it required several minutes of interrogation to make it clear that agar meant that pierce had pretended to be a `` flimp or dub buzzer '' -- - that is , a snatch-pickpocket or a low-grade thief , or a `` mutcher , '' a man who rolled drunks -- - in order to deceive the skipper , so that the skipper would not comprehend that a good criminal plan was being worked out .