What does fogle mean?
A fogle is a silk handkerchief, historically worn by men either folded as a decorative pocket square or knotted about the neck. The word entered English in the eighteenth century and became firmly embedded in the street slang of London's underworld, where 'fogle' named not just the accessory but the prize: pickpockets who specialized in snatching silk handkerchiefs from unwary gentlemen were known as fogle-hunters, and the trade was common enough to have its own vocabulary and techniques. Today the word survives chiefly as a piece of historical color, encountered in period fiction, costume histories, and dictionaries of slang rather than in ordinary conversation. Its charm lies in this specificity: where modern English offers only the generic 'handkerchief' or 'pocket square', fogle evokes gaslight streets, frock coats, and the deft fingers of Victorian thieves, making it a favorite of writers seeking authentic period texture.
nounA fogle is a silk handkerchief, especially one carried as an ornamental pocket square or neckerchief. In thieves' slang of the 18th and 19th centuries, it specifically denoted such a handkerchief as the target of pickpockets.
- A silk handkerchief worn as a pocket square or neckerchief.
- (Historical thieves' slang) such a handkerchief regarded as loot by pickpockets.
"He drew a spotted fogle from his breast pocket and dabbed his brow."
"The dandy tucked his brightly printed fogle neatly into his waistcoat pocket."
"The magistrate heard how the fogle-hunter had lifted three silk handkerchiefs in a single evening."
The standard plural follows regular English noun formation.
"The haberdasher's tray held a dozen foggles in every shade."
In Victorian slang, a 'fogle-hunter' was literally a pickpocket who specialized in stealing gentlemen's silk handkerchiefs.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fogle
Fogle appears to have arisen in English slang during the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century, first recorded as a term for a silk handkerchief. Its ultimate origin is obscure: it has been suggested that it derives from a proper name or from some continental word for a fabric or garment, but no derivation has been conclusively established. What is certain is its rapid adoption into the canting language of thieves, who used it both for the object itself and in derived terms describing those who stole it.
How fogle is actually used
Fogle is now rare and largely historical or literary, appearing mainly in accounts of 18th- and 19th-century dress and in crime fiction set in those periods. It carries a quaint, period-flavored connotation rather than everyday relevance.
Easily confused with fogle
Goggle means to stare with wide, protruding eyes, while fogle is a silk handkerchief; the two merely share a similar sound pattern.