Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to take hold of someone in order to rob them.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Take the culls in c. Seize the Men, in order to Rob them.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].

2. to hoax, to cheat, to deceive.

1753		Richardson Sir Charles Grandison (1812) I 30: Devil take him if he ever saw a prig so fairly taken in! — but I was a sly little rogue!
1759		C. Macklin Love à la Mode II i: He is taking him in — the bubble’s bit.
1776		G. Colman Spleen I i: Duenna won the stakes, and the knowing ones were all taken in.
1780		M.P. Andrews Fire and Water! (1790) 28: O Jean Anglais! how kind you’ve always been, / To see us come with open arms, and let us take you in.
1786		Northampton Mercury 1 Apr. 4/1: It appeared that honest Mr Moses (to use a swindling phrase) had taken in the poor Irishman.
1792		New Cheats of London Exposed 6: sharpers Most of them are men of respectable extraction [who] have squandered their fortune [...] Having been as they call it taken in themselves, they falsely infer their right to take in others.
1801		C. Dibdin Yngr Song Smith 68: We all know that Greeks take in both flats and sharps.
1815		A Merry Song Called Love in a Barn 4: But country girls are not such fools / as to be taken in.
1821		W.T. Moncrieff Tom and Jerry II vi: Then let us cadgers be, and take in all the flats we can.
1835		Duncombe Dens of London 37: His mate passed a few jokes upon him, at his skill in gulling swells, and taking in flats.
1840		London Mag. Feb. 14/2: He had [...] arrived at the conclusion that [...] self-interest is the load-star of humanity. With him therefore to over-reach, to ‘take-in,’ to impose, were merely acts of retributive justice.
1850		‘Ned Buntline’ G’hals of N.Y. 140: He was in the act of being very handsomely taken in and done for by one of the most accomplished of modern Jeremy Diddlers.
1866		J. Greenwood Little Ragamuffin 17: It is good to see the clever ones taken in once in a while.
1879		C.J. Kickham Knocknagow 331: The young county Limerick farmer lived in perpetual dread of being ‘taken in.’.
1885		M. Davitt Leaves from a Prison Diary I 143: Devices resorted to by convicts [...] for the purpose of ‘taking in the croaker,’ have begot detection dodges on the doctors’ part also.
1890		H. Lawson ‘A Word with Texas Jack’ in Roderick (1967–9) I 67: An’ when they go, as like or not, we find we’re taken in, / They’ve left behind no larnin’ – but they’ve carried off our tin.
1902		Bulletin Reciter 1880–1901 20: ‘Had never been taken in, bai Jove!’ — he was ‘far too smart, you know.’.
1917		‘Banjo’ Paterson ‘The Downfall of Mulligan’s’ in Three Elephant Power 61: If ye go bettin’ ye will be took in wid thim bookmakers.
1924		C.J. Dennis ‘The Knight’s Return’ in Chisholm (1951) 87: Yet . . . I dunno. Me triump’ don’t last long. / ’Twuz low down, some way, ’ow I took ’er in – / Like pinchin’ frum a kid. I feel dead wrong.
1936		D. Stivens Tramp and Other Stories 11: I was taken in, sports. The lyin’ sod!
1958		J. Osborne Epitaph for George Dillon Act II: Oh, you are a naughty boy, you really are – you took us all in.
1982		J. Sullivan ‘Ashes to Ashes’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] Look, if he tries to take this lot up town he’s going to get right taken in ain’t he – eh?

3. (US) to arrest.

1874		‘A.P.’ [Arthur Pember] Mysteries and Miseries 39: He [i.e. a police officer] parted with me after threatening to ‘take me in’ and ‘have me sent up’ if he caught me begging again.
1881		Caldwell Post 28 July in Miller & Snell Why the West was Wild 15: The City Marshal [...] taking two soiled doves in and pulling the Dive in the flat for being a disorderly house.
1906		A.H. Lewis Confessions of a Detective 23: I’ll take you in on charges an’ have you broke.
1916		J. Lait ‘If a Party Meet a Party’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 98: I didn’t wanna take him in becuz you would o’ had to go to court an’ so would I.
1929		D. Hammett ‘Fly Paper’ Story Omnibus (1966) 37: If you want to play it that way I’ll have to take you both in.
1953		R. Chandler Long Good-Bye 11: I’d say he didn’t sleep indoors lately. I’d even say he was a wag and so maybe we ought to take him in.
1956		‘Ed Lacy’ Men from the Boys (1967) 72: ‘You mean you’re taking me in?’ ‘Cut the clowning, Bond. You’re not under arrest — I only have orders to bring you in.’.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 286: I’m going to take you in.
1975		Sepe & Telano Cop Team 44: I’ve had to neutralize him [...] and take him in.
1982		G.V. Higgins Patriot Game (1985) 65: We didn’t pick up Magro. He was practically begging us to take him in, and we wouldn’t do it.
2008		T. Piccirilli Fever Kill 60: You son of a bitch. I’m taking you in.