Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to pilfer, to commit petty larceny, to steal.

1578		J. Whetstone Promos and Cassandra I V iv: Well, well, Dalia, the Loue ych bare to thee, Hath made me sicke, and pickt my purse from me.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching Ch. 24: Sometime shall come in some Roge, some picking knaue, a nimble Prigge.
c.1597		Shakespeare Henry IV Pt 1 II i: Thou variest no more from picking of purses than giving direction doth from labouring.
1605		Life and Death of Gamaliel Ratsey 28: [He] resolved there could be no better jest practised uppon a parson then to picke his purse by perswasion, with out drawing of any weapon.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Picking little Stealing, Pilfering, petty Larceny.
1727		J. Gay Beggar’s Opera II iv: With Industry, one may still have a little Picking.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1740		‘The Cruel Mother in Law’ Amorous Miller’s Garland 6: Did you hear of that great Whore, / That lately hath bought Tanfield Tower, / Yea, and to pay for it withall, / Her Husband’s Horns she’ll set i’ th’ Hall? [...] Now all the Town she Pimps about, / To see if she can find some out. / That have much Money in their Fob, / Which she may Pick when they’re at her Job.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Picking, pilfering; petty larceny.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1886		W. Newton Secrets of Tramp Life Revealed 8: Pick a Poke ... Stealing a Purse.
1952		in C. Hamilton Men of the Und. 76: We used to pick ‘leathers’ at the same time.
1970		F. Collymore Notes for Gloss. of Barbadian Dial. 86: Pick is still in use with its old meaning of pilfer: a housewife will tell you that her servant picks.

2. to eat [SE pick, to eat daintily].

1728		Vanbrugh & Cibber Provoked Husband IV i: Feyther, and you doan’t come quickly, the Meat will be coal’d; and I’d fain pick a bit with you.
1786		Capt. Morris Lyra Urban (1848) I 80–2: I could pick till tomorrow at dinner [F&H].
1830		W.T. Moncrieff Heart of London III i: We’ll pick a bit with you – we’re not particular; a cold fowl or so, and a bottle of wine.

3. (Und.) to pickpocket.

1821		D. Haggart Autobiog. 17: Picking the suck is sometimes a kittle job.
1859		‘Ducange Anglicus’ Vulgar Tongue (2nd edn) 44: Picking the suck is a kittle job Stealing from the breast pocket is a difficult job.
1981		N. Farki Countryman Karl Black 93: By the time she turned around to rebuke the two ‘Rasta-head boys’ the nice looking young man had picked her hand-bag.

4. (Aus. Und.) to trace.

1946

Singleton Argus (NSW) 4/2: Getting the things ‘picked’ meant traced; the ‘swy’ was a couple of years in gaol.

5. (Aus./N.Z.) to guess [SE pick out].

1953		I. Hamilton Till Human Voices Wake Us 107: I picked this was Barney.
1959		D. Niland Big Smoke 145: He looked up at the boy with a pleased, questioning expression. ‘I pick it right?’.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 156: pick To guess or predict, eg, ‘I’m picking Dim for dux.’ ANZ C20.

6. (drugs) to search on hands and knees for any small pieces of crack cocaine that may have fallen to the floor.

2001

ONDCP Street Terms 17: Picking — Searching on hands and knees for cocaine or crack.