illegals

Noun

illegal (plural illegals)

1. (obsolete) An illegal act or technique.
   • That whatſoever illegals hath been uſed againſt his friends and ſubjects, by impriſoning them without law, or impoſing fines upon their eſtates, be diſclaimed, and that perſons ſo committed be forthwith diſcharged.c. 1650, John Spalding, The History of the Troubles and Memorable Transactions in Scotland, from the Year 1624 to 1645, volume II, Aberdeen: T. Evans, published 1792, pages 72–73
2. (colloquial, in plural) Contraband, esp. illegal substances such as drugs.
   • …I've got illegals in my bottom…!2004, “Reapercussions”, in Dead Like Me, season 1, episode 4, spoken by Mason (Callum Blue)
3. A spy operating abroad illegally and under non-official cover, without visible ties to his or her country’s authorities.
   • Anna Chapman, whose glamorous appearance won her more publicity in the Western media than all the other illegals combined, was so successfully deceived by a US sting operation that she handed over her SVR laptop to an FBI agent posing as a Russian.2012, Christopher Andrew, ‘Colder War’, Literary Review, number 399

See all 8 meanings of illegal