Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. in pl., a nightly patrol, on both horse and foot, that covered London in the hope of preventing robberies [? SE patrol].

1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang.
1835		Metropolitan Mag. XIV Sept. 334: Beefing, however, they were lustily; when, at the turning of the road, I was brought down by a roller with a stroke of his long chiv over my head.

2. in drug uses.

3. (US black) someone who keeps moving continuously; thus a hard worker.

1935		L. Bogan ‘Shave ’Em Dry’ in Oliver Screening the Blues (1968) 230: I’m just a stomp-down roller and I like to strut my stuff.
1965		D. Pearce Cool Hand Luke (1967) 66: Them two are the best Rollers in camp [...] Luke’s able to do more work than any man in the Bull Gang.

4. as a vehicle.

5. (US) a robber, esp. one who robs drunks and other defenceless people; a blackmailer (see cits. 1971, 1989).

1900		H. Garland Eagle’s Heart 201: You see, we’ve been overrun with ‘rollers’ and ‘skin-game’ men.
1915		N.Y. World Mag. 9 May 14/3: Roller, a pickpocket.
1932		Sun. Mail (Brisbane) 13 Nov. 20/8: The name given by the underworld to the robber of drunks is that of ‘buzzer’ or ‘roller’ These are the jackals who prey on the intoxicated they find in doorways and dark lanes.
1935		(ref. to 1910) D. Maurer ‘Lingo of the Good People’ AS X:1 14/1: Creeper, a prostitute who robs inebriated patrons. Modern roller.
1948		Mencken Amer. Lang. Supplement II 682: A creep-joint or panel-house is one in which patrons are robbed, a roller [...] is a girl who robs them.
1962		R. Hauser Homosexual Society 50: The ‘roller’ is often part of a gang which will wait for him, their decoy, to bring a homosexual victim to a dark place where they will threaten him and, if necessary, beat him up.
1970		R. Fabian Anatomy of Crime 194: Rollers: ‘Angry relatives’ who try to terrorize victims in cases of attempted blackmail with regard to prostitution and perversion.
1971		Winick & Kinsie Lively Commerce 173: One kind of bar prostitute is the ‘roller.’ She is less interested in fees than in ‘rolling’ her client and taking his wallet after he is drunk.
1982		Maledicta VI:1+2 (Summer/Winter) 139: Roller or decoy for thieves.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak 122: Roller – the angry ‘relative’ in a badger game.
2001		(con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 147: Wayne made three felons — fruit rollers all.
2008		R. Price Lush Life 39: Brooklyn rollers, taking advantage of the hop-on, hop-off BMT .

6. (US black, also roller boys) in pl., the police, occas. in sing., a police officer.

1940		S. Sterling ‘Ten Carats of Lead’ in Black Mask Stories (2010) 226/1: Want me to notify the radio Rollos?
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 180/1: Roller. 1. (South; loan word from Negro jargon) A policeman.
a.1955		‘Kitty Barrett’ in D. Wepman et al. Life (1976) 52: Now I had a corner just like the rollers got a beat.
1960		C. Cooper Jr Scene (1996) 9: It was a forced bust. Detectives Davis and Patterson, the Rollers, they made me.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 37: I watched for the rollers I was sure were coming to bust me.
1972		Milner & Milner Black Players 119: For a roller [...] to come to this door — he’s insane, he’s gotta be a nut.
1981		Maledicta V:1+2 (Summer + Winter) 264: All inmates have stories of how they were arrested by a roller, a policeman.
1987		Ice-T ‘Six in the Morning’ 🎵 The rollers gave chase at a serious speed / One more conviction was all I need.
1997		Simon & Burns Corner (1998) 8: A passing Western radio car slow [...] a veteran roller, familiar with Fayette and Monroe, is stunned to see one of that corner’s fixtures several blocks north of where he should be.
2000		P. Beatty Tuff 10: We need to be out, son. Rollers going to show up any minute now.
2002		Simon & Burns ‘The Wire’ Wire ser. 1 ep. 6 [TV script] ‘Knockos?’ ‘No, rollers’.

7. (US prison, also jive roller) a prison guard.

1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.
1968		J. Colebrook Cross of Lassitude 94: ‘Them jive rollers!’ Brenda turns on a sad smile and leans against the cell bars. [Ibid.] 121: We keep this up [...] and the rollers will hear us. [Ibid.] 152: ‘The po-lice,’ Sugar mocks. ‘Them jive rollers.’.
1979		(con. 1960) Pepper & Pepper Straight Life 263: The rollers have to get the key to get in.