namous

• nammous, nammus, nommous, nommus, namase (rare)

UK 19th century. Probably from Spanish vamos (“we go”) or vámonos (“let's go”). Possibly influenced by German nehmen (“to take”). Cognate with English vamoose.

namous (third-person singular simple present namouses, present participle namousing, simple past and past participle namoused)

1. (obsolete, Britain, thieves' cant) To run away; to leave; to depart.
   • For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:namous.

• See Thesaurus:flee or Thesaurus:leave

namous!

1. (obsolete, Britain, thieves' cant) Look out! Beware!
   • 1851, Mayhew, Henry, “Gambling of Costermongers”, in London Labour and the London Poor‎, volume 1, page 17:

     One boy (of the party) is always on the look out, and even if a stranger should advance, the cry is given of "Namous" or "Kool Eslop." Instantly the money is whipped-up and pocketed, and the boys stand chattering and laughing together.

• See Thesaurus:heads up

• Farmer, John Stephen (1902) Slang and Its Analogues‎, volume 5, page 12
• Eric Partridge, A Dictionary of the Underworld, London, Macmillan Co., 1949

• samoun