Green’s Dictionary of Slang

streak n.

1. (orig. US) a rapid journey or rapid move; usu. as make a streak for v.

[US]J.G. Holland Sevenoaks 60: [We’ll] make a clean streak for the woods [DA].
[US]R.A. Wason Happy Hawkins 280: She was in the habit of estimatin’ just how little nurishment it would take to run her to the next feed [...] an’ makin’ a streak for it.
[US]Harry Kemp ‘Away from Town’ in Cry of Youth 78: [I] made a streak for the ferry.

2. (US) a fast runner.

[US]Van Loan ‘Ten-Thousand-Dollar Arm’ in Ten-Thousand-Dollar Arm 17: He was a streak on bases.
[US]J. London Valley of the Moon (1914) 31: The boy’s a streak [...] He ain’t tryin’ his hardest, an’ Red-head’s just bustin’ himself.
[Aus]J. Holledge Great Aust. Gamble 31: [T]he town boasted a reputed human streak named Lynch.
[US]D. Jenkins Semi-Tough 125: This leaves only our free safety and our on-safety and they happen to be absolute streaks named Varnell Swist and Bobby Styles.

3. (orig. Aus.) a tall, lean person; but note earlier dates in (long) streak of misery and long streak of piss [abbr. SE long thin streak ]

[Aus]Sport (Adelaide) 8 Jan. 5/4: Tommy A. the big long streak.
[Aus]Sydney Morn. Herald 18 Feb. 9/5: Now Ken is a tall streak and to see him with that lizard on a string was thought-provoking.
[Aus]Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl. 73: Streak, a tall, lean person.
[Aus]Advertiser (Adelaide) 5 June 6/7: Gil Lamb, a tall streak with an Adam’s apple.
[Aus]D. Niland Call Me When the Cross Turns Over (1958) 25: Be quiet, you miserable streak.
[UK]B.S. Johnson All Bull 217: He was a Notting Hill Londoner as long as the proverbial streak.
[NZ]McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].

4. (US campus) an exciting time, esp. at a party.

[US]G. Underwood ‘Razorback Sl.’ in AS L:1/2 67: We had a streak at that party.

5. an act of discarding one’s clothes in public, usu. at a sporting occasion, and disporting oneself in front of the crowd.

[US]N.Y. Times 19 May 35: There were solo streaks, but no private streaks.

6. see blue streak

In phrases

(long) streak of misery (n.) (also lanky fathom of misery, long slab of misery, long streak, long drink of water)

a very tall person, esp. one with a mournful, depressed air.

[UK]Gloucester Citizen 13 May 4/3: She proceeded to detail the circum stances [...] which commenced by the complainant calling to him ‘You — long slab of misery’.
N. Lindsay in Comic Art of Norman Lindsay 113: The men we know today are long, gaunt, streaks of misery.
[Aus]C.J. Dennis ‘The Kid’ in Songs of a Sentimental Bloke 101: A little while ago it was jist me – / A lonely, longin’ streak o’ misery.
[Aus]Advocate (Burnie, Tas.) 29 Sept. 10/3: Mac was a long streak of a cove — long as a drink of water run down a string.
[SA]H.C. Bosman Jacaranda in the Night (1981) I 365: I’ll break his neck and yours. [...] That long slab of misery!
[US]J.E. Macdonnell Jim Brady 196: ‘You lanky fathom of misery,’ grinned Fawkner.
[Aus]D. Niland Gold in the Streets (1966) 118: Tucker Haines, a long streak on a bike at the kerb.
[Aus] ‘Whisper All Aussie Dict.’ in Kings Cross Whisper (Sydney) xl 4/5: streak of misery: A tall thin person, not necessarily an unhappy one.
[Aus]‘Bluey’ Bush Contractors 19: He was a long thin streak of misery with slicked down black hair and oil coming out of his skin.
[UK]Barltrop & Wolveridge Muvver Tongue 91: If he is thin, he is ‘a streak’ – or ‘a rasher’ – ‘of misery’.
[Aus]J. Bennett Gallipoli 55: The bloke, who’s about our age, is a real long streak of misery, as Athos says.
[Ire]B. Quinn Smokey Hollow 26: You should have got him, the long streak of misery.
[Aus]B. Scott Banshee and Bullocky 33: His offsider was a long inconsiderable streak of a bloke.
long streak of piss (n.) (also long streak of cocky’s shit, ...of gnat’s pee, ...gnat’s piss, piss, ...of pee, long (thin) streak of pelican’s shit, (long tall) streak of weasel piss, string of piss) [piss n. (1)/pee n.1 (1)/shit n. (1a)]

an unflattering description of a tall, thin person.

[[UK]M. Lemon My Sister Kate in Matthews Cockney Past and Present 50: [She] used to go out with one of them long sticks of sealing wax — them life-guards].
[Aus]A. Buzo Norm and Ahmed (1973) 12: Tall bloke, he was. A long thin streak of pelican shit.
[UK]T. Lewis Plender [ebook]‘That streak of gnat’s pee!’.
[UK]K. Bonfiglioli Don’t Point That Thing at Me (1991) 62: It had been delivered [...] by what he described as a long streak of pee.
[Aus]D. Maitland Breaking Out 233: Harry gave vent to great rage and shouted back [...] ‘you long streak of gnat’s piss!’.
[Aus]Age (Melbourne) 13 Aug. 10/3: David Williamson is [...] described [...] as ‘that long thin streak of pelican shit’.
[Aus]R. Beckett Dinkum Aussie Dict. 35: Long streak of cocky’s shit: A reference to someone who is both very tall and very arrogant. The phrase, ‘long streak of pelican’s shit’ means the same thing.
[NZ]McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 108/2: streak tall thin person, often in phr. a streak of weasel piss.
[UK]H.R.F. Keating Soft Detective 208: That poor long streak of piss.
[UK]Indep. Rev. 17 June 5: It is also demonstrably the case that our centres of gravity are too low to excel at a game which privileges long streaks of piss.
[NZ]McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 129: long tall streak of weasel piss Lanky person. ANZ.
[Scot]T. Black Gutted 2: I dropped the lanky streak of piss and flung up my hands.
[Ire]J.-P. Jordan Joys of War 114: The head nurse was a tall, skinny string of piss .
put a streak into it (v.)

(Anglo-Irish) to hurry up, to ‘get a move on’; esp. as excl. put a streak into it!

‘Nicholas Blake’ Private Wound 103: Through the pandemonium cut a megaphone voice, adjuring the laggards in some class to ‘put a sthreak into it! Numbers 3, 7 and 16, we’re waiting for you!’ .
[UK]Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 939: [...] C.20.
streak of weasel shit (n.)

(N.Z.) a very fast runner.

[NZ]G. Slatter Pagan Game 155: He’s a streak of weasel shit. Too fast for the rest of them, that’s the trouble.
take a streak (v.)

to move fast.

[US](con. WWI) H.F. Cruikshank ‘So This Is Flanders!’ Battle Stories July 🌐 So we unlimbers our gats an’ took a streak acrost.

SE in slang uses

In phrases

blue streak (n.) (also big streak, blind streak, great streak, living streak, streak, streak of blue brimstone) [SE blue streak, that which resembles a flash of lightning]

(orig. US) that which is fast and at great length; usu. of speech and constr. with talk, e.g. talk a blue streak; used adv., to a great extent.

[US]Manchester Spy (NH) 21 Sept. n.p.: She loved the bed-bug poison a blue streak.
[US]‘Edmund Kirke’ Life in Dixie’s Land 101: He hab swore a blue streak at him, and called him a ---- Ab’lishener, jess ’cause Massa K--- wudn’t get mad and sass him back.
[US]‘Edmund Kirke’ Down in Tennessee 160: They swore a streak uv blue brimstun’.
[US]Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 25 Dec. 2/2: Their [i.e. politicians] ability to ‘swear a blue streak’ is only equalled by their capacity for taking all they can get and holding on to it.
[US]E. Field ‘Marthy’s Younkit’ Little Bk of Western Verse 177: Though it had been fashionable to swear a perfec’ streak, / There warnt no swearin’ in the camp.
[UK]S. Hale Letters (1919) 289: [I] came down and drove in her sort of hunched-up carryall with sides buckled down, it was pouring, talking a blue streak two miles to her house .
[US]T. Hammond On Board a Whaler 201: He commenced cussin’ a livin’ streak at Joe.
[US]J. London Valley of the Moon (1914) 81: ‘Gee!’ he exclaimed. ‘I never talk a streak like this to anybody.’.
[US]Z.N. Hurston Spunk (1995) 953: Spunk wuz cussin’ a blue streak to-day.
[US](con. 1919) Dos Passos Nineteen Nineteen in USA (1966) 359: He talked a blue streak all the time they were driving out.
[US]A. Kapelner Lonely Boy Blues (1965) 118: Harry, marry the girl! She’s a peach! [...] Cooks a blue streak!
[US]D. Runyon Runyon à la Carte 13: The parrot talks a blue streak at all times.
[US]Billie Holiday Lady Sings the Blues (1975) 43: Some cat would be cussing out some broad a blue streak.
[US]E. Gilbert Vice Trap 40: Shirley ran her mouth too much. She talked a streak.
[US]L. Block Diet of Treacle (2008) 144: You can call me worse than that. Go ahead – talk a big streak.
[US] in T.I. Rubin Sweet Daddy 12: I yak a blue streak here.
[US] in S. Harris Hellhole 169: I come before the judge [...] and he talks a great streak.
[UK]N. Cohn Awopbop. (1970) 91: But still he talked blind streaks and never ran out of wind.
[US]E. Bunker Animal Factory 33: Bad Eye is madder’n a motherfucker. He’s cussin’ a blue streak.
[US]R. Price Breaks 116: My excitement had me spewing out a blue streak of mature perceptiveness.
[UK]Indep. Rev. 15 Oct. 14: Talking 10 to the dozen and swearing a blue streak, she’s great company.
[SA]A. Lovejoy Acid Alex 51: The ou swore a blue streak.
[US](con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 27: Sonny Corleone himself, Nick Santorra, cursing a blue streak.
on a streak

(US) menstruating.

[US]J. Randall ‘A Visit from Aunt Rose’ in Verbatim Winter n.p.: Other blood codes make reference to the gushing or flowing of blood, such as Old Faithful (which also suggests periodicity) or on a streak (the Rolling Stones song ‘Satisfaction’ includes the lyric ‘Baby, better come back / later next week / ’cause you see / I’m on a losin’ streak’).