Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(Aus./Irish/US) to thrash, to beat, to flog.

1821		‘Sparring Exhibitions’ in Fancy I XVII 408: He has put the quilt upon all those persons who have been opposed to him.
1821–6		‘Bill Truck’ Man o’ War’s Man (1843) 110: He kept quilting away at the supercargo’s unfortunate carcase.
1832		Satirist (London) 5 Aug. 253/4: I hope, if they do fight, that Brother Holland may be quilted.
1836		T. Haliburton Clockmaker I 137: One night he got drunk and quilted me, I couldn’t walk for a week.
1845		R.S. Surtees Hillingdon Hall II 298: Arn’t I always on the move, either ridin’ Dickey Cobden, or drivin’ him, or quiltin’ him.
1853		R.S. Surtees Mr Sponge’s Sporting Tour 10: He [...] quilted the old crocodile of a horse all the way home.
1865		R.S. Surtees Facey Romford’s Hounds 7: Wicked old man, where could he expect to go? Would surely get quilted below.
1889–90		Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.
1914		Sport (Adelaide) 11 Sept. 4/2: Onlooker saw F.W. quilt a bloke for running down his tabby’s sister.
1945		J.B. McMillan ‘New Amer. Lexical Evidence’ in AS XX:1 112: Quilt, tr. v. Whip, flog.
1997		Share Slanguage.
1999		G. Seal Lingo 45: The many other terms for fighting give an idea of the importance of this activity in larrikin life. bump, [...] weigh into, wipe and quilt.