An Irish/English term for a male street kid. Think Artful Dodger, a young grifter or chiseller. A kid who is not necessarily a criminal, but uses cunning, skill and opportunity to make money.

The term may be used pejoratively, but not by me. I think of tough, cute kids who are trying to make ends meet, often bringing the money straight home to their families.

I know a man who as a child used to sell a newspaper or magazine called "The Troubadour" in the 50's. This man, as a young boy, figured out that if he stood outside the Church of the Holy Name in Manchester as Mass ended, when the Irish working men left, either having had a few beers beforehand, or on their way to the pubs and shebeens, he would often be given the price of the paper, but the generous souls wouldn't take what they'd bought. They would pay him and see it as charity. He would make 3-4 times as much money this way, by knowing when and where and how to stand. This is clever and blameless chiselling/corner boy action, nobody was getting conned. It may have been the case that this boy had to defend his patch a little bit from the other kids. The money went straight to the kid's mother, minus a small handling fee. Pretty good story, dad, I love you.