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plural harmans
(obsolete, thieves' cant) A policeman. quotations
I Frisky Moll, with my rum coll, / Wou'd Grub in a bowzing ken; / But ere for the scran he had tipt the cole, / The Harman he came in.
1724, “Frisky Moll's Song”, in Farmer, John Stephen, editor, Musa Pedestris, published 1896, page 41
I pray you now send me some dub, / A bottle or two to the needy. / I beg you won't bring it yourself, / The harman is at the Old-Bailey; / I'd rather you'd send it behalf, / For, if they twig you they'll nail you.
1765, “A Song in High Life”, in The Merry Medley, volume 1, London: W. Hoggard, page 35
(organic chemistry) An indole alkaloid, 1-methyl-9H-β-carboline (C12H10N2) found in several foods, plants and beverages which is carcinogen. It is a specific, reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A. quotations examples
Harman is a common compound in several foods, plants and beverages. Numerous studies have demonstrated its mutagenic, co-mutagenic and carcinogenic effects; however, the exact mechanism has not been fully identified.
2010, El Gendy MA, El-Kadi AO, Harman induces CYP1A1 enzyme through an aryl hydrocarbon receptor mechanism., Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, page 55