Spiv
Encyclopedia
In the United Kingdom
, a spiv is a particular type of petty criminal, who deals in stolen or black market goods of questionable authenticity, especially a slickly-dressed man offering goods at bargain prices. The goods are generally not what they seem or have been obtained illegally.
The term spiv was particularly used during the Second World War and in the post-war rationing period for black-market dealers.
the word was originally racecourse slang, but had become widely accepted by 1950. It appeared in a paperback crime novel in 1934.
The origin of 'spiv' is obscure.
The Oxford English Dictionary
notes that "Spiv" was the nick-name of Henry 'Spiv' Bagster, a London small-time crook in the 1900s who was frequently arrested for illegal street trading and confidence trick
s, and that national newspapers reported his court appearances in 1903-06.
Immediately after the Second World War, the comedian Arthur English
had a successful career appearing as a spiv with a pencil moustache
, wide-brimmed hat, light-coloured suit and a bright patterned tie, and this set the popular image.
in which the spiv is a main character. Other crime films which have been quoted as part of the spiv cycle – though not always featuring a spiv character just criminal dealings – are They Made Me a Fugitive
, It Always Rains on Sunday
, Odd Man Out
, The Third Man
and Waterloo Road
.
in the film The Belles of St Trinian's
and subsequent St Trinian's films
, and the character Private Joe Walker
in the TV series Dad's Army
. The character Swinburne (played by Bruce Forsyth
) in the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks
(set in Second World War London) has a similar appearance, and offers to sell from a selection of watches which are pinned inside his coat. Another example of a spiv in children's fiction is Johnny Sharp in the 1948 novel The Otterbury Incident
by Cecil Day-Lewis
.
In Agatha Christie
's play, The Mousetrap
, the mysterious character of Mr. Paravicini is referred to as a spiv. He arrives unexpectedly at Monkswell Manor, a guesthouse that is the setting for the play, with only one small suitcase. It may be inferred that he has some kind of stolen goods in the case.
In The Kinks
' rock opera
Preservation: Acts 1 & 2
Ray Davies
states that his character "Flash", at that point leader of the Government, had started out as a "Second Hand Car Spiv" in the song "Scum of the Earth".
The Discworld
's Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler is a fantasy
spiv, as is the character of Mundungus Fletcher in the Harry Potter
series.
English singer-songwriter Joe Jackson
based elements of his early public persona around that of the spiv, and labeled his own music as "spiv rock". His use of spiv imagery is particularly evident on the cover of his second album, I'm the Man
.
According to Peter Wollen, "The crucial difference between the spiv - a flashy black-marketeer - and the classic gangster was the degree of sympathy the spiv attracted among audiences weary of wartime and post-war shortages: black-marketeers may have been outside the law, but they performed an obvious public service."
SPIV is a banking acronym for Special Purpose Investment Vehicle.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, a spiv is a particular type of petty criminal, who deals in stolen or black market goods of questionable authenticity, especially a slickly-dressed man offering goods at bargain prices. The goods are generally not what they seem or have been obtained illegally.
The term spiv was particularly used during the Second World War and in the post-war rationing period for black-market dealers.
Origins
According to Eric PartridgeEric Partridge
Eric Honeywood Partridge was a New Zealand/British lexicographer of the English language, particularly of its slang. His writing career was interrupted only by his service in the Army Education Corps and the RAF correspondence department during World War II...
the word was originally racecourse slang, but had become widely accepted by 1950. It appeared in a paperback crime novel in 1934.
The origin of 'spiv' is obscure.
- The Romany word spiv ("sparrow") was supposedly used by the criminal fraternity to indicate a small-time crook, con-man, black-marketeer, or fence rather than a "proper villain".
- Cockneys, meanwhile, claim it as backslang for VIPs (Very Important People) or a London Metropolitan Police acronym for Suspected Persons and Itinerant Vagrants (SPIVs).
- It may come from spiffy, meaning smartly dressed, as spivs are known for their loud and flashy clothing (velvet-collared jacket, loud kipper tieKipper tieA Kipper Tie is a type of necktie primarily fashionable in Britain in the mid 1960s to late 1970s. The primary characteristics of the kipper tie are its extreme breadth and often garish colors and patterns.- Design origin :...
, cocked fedora hat). This might be an example of a reversed etymology: flashily-dressed "spivs" might have been the source of the term, and then applied later when its origin was forgotten. - It may also derive from spiffSpiffA spiff or spiv is an immediate bonus for a sale. Typically, "spiffs" are paid, either by a manufacturer or employer, directly to a salesperson for selling a specific product.-Origin:...
, a bonus for salespeople (especially draperDraperDraper is the now largely obsolete term for a wholesaler, or especially retailer, of cloth, mainly for clothing, or one who works in a draper's shop. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. The drapers were an important trade guild...
s but later car salesmen etc.) for managing to sell excess or out of fashion stock. The seller might offer a discount, by splitting his commission with the customer. A seller of stolen goods could give this explanation for a bargain price.
The Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
notes that "Spiv" was the nick-name of Henry 'Spiv' Bagster, a London small-time crook in the 1900s who was frequently arrested for illegal street trading and confidence trick
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
s, and that national newspapers reported his court appearances in 1903-06.
Immediately after the Second World War, the comedian Arthur English
Arthur English
Arthur Leslie Norman English was an English actor and comedian from the music hall tradition.English was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. After serving in the army in World War II, reaching the rank of sergeant, English worked as a painter and decorator in his native town...
had a successful career appearing as a spiv with a pencil moustache
Pencil moustache
A pencil moustache is a thin moustache found adjacent to, or a little above the lip. The style is neatly clipped, so that the moustache takes the form of a thin line, as if it had been drawn using a pencil. A large gap is left between the nose and the moustache. The line of facial hair either...
, wide-brimmed hat, light-coloured suit and a bright patterned tie, and this set the popular image.
Spiv cycle films
A series of British crime films produced about 1945 to 1950, during the time that rationing was still in effect, dealt with the black market and related underworld, and have been termed spiv movies or the spiv cycle by critics. Examples are Brighton Rock and Night and the CityNight and the City
Night and the City is a film noir based on the novel by Gerald Kersh, directed by Jules Dassin, and starring Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney. Shot on location in London, the plot evolves around an ambitious hustler whose plans keep going wrong....
in which the spiv is a main character. Other crime films which have been quoted as part of the spiv cycle – though not always featuring a spiv character just criminal dealings – are They Made Me a Fugitive
They Made Me a Fugitive
They Made Me A Fugitive is a 1947 British film noir set in postwar England. Based on the Jackson Budd novel A Convict has Escaped, the black-and-white film was directed by Alberto Cavalcanti with brooding and atmospheric cinematography by noted cameraman Otto Heller...
, It Always Rains on Sunday
It Always Rains on Sunday
It Always Rains on Sunday is a film adaptation of the novel by Arthur La Bern, adapted and directed by Robert Hamer. In its gritty, unsentimental depiction of everyday life in post-war Britain, and in its exploration of the tedium, frustration and desperation wrought by grinding poverty, the film...
, Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out is a 1947 Anglo-Irish film noir directed by Carol Reed, starring James Mason, and is based on a novel of the same name by F. L. Green.-Plot:The film's opening intertitle reads:...
, The Third Man
The Third Man
The Third Man is a 1949 British film noir, directed by Carol Reed and starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles, and Trevor Howard. Many critics rank it as a masterpiece, particularly remembered for its atmospheric cinematography, performances, and unique musical score...
and Waterloo Road
Waterloo Road (film)
Waterloo Road is a 1945 British film based on the Waterloo area of South London. It was directed by Sidney Gilliat.-Plot:John Mills plays an AWOL squaddie who returns to south London to save his wife from the advances of a philandering draft-dodger played by Stewart Granger.-Cast:* John Mills as...
.
Other depictions of the spiv in popular media
The image of the spiv was used for the character Flash HarryFlash Harry (St Trinian's)
Henry Cuthbert Edwards aka Flash Harry is a fictional character from the St. Trinian's series of films who first appears in the 1954 The Belles of St Trinian's. The term refers to "an ostentatious, loudly-dressed, and usually ill-mannered man", who may also be a spiv...
in the film The Belles of St Trinian's
The Belles of St Trinian's
The Belles of St Trinian's is a comedy film set in the fictional St Trinian's School, released in 1954. It and its sequels were inspired by British cartoonist Ronald Searle. Directed by Frank Launder and written by him and Sidney Gilliat, it was the first of a series of five...
and subsequent St Trinian's films
St Trinian's School
St Trinian's is a fictional girls' boarding school, the creation of English cartoonist Ronald Searle, that later became the subject of a popular series of comedy films....
, and the character Private Joe Walker
Private Joe Walker
Private Joe Walker is a fictional black market spiv and Home Guard platoon member portrayed by actor James Beck on the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army. James Beck died suddenly in 1973, and is featured in just under three-quarters of the episodes...
in the TV series Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
. The character Swinburne (played by Bruce Forsyth
Bruce Forsyth
Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson, CBE , commonly known as Bruce Forsyth, or Brucie, is an English TV personality...
) in the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a 1971 musical film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution Company which combines live action and animation and was released in North America on December 13, 1971...
(set in Second World War London) has a similar appearance, and offers to sell from a selection of watches which are pinned inside his coat. Another example of a spiv in children's fiction is Johnny Sharp in the 1948 novel The Otterbury Incident
The Otterbury Incident
The Otterbury Incident is a novel for children by Cecil Day-Lewis first published in 1948 with illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. Day-Lewis's second and final children's book, the novel is an adaptation of a French screenplay, Nous les gosses which was filmed in 1941.The novel is set in the...
by Cecil Day-Lewis
Cecil Day-Lewis
Cecil Day-Lewis CBE was an Irish poet and the Poet Laureate from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudonym of Nicholas Blake...
.
In Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
's play, The Mousetrap
The Mousetrap
The Mousetrap is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. The Mousetrap opened in the West End of London in 1952, and has been running continuously since then. It has the longest initial run of any play in history, with over 24,500 performances so far. It is the longest running show of the modern...
, the mysterious character of Mr. Paravicini is referred to as a spiv. He arrives unexpectedly at Monkswell Manor, a guesthouse that is the setting for the play, with only one small suitcase. It may be inferred that he has some kind of stolen goods in the case.
In The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' rock opera
Rock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
Preservation: Acts 1 & 2
Preservation: Acts 1 & 2
Preservation: Act 1 is a 1973 concept album by the English rock group The Kinks.Preservation was not well-received by critics and sold poorly , though the live performances of the material were much better received...
Ray Davies
Ray Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
states that his character "Flash", at that point leader of the Government, had started out as a "Second Hand Car Spiv" in the song "Scum of the Earth".
The Discworld
Discworld
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
's Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler is a fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
spiv, as is the character of Mundungus Fletcher in the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
series.
English singer-songwriter Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson (musician)
Joe Jackson is an English musician and singer-songwriter now living in Berlin, whose five Grammy Award nominations span from 1979 to 2001...
based elements of his early public persona around that of the spiv, and labeled his own music as "spiv rock". His use of spiv imagery is particularly evident on the cover of his second album, I'm the Man
I'm the Man (Joe Jackson album)
I'm the Man is Joe Jackson's second album, released in October 1979. Critically, the album was considered a continuation of Look Sharp!, an opinion shared by Jackson himself...
.
According to Peter Wollen, "The crucial difference between the spiv - a flashy black-marketeer - and the classic gangster was the degree of sympathy the spiv attracted among audiences weary of wartime and post-war shortages: black-marketeers may have been outside the law, but they performed an obvious public service."
SPIV is a banking acronym for Special Purpose Investment Vehicle.