Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK/US Und.) a crime, esp. a robbery or theft; thus do a trick, pull a trick, turn a trick v.¹

1724		J. Thurmond Harlequin Sheppard 9: He became so harden’d at last, that he wou’d walk about Drury-Lane [...] and discourse openly of his Tricks, as he call’d ’em.
1734		C. Johnson Hist. of Highwaymen &c 327: It was not a great while after, before Tom Kelsey was detected in some little pilfering Tricks, and turned out of Doors.
1780		T. Gray Candidate 2: His lying, and filching, and Newgate-bird tricks.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 9/2: As it was, he was obliged to depend upon a ‘trick’ or two on market days.
1874		‘A.P.’ [Arthur Pember] Mysteries and Miseries 341: The scoundrels at once proceeded to divide, each taking ninety cents, the odd fifteen cents and tobacco going to the one who had done the ‘trick,’ as they termed it.
1888		Sun (NY) 13 May 14/6: I settled that mug for another trick once, and I think I can shake him down now.
1903		A.H. Lewis Boss 168: Let a trick come off on th’ street cars, or at th’ theater, or in the dark, or let a crib get cracked, an’ there’ll be trouble.
1911		G. Bronson-Howard Enemy to Society 146: Well, that’s my next trick [...] so get to work George, and try to give me a working knowledge of the inside of the Janissary house.
1924		G. Henderson Keys to Crookdom 64: An officer rounded the corner just as they ‘pulled the trick.’.
1930		A. Feldman ‘The Squeal Widow’ in Gun Molls Oct. 🌐 At the wheel of an automobile stolen within the hour for use in what he had been assured would be a fast trick [etc.].
1934		J.L. Kuethe ‘Prison Parlance’ in AS IX:1 28: trick. A crime.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 166/1: Pull a trick. 1. To commit a crime for gain. [Ibid.] 226/2: Trick. 1. A specific crime, as a robbery, burglary, or the like.
1965		H. Williamson Hustler 118: [A] guy in the tavern had a big roll of money! [...] It’s goin’ a be our last trick for the night.
1970		‘Red’ Rudensky Gonif 7: By the time of the trick, Dago knew the location of every alarm, every fuse box [...] in the entire block.
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 13: Maloney had even been known to do a trick or two for influential and strong blokes such as Dapper Jerry and Skinny Frank.

2. (UK Und.) any article stolen by a pickpocket.

1859

Matsell Vocabulum 92: Tricks Anything stolen from a person at one time by pickpockets.