knucks

Noun

knuck (plural knucks)

1. (archaic, slang) A thief or pickpocket.
   • There is a house in Cherry street, not far from Catherine Market […]. A little to the north of its door stands an old-time tree; and for many a year it has been known to the “crossmen” and “knucks” of the town as “Jack Circle's watering place” and “fence.”1848, Ned Buntline, The Mysteries and Miseries of New York: A Story of Real Life, Part 1, New York: Benford & Co., page 33
2. (in plural, often, slang) A knuckle duster.

   Synonyms:

   knuckle