Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) to stop work, to retire, to quit.

1845		in N.E. Eliason Tarheel Talk 276: made 2 hauls and hung up [for the fishing season].
1854		Congressional Globe 24 Jan. Appendix 108/2: When I came to that point I ‘was befogged, and hung up for the night’ [DA].
1874		‘English Sl.’ in Eve. Telegram (N.Y.) 9 Dec. 1/5: Let us present a few specimens:– [...] ‘Hang it up.’.
1883		‘Mark Twain’ Life on the Mississippi (1914) 366: Cracked on such a rattling impost that cotton-seed olive-oil couldn’t stand the raise; had to hang up and quit.
1895		DN I 372: A mower, when rain was comin’ on: ‘I reckon we’ll have to hang up for all day’ [DA].
1900–10		Stephens & O’Brien Materials for a Dict. of Aus. Sl. [unpub. ms.].
1924		W.M. Phillipson Life and Voyages 105: After we had passed some one suggested that we hang up for the night.
1951		M. Spillane Long Wait (1954) 26: When I have to fight a dame for what I want I’ll hang up.
1960		C. Cooper Jr Scene (1996) 88: I’m thinkin about hangin it up [...] just coppin enough from Puck to keep Connie straight.
1973		E. Bunker No Beast So Fierce 11: I can root in some fool’s cash register — but I want to hang it up.
1981		E. Bunker Little Boy Blue (1995) 281: I even hung the parole up.
1993		S. King Dolores Claiborne 170: Either you part with an inch of the Jim Beam [...] or we hang it up for tonight.

2. (US) to be quiet, to stop talking.

1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.
1918		‘Max Brand’ ‘Above the Law’ in Coll. Stories (1994) 54: Ring off. Hang up.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 91/1: Hang up. 1. Shut up!
1967		M. Braly On the Yard (2002) 161: ‘Hang up.’ Chilly broke in ‘Hang up a minute’.