Wiktionary
n. 1 (context idiomatic English) A crafty person who commits minor crimes or behaves in a rather unscrupulous manner. 2 (context set phrase English) One who deftly evades obstacles, pursuers, inconveniences, or other difficulties.
Wikipedia
Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. Dodger is a pickpocket, so called for his skill and cunning in that respect. He is the leader of the gang of child criminals, trained by the elderly Fagin.
In the novel, he becomes Oliver's closest friend (although he betrays him when Oliver is mistakenly caught) and he tries to make him a pickpocket, but soon realizes that Oliver won't succeed, and feels sorry for him, saying "What a pity it is he isn't a prig!" He also has a close relationship with Charley Bates. The Artful Dodger is characterized as a child who acts like an adult. He is described as wearing adult clothes which are much too large for him. Like an adult, he seldom gives in to childish urges.
The Artful, meantime, who was of a rather saturnine disposition, and seldom gave way to merriment when it interfered with business, rifled Oliver's pockets with steady assiduity.
Ultimately the Dodger is caught with a stolen silver snuff box and presumably sent to a penal colony in Australia (only alluded to in the novel). The absurdity of the master pickpocket being caught over something so small is remarked upon in the book.
They've found the gentleman as owns the box; two or three more's a coming to 'dentify him; and the Artful's booked for a passage out,' replied Master Bates. 'I must have a full suit of mourning, Fagin, and a hatband, to wisit him in, afore he sets out upon his travels. To think of Jack Dawkins—lummy Jack—the Dodger—the Artful Dodger—going abroad for a common twopenny-halfpenny sneeze-box! I never thought he'd a done it under a gold watch, chain, and seals, at the lowest. Oh, why didn't he rob some rich old gentleman of all his valables, and go out as a gentleman, and not like a common prig, without no honour nor glory!
The Dodger chooses to consider himself a "victim of society," roaring in the courtroom, "I am an Englishman; where are my privileges?" The judge has little patience for the Dodger's posturing, and orders him out of the courtroom immediately after the jury convicts him of the theft. Dickens describes him this way:
With these last words, the Dodger suffered himself to be led off by the collar, threatening, till he got into the yard, to make a parliamentary business of it, and then grinning in the officer's face, with great glee and self-approval.
He was a snub-nosed, flat-browed, common-faced boy enough; and as dirty a juvenile as one would wish to see; but he had about him all the airs and manners of a man. He was short of his age: with rather bow-legs, and little, sharp, ugly eyes. His hat was stuck on the top of his head so lightly, that it threatened to fall off every moment--and would have done so, very often, if the wearer had not had a knack of every now and then giving his head a sudden twitch, which brought it back to its old place again. He wore a man's coat, which reached nearly to his heels. He had turned the cuffs back, half-way up his arm, to get his hands out of the sleeves: apparently with the ultimate view of thrusting them into the pockets of his corduroy trousers; for there he kept them. He was, altogether, as roystering and swaggering a young gentleman as ever stood four feet six, or something less, in the bluchers.
Dickens had first used a similar term in his previous novel, The Pickwick Papers. At the close of Chapter 16, Sam Weller refers to the recent schemes of Mr. Jingle: "Reg'lar do, sir; artful dodge."
The Artful Dodger, though a pickpocket, is not a heartless character. He has a great respect for Fagin, to whom he delivers all of the pickpocketing spoils without question.
Artful Dodger is an English garage band based in the city of Southampton, which became famous through its 2-step hits, and gave Craig David's career a boost after he appeared on their No. 2 hit, " Re-Rewind", in December 1999.
The band originally consisted of Mark Hill, (born 22 December 1972 in Cwmbran, Wales) and Pete Devereux, but Devereux left prior to the release of the single, " TwentyFourSeven", and Hill continued from then on to produce "TwentyFourSeven" by himself under the same moniker. The UK garage act now comprises MC Alistair and includes record producer and DJ Dave Low. Many Artful Dodger tracks can be found on the UK garage compilation album series, Pure Garage, mixed by DJ EZ.
The band is named after a character in the Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist, because of the many bootlegs they made in the early days. They are referred to in The Streets' single, " Let's Push Things Forward".
Artful Dodger (formed in 1973 in Fairfax, Virginia) are an American power pop rock band, noted for their tight rock compositions, deft lyricism, vocal harmonies, and live shows. The group was heavily influenced by The Beatles, Faces, and The Rolling Stones and drew frequent comparisons to Raspberries. Artful Dodger's studio releases received high critical praise, but the band was unable to penetrate the charts.
Artful Dodger is a character from the 1838 Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist.
Artful Dodger may also refer to:
Usage examples of "artful dodger".
John Dawkins (otherwise the Artful Dodger), who had followed his venerable friend into the room, hastily deposited on the floor a bundle with which he was laden.
There one can study the largest assortment of criminals outside of a penal institution, from the Artful Dodger and Bill Sykes, Fagin and Jim the Penman, to the most modern of noted crooks of fact or fiction, all done here in real flesh and blood.
I believe The Artful Dodger to be one of the great characters of English literature, and a worthy role model.
He said the woman in the photograph bore a keen resemblance to an actress who had, only yesterday, read for the parts of both Fagin and the Artful Dodger.