show-out

noun

A surreptitious signal made by an informer to the police contact, indicating that it is safe to approach.

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Meanings

nounshow-out (plural show-outs)

plural show-outs

  1. 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
Cite this entry
APA

show-out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/show-out

MLA

“show-out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/show-out. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “show-out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/show-out.

Source: show-out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.