Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also over-run the constable, run a match against the constable) to spend more than one can afford; to live beyond one’s means.

1639		J. Taylor Crabtree Lectures 124: Nay said the Pewterers wife, let us not outrun the Constable, for I protest I have not above three pence in my purse.
1672		M. Atkins Cataplus 5: Daedalus the Carpenter, / Who flew his Countrey and came there. / (By all report 'tis warrantable He had out-run the Constable).
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Outrun the Constable to Spend more than is Got, or Run out of an Estate.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1748		Smollett Roderick Random (1979) 134: Harkee, my girl, how far have you over-run the constable? – I told him the debt amounted to eleven pounds.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
c.1790		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘The Rights of Kings’ Works (1794) III 42: Married Scarron’s old widow [...] Got deep in debt, the constable out-ran.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc.
1835		Surrey Advertiser 20 Feb. 2/3: An elector, who had out run the constable, came to the poll to vote:— ‘I shall give one vote to Mr A; one vote to Mr B,’ he said; ‘And another vote to me!’ added a Sheriff’s officer, giving the atsonished voter a plumper on the shoulder.
1836–7		Dickens Pickwick Papers (1999) 548: ‘He run a match agin the constable, and vun it.’ ‘In other words [...] he got into debt?’.
1842		Lincs. Chron. 11 Feb. 4/5: A bazaar was held at Manchester, in aid of the funds of the Anti-Corn Law league, who [...] have strangely ‘out-run the constable’.
1850		Thackeray Pendennis II 221: You are a Baronet, though you have outrun the constable.
1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. (2nd edn) 120: ‘To overrun the constable,’ to exceed one’s income, get deep in debt.
1861		Dickens Great Expectations (1992) 160: I shall [...] pull you up if I find you outrunning the constable.
1866		Letters by an Odd Boy 48: Don’t overrun the constable, in expectation of what might be given; don’t spend your money befroe you have it.
1870		Morn. Post 11 Jan. 6/5: A retired officer of dragoons, who has outrun the constable, repairs his shattered fortunes by marriage with a wealthy lady.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 2: ‘Outrun the constable,’ to get into debt beyond one’s income.
1883		Royal Cornwall Gaz. 2 Mar. 4/1: Mr Gladstone, as the manager of the National Finances, has outrun the constable to the extent of considerably more than half a million.
1895		Pall Mall Gaz. 25 Jan. 5/3: They are, instead, on the road to get poor [...] along the well-worn road of those who [...] have, what is called, outrun the constable.
1902		Cornishman 24 Apr. 2/6: And with it all [...] I never, never may outrun the constable, / But live undunned beside my wild young lass .
1915		Liverpool Echo 11 June 7/2: He seemed to have outrun the constable in his native country and went to Monte Video.
1927		Aberdeen Jrnl 11 Apr. 3/7: My husband, you see [...] would out-run the constable without any idea of being deliberately extravagant.
1950		Dundee Courier 15 Mar. 2/1: The Health Service has outrun the Budget constable, dwarfing all the other supplementary spendthrifts put together.

2. to go too far, whether physically or fig.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Out-run the Constable [...] to run Riot.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1766		Anstey New Bath Guide letter vii n.p.: And some people think with such haste he began, That soon he the constable greatly outran [F&H].
1885		Pall Mall Gaz. 16 Oct. 12/2: Can it be that H.R.H. the Chief Ranger has outrun the constable, in first evicting and then compensating the old woman in Milk Fair.
1890		Yorks. Gaz. 23 Aug. 4/5: The Radical tradesman (a grocer) [who] accused Richmond members [...] of spending their money on ‘Jubilee gallopers’ instead of paying their grocer’s bill has rather outrun the constable in his rancorous spleen.

3. to change the subject.

1663

S. Butler Hudibras Pt I canto 3 line 1367: Quoth Hudibras, Friend Ralph, thou hast out-run the constable at last; For thou art fallen as a new Dispute, as senseless as untrue, But to the former opposite, And contrary as black to white.