Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also the needy, the one thing needful) money [the necessity of money or of money to life].

1772		Foote Nabob in Works (1799) II 311: The major has been a little unlucky at Almack’s, and [...] can’t deposit the needful.
1795		Sporting Mag. Oct. VII 55/2: [title of poem] Nothing without the Needful.
1805		J. Reynolds Blind Bargain I i: He did want the needful, you know.
1822		Commercial Adveriser (N.Y.) 15 Apr. 2/2–4: In order to gratify his unhallowed passion, he will steal from his parents or master, and if he cannot conveniently obtain the needful from them, he will, without hesitation, pilfer from any other person.
1827		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 13 May 958/3: [He wooed] another blooming damsel, of the age of 76, named Young, and who, like his former spouse, was decently supplied with the needful.
1830		Owl (NY) 25 Sept. n.p.: A loan of ‘The one thing Needful’ to alleviate their sufferings.
1834		A. Greene Perils of Pearl St 124: ‘Any thing over?’ is an expression used by shinners, on applying to their acquaintances for the needful; and if so, it is expected that you will oblige the shinner .
1837		‘The Wide Awake Club’ in Bentley’s Misc. Feb. 213: I hope you are ready with the needful two thousand upon the nail.
1840		Bell’s Life in London in Fights for the Championship (1855) 165: He made the match [...] under the promise that they would supply ‘the needful’.
1842		Whip & Satirist of NY & Brooklyn (NY) 3 Sept. n.p.: [He] expected to make enough of the ‘needy’ to pay a weeks board .
1843		G.W. Harris ‘Epistle from East Tennessee’ Spirit of the Times (N.Y.) XIII June in Inge (1967) 23: Why, my dear sir, the needful is so extremely scarce hereabouts.
1843		Satirist & Sporting Chron. (Sydney) 4 Mar. 2/1: Pray do send me the needful, if you can.
1851		‘Wars Yure Hoss?’ in T.A. Burke Polly Peablossom’s Wedding 41: He provided his eldest son with a good horse, and a sufficiency of the needful.
1852		Bell’s Life in Sydney 16 Oct. 3/2: Failing to deposit the needful [she] was ordered to [...] Darlinghurst.
1864		B. Hemyng Eton School Days 3: Goodbye. Here’s a supply of the needful.
1871		C.G. Leland ‘Breitmann Takes the Town of Nancy’ in Hans Breitmann as an Uhlan 31: Und dell dem in Franzosisch / Dey moost shell de neetfool down / In less dan dwendy minudes, / Or, py Gott, I’ll purn de town.
1884		Sporting Times 1 Nov. 2/5: But I gave it [i.e. gambling] up at last, / And now my trouble’s past, / For I’m never now without what’s called the ‘needful’.
1887		G. Davis Recoll. Sea-Wanderer 211: I was told that, if I had six shillings on me (small pieces of money forty-eight to the dollar), I could have a bowl of coffee and a roll. Having the needful, I embraced the opportunity.
1894		J. Astley Fifty Years (2nd edn) I 74: He was also rather short of the needful. [Ibid.] II 280: When one is short of the ready it is one’s bounden duty [...] to try by all honest means to obtain a supply of the needful.
1895		Truth (Sydney) 27 Jan. 5/4: Do you part the needful?
1901		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 3 July 1/6: She lends him money / [...] / Every time he needs the needful.
1903		Bluefield Daily Tel. (WV) 8 Jan. 2/1: Money has more synonyms than any word in the English language [...] There is in use coin, plunks, plasters, soap, rocks, dust, dough, ducats, dingbats, pewter, needful, stuff, collat, rags, shekels, wad, roll, tin, long green, grease, bones, balsam, chicken feet, rhino, brass, gold and on and on.
1905		Sun. Times (Perth) 1 Oct. 4/7: Ai wouldn’t stand the wretched trash / But that they spring the needful cash.
1906		D. Stewart Vultures of the City in Illus. Police News 29 Dec. 14/4: ‘I want just eighteen pounds [...] You’ve five days to hunt up the needful’.
1912		A. Wright Rung In (1931) 304: Have you the needful? I’ve a thirst on me that would kill a camel.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 573: But the cream of the joke was nothing would get it out of Corley’s head that he was living in affluence and hadn’t a thing to do but hand out the needful – whereas.
1937		E. Raymond Marsh 150: There’s more ways than one of picking up the needful.
1940		O. Strange Sudden Takes the Trail 162: Yo’re holin’ her to ransom, an’ I come along with the needful.

2. (US) whisky [thus fig. from sense 1, the necessity of alcohol].

1879

J. Brunton Stephens Drought and Doctrine in Works 309: Remembrin’ the needful, I gets up an’ quietly slips To the porch to see – a swagsman – with our bottle at his lips [F&H].