joet | ten guilders (from Yiddish י ) |
| geeltje | twenty five guilders (lit. "little yellow one") |
| meier | hundred guilders (from Yiddish מאה) |
| (rooie) rug | thousand guilders (lit. "(red) back") |
Further reading
- Endt, Enno; Frerichs, Lieneke (2011). Bargoens Woordenboek - Kleine woordenschat van de volkstaal (1 ed.). Bert Bakker. ISBN 978 90 351 3652 6.
- Moormann, Jules; Sijs, Nicoline van der (2002). De geheimtalen. L.J. Veen. ISBN 902 04 594 57.
- Hauwermeiren, Paul van (2020). Bargoens. Vijf eeuwen geheimtaal van randgroepen in de Lage Landen. Uitgeverij Skribis. ISBN 978 94 639 6916 1.