Dictionary entry

Cutpurse

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Cut″purse′ (kŭt″pûrs′), n. One who cuts purses for the sake of stealing them or their contents (an act common when men wore purses fastened by a string to their girdles); one who steals from the person; a pickpocket

To have an open ear, a quick eye, and a nimble hand, is necessary for a cutpurse.

Shak.