Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a statement (usu. untrue), by a police officer, designed to ensure the conviction of a suspect.

1967		‘Whisper All Aussie Dict.’ in Kings Cross Whisper (Sydney) xliii 11/2: verbal: Uncorroborated evidence given by police.
1968		J. Alard He who Shoots Last 149: There’s no doubting that it’s no trouble for them to put a verbal on you. [Ibid.] 197: ‘Stinkin’ verbals. They read them, like they came from the Bible,’ laughed Roth, very dryly.
1979		F. Norman Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper 63: Timothy Evans was hanged on police verbals.
1982		G. Newbold Big Huey 255: verbal (n) and (v) Use of uncorroborated (and false) verbal evidence against an accused.
1986		C. Bowles G’DAY 113: If the jury accepts the verbals he’ll end up getting the rough end of the pineapple. He's thinking of spilling his guts and dobbing them both in.
1993		Smith & Noble Neddy (1998) 233: They had no hope of catching me by the methods they used. That’s why the police have always used verbals to put crims away when they couldn’t do it by the normal process of the law.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 198/1: verbal n. 3 the use of false or uncorroborated evidence against the accused.
2004		(con. 1988) N. ‘Razor’ Smith A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun 309: The Flying Squad couldn’t help sweetening the evidence pot with fabricated verbals.
2006		B. Matthews Intractable [ebook] Denning [...] decried the use of police verbals used in New South Wales courts of law.

2. (UK Und.) a statement, often self-incriminatory, to the police either voluntarily or during and after interrogation.

1975		‘P.B. Yuill’ Hazell and the Three-card Trick (1977) 192: Wot jim says is all kosher as far as I’m concerned an’ I’ll make you a full verbal.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.
2018-20		T. Thorne (ed.) ‘Drill Slang Glossary’ at Forensic Linguistic Databank 🌐 Verbal - statement to the police.

3. insults, abuse, ‘backchat’; thus give one the verbals, to abuse; give it the verbal, to talk aggressively.

1977		A. Bleasdale Who’s Been Sleeping in my Bed 98: I turned an’ give her some verbal just before she give it to Lawrence.
1985		J. Sullivan ‘To Hull and Back’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] You just stop to say hello to an old mate and all you get is a load of old verbal.
1989		R.G. Barrett Boys from Binjiwunyawunya 17: Les’s erratic behaviour and the verbal he’d just given all of them [...] gave way to profound curiosity.
1996		(con. 1964-65) B. Thorpe Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 136: ‘She’s given him an atrocious verbal and frew her plate of food all over him’.
1998		M. Newall ‘Sir Gawayne and the Grene Knyght’ in Indep. Weekend Rev. 26 Dec. 1: The verdant knyght gayve it summe verbal.
1999		N. Cohn Yes We have No 286: Threats and menaces, loads of verbals.
2000		T. Blacker Kill Your Darlings 80: He was, as he might say, giving it a touch of the verbals.
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 241: A minute later, crash, verbal from Sidney, crash, verbal from Morty, and my world-view’s totally spun.
2018-20		T. Thorne (ed.) ‘Drill Slang Glossary’ at Forensic Linguistic Databank 🌐 Verbal - disrespectful talk.

4. a conversation.

1983		R. Aven-Bray Ridgey-Didge Oz Jack Lang 11: ‘We know everyone here and occasionally we like to have a verbal with newcomers,’ the bloke said.
1995		J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 45: Need a verbal Jimmy.
2005		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read Chopper 4 106: I know about verbals, not verbs.

5. (N.Z. prison) a final warning that precedes a beating.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 198/1: verbal n. 2 a final warning given to a person before he is beaten up.

6. (N.Z. prison) an indiscreet loudmouth.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 198/1: verbal n. 1 a loud-mouthed inmate who gives away all of his fellow inmates’ plans and good ideas.