Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. negative criticism, a reprimand; verbal abuse.

1974		K. Stackpole Not Just for Openers 104: I continued to give Snow a bit of a serve. He was foolish to bowl short on such a good wicket .
1975		Bulletin (Sydney) 26 Apr. 44: That arse – you know, the consorter what dollied you on the bust last year – [...] Give me a nice serve in there and had the front to ask me to sign up for a shoppying blue after court.
1981		Age (Melbourne) 1 Oct. 2: He gave the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Mr Ramphal, a serve over their differences in interpreting the Gleneagles Agreement [GAW4].
1990		Tupper & Wortley Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Serve. A verbal or physical attack. Thus, ‘to cop a serve’ is to be put in one’s place.
1992		Hansard NSW Legislative Assembly 7 May 🌐 The Minister for Local Government and Minister for Cooperatives is one of the more likeable Ministers. It is hard to give him a serve. But he has had to carry the can on this issue. I empathise with him, but he has to cop it because he is making a big mistake.
2001		S. Warne cited on BBC Sport 16 Aug. 🌐 Certain batsmen are definitely vulnerable [to abuse] – Daryll Cullinan more than most. Usually when I give him a serve he just looks down at the ground.
2016		N. Cummins Adventures of the Honey Badger [ebook] After a verbal serve from the raft captain, who could best be described as filthy, he told us the next rapid was too dangerous.

2. a beating.

1967		Kings Cross Whisper (Sydney) xxxix 4: Serve: To give a person a thrashing. ‘Give the mug a serve.’.
1985		R.G. Barrett You Wouldn’t Be Dead for Quids (1989) 159: There was a rumour going round that just one bloke had given him a serve and he was too knocked up to go to work.
1990		Tupper & Wortley Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Serve. A verbal or physical attack. […].
1993		Smith & Noble Neddy (1998) 204: Finally, Abo and I walked him around the corner and gave him a terrible serve. Abo got carried away and went to town on the guy with his blade, stabbing him in the face half a dozen times.
2006		B. Matthews Intractable [ebook] The pair [od prison officers] gave me a welcoming serve with their batons.

3. (US black) self-confidence, also as v.

2022		Twitter 6 Apr. 🌐 I'm not even on that level of serve today let alone at 7.
2022		Twitter 6 Apr. 🌐 Nice said she SERVED that day! Hair & edges laid? Shades for the drama? Fly outfit?? [...] Melody knows she's THE star.