Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also petre, petter) to stop, to cease; in fig. use, to die.

1753		J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 42: Petter, in Cant, stands for a great many Things, as hold your Tongue, let it alone, or stand still, or the like.
1786		Whole Art of Thieving [as cit. 1753].
1807		H. Tufts Autobiog. (1930) 293: Petre yourself signifies (a watchword) take care of yourself.
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 257: Peter that, synonymous with stow that.
1846		Quincy (IL) Whig 6 Jan. 1/4: When my mineral petered why they all Petered me. If so be I gets a lead, why I’m Mr. Tiff again [DA].
1878		F.H. Hart Sazerac Lying Club 136: The mines petered and the bubble bursted.
1897		A.H. Lewis Wolfville 262: The boys, not havin’ no leader, with Mace petered, gives up the game.
1902		Bulletin (Sydney) 13 Dec. 36/1: And when I’ve petered do not fail / To tell him Todd, of Morris Vale, / Has just submitted to his bail.
1924		C.E. Mulford Hopalong Cassidy Returns 148: This old trail’s shore peterin’.
1978		Maledicta II:1+2 (Summer/Winter) 120: The result has been too much [...] false modesty about words that simply look as if they might be sexual: cock [linnet] = ‘minute’, not to mention expressions such as old cock (buddy, mate), standing peter (we say ‘standing pat’), peter that (‘shut up’), or even pissing down with rain (‘raining cats and dogs’).

2. to tire, to feel exhausted.

1859		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. 74: PETER, to run short, to give out.
1869		Overland Monthly (CA) III 127: After a long desert journey the oxen become much ‘petered’ [DA].