noun
figurativeA criminal likened to the character Fagin in Dickens's novel Oliver Twist, especially in being a trainer or leader of a gang of young thieves or pickpockets. Also with the (Criminals' slang): a title given to the head of a gang of receivers of stolen goods.
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in The Times. From the name of Fagin, a character in Dickens's Oliver Twist.
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