Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US) alert, energetic.

1857		in Knickerbocker (N.Y.) 456: A neighboring bath-house, kept by a live yankee of the name of Martin [DAE].
1861		Illinois Agricultural Society Transcripts IV 263: Our County Society [...] numbers among its members most of the ‘live farmers’ in the county [DAE].
1875		Chicago Trib. 8 Dec. 12/3: The politics, or rather religion of his paper was changed, and it became a ‘red-hot,’ ‘live’ Gentile sheet [DAE].
1886		I.D. Hardy Oranges and Alligators 223: Orlando, the county seat of Orange County, is a thriving, stirring, ‘live’ town.
1892		Pall Mall Gazette 1 Nov. 6/1: At a private muster the other night they came up in good force, decided to organize the party by wards, to maintain a live association, and to find the money to keep it going [F&H].
1916		J. Lait ‘Charlie the Wolf’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 61: Not a live one did I see.
1925		R. Lardner ‘Mr. and Mrs. Fix-It’ in Coll. Short Stories (1941) 409: They’re certainly a live bunch in this town.
1961		J. Scarne Complete Guide to Gambling 684: Live horse – a horse that is in good shape to run his best.

2. excellent, first-rate, thrilling; thus a live one, an admirable person or object.

1886		Publisher’s Weekly 18 Dec. 965/1: Young man, a ‘hustler’ in every respect, wants a strictly first-class position with a ‘live’ book house [DA].
1890		Sporting Times 18 Jan. 1: [She] otherwise conducts herself like a real live lady.
1907		B. Fisher A. Mutt in Blackbeard Compilation (1977) 3: I must have miscalculated. If only I had a live hunch for this aft.
1915		Daily Trib. (Bismarck, ND) 21 Apr. 11/1: There are fifty or more marriageable girls in this live burg.
1942		W.R. Burnett Quick Brown Fox 71: ‘Who’s the handsome young man?’ [...] ‘That’s Ray Benedict who writes the column. The Colonel’s picked a live horse this time’.
1989		P. Munro Sl. U. 123: The decor in that apartment is live.
1997		C. Newland Scholar 44: ‘Are they live?’ Cory asked in a hushed voice. Garvey cackled evilly.
2000		Hip-Hop Connection Jan.–Feb. 54: ‘Live’ means great.
2014		C. Eble (ed.) UNC-CH Campus Sl. Spring 2014 Fall 4: LIVE — energetic, fun: ‘Last night’s concert was live’.
2017		hubpages.com ‘Roadman Slang’ 4 Jun. 🌐 Live - really fun or positive, e.g. ‘live party’ or ‘I got some live new clothes’.

3. (US tramp) filled with money.

1896

F. Hutcheson Barkeep Stories 84: [A] smile [...] dat’d make you fink of a hungry hobo dat has just found a live leather.

4. of a potential victim of a confidence trick, willing to be tricked; often as live one n. (3)

1928		J. Callahan Man’s Grim Justice 36: I’ll pick out some nice-looking old man that looks like a live sap.
1937		(con. 1905–25) E.H. Sutherland Professional Thief (1956) 62: The steerer had better be plenty sure that he really has a good, live prospect.

5. of a house, inhabited, occupied, the opposite of dead adj. (3)

1937		J. Curtis You’re in the Racket, Too 204: Here’s a list of half a dozen blokes who screw live gaffs.
1956		‘Charles Raven’ Und. Nights 10: Your ordinary screwsman, who does a live gaff, or, more likely, who finds that the gaff he thought was dead is alive, has one idea.

6. (US black) exciting, dangerous.

2012

‘Dutch’ ? (Pronounced Que) [ebook] Shit ’bout to get live.