Dictionary
Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.
show-out en · NOUN
Meanings
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A surreptitious signal made by an informer to the police contact, indicating that it is safe to approach.
On entering the venue, the detective had to avoid approaching or acknowledging whoever he was meeting. First, the detective had to wait for the 'show out'. This consisted of a brief nod, signalling that there was nobody around who might blow the informer's cover.
2007, Paul Willetts, North Soho 999: A True Story of Gun-crime in 1940s London, page 101:
Forms