Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US Und.) to leave at high speed, to run off fast.

1898		J. Thorp ‘Little Joe, the Wrangler’ in G. Logsdon Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing (1995) 35: So he he saddled up old Chaw one night and ‘lit a shuck’ this way.
1911		J. Lomax Cowboy Songs 167: So he saddled up old Chaw one night and lit a shuck this way.
1930		in Botkin Folk-Say 166: He jest grobbed ’em and lit a shuck fer home.
1936		(con. 1800s) ‘The Bell Witch of Tennessee and Mississippi’ in A.P. Hudson Humor of the Old Deep South 442: I’ll get you out. Hump it back to your wagon now – light a shuck!
1940		D. Maurer Big Con 101: It’s a lot easier just to plug the roper and watch the mark light a rag.
1945		R.L. Bellem ‘Ruby Ransom’ Hollywood Detective Dec. 🌐 powdered outdoors; piled into my jalopy and lit a shuck for downtown.
1948		Z.N. Hurston Seraph on the Suwanee (1995) 628: Git! Light a shuck offen this place!
1965		B. Jackson Get Your Ass in the Water (1974) 86: I lit a shuck back to my regular old pad and jumped into a different tog.
1971		T. Thackrey Thief 49: I lit a shuck out of there before he could take his second shot.

1. to attack physically.

1865		‘Mark Twain’ in Paine Biography I 275: Tom Maguire, Roused to ire, Lighted on McDougal; Tore his coat, Clutched his throat, And split him in the bugle [DA].
1887		G. Devol Forty Years a Gambler 243: I lit into him, and we had it rough-and-tumble all around the hall.
1899		Ade Fables in Sl. (1902) 80: Shortly after Breakfast his Paw lured him into the Barn and Lit on him. He got a good Holt on the Adam’s Apple.
1900		H. Garland Eagle’s Heart 28: He lit into me with a big clasp-knife.
1908		N.Y. Tribune 23 Aug. 5/3: Cress an’ me’ll jist nachally light in an’ he’p y’u chew up the hull bunch!
1916		R. Lardner ‘Champion’ in Coll. Short Stories (1941) 125: The only trouble we have with him is gettin’ him to light into these poor bums they match him up with.
1921		Dos Passos Three Soldiers 87: ‘Looks like there was going to be another offensive at Verdun,’ said Dan Cohen [...] ‘I guess we’re lightin’ into ’em all right,’ said Fuselli in a patriotic voice.
1938		C. Himes ‘Pork Chop Paradise’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 254: He struck another guard in front of him and the two of them lit on him like ducks on a June bug and beat some of the black out of him.
1945		C. Himes ‘Make with the Shape’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 113: Instead of taking it on the lam, Lulu lit in on Jessie May.
1952		(con. 1948) G. Mandel Flee the Angry Strangers 461: You stand back or I’ll light into you, cops or no cops.
1972		(con. 1960s) D. Goines Whoreson 213: Before the words were out of my mouth, I had lit into her with the coat hangers.
1994		N. McCall Makes Me Wanna Holler (1995) 62: Somebody would light into him, then everybody else sprang.

2. to attack verbally, to criticize.

1884		(con. c.1840) ‘Mark Twain’ Huckleberry Finn 237: The king sassed back as much as was safe for him, and then swapped around and lit into me again.
1884		R. Grant Average Man 3: She was in love with Willis Blake, but her stern parent lit down on her [DA].
1914		S. Lewis Our Mr Wrenn (1936) 20: Say, did you hear old Goglefogle light into me this morning?
1933		N. West ‘Miss Lonelyhearts’ in Coll. Works (1975) 243: That got me riled and I lit into the bastard and gave him a piece of my mind.
1965		H. Rhodes Chosen Few (1966) 156: He knew why he had lit into Dorsey [...] I jumped this boy because I was pissed at Jackson.
1970		A. Young Snakes (1971) 73: I wish youd wait until I do somethin that you can get on me about before you start lightin into me.
1991		(con. 1920s) O.D. Brooks Legs 203: At that, she really lit into me.
1993		O’Reilly & Sixth Class Over the Half Door n.p.: I got a pliers, a screwdriver and a phase tester stuck in my locker where I had left them. The electrician came over and lit on me. ‘You were doing our work last night.’ [BS].
1994		Eble Campus Sl. Apr.

3. to tackle, to attack, whether food or a task.

1878		J.H. Beadle Western Wilds 187: They double-quicked into town and lit in generally.
1917		Freeman & Kingsley Alabaster Box 3: He’ll light into those hot doughnuts .
1943		H.A. Smith Life in a Putty Knife Factory (1948) 110: He turned back to the wall and lit into ‘It Came upon a Midnight Clear’.
1977		J. Plunkett Coll. Short Stories 282: The kid lit into the biscuits right away and Danny went up to pay for them.

to have an orgasm [SE light off, to ignite as an explosive].

1972

G.V. Higgins Friends of Eddie Coyle 112-13: The broad’s great in the sack and she lights off real easy.

(US) to leave, to escape, to hurry off.

1863		T.F. Upson diary 10 Mar. in Winther With Sherman to the Sea (1958) 49: We did not stay for tea but lit out for camp.
1873		Gen. Custer letter 23 Sept. in Custer Boots And Saddles (1999) 297: I knew that my family [...] was in advance somewhere, and, as the saying is, I just ‘lit out’.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 25 Apr. 14/2: Then he packed a few traps in his ears, and lit out for the interior.
1891		F.D. Srygley Seventy Years in Dixie 239: We all had to light out fur Arkansaw.
1908		A.N. Lyons Arthur’s 266: When we lit off at Victoria Station, Arthur sniffed the atmosphere of that popular resort with unfeigned pleasure.
1909		W.M. Raine Brand Blotters (1912) 27: When Burke sent me to his room he had lit out, taken a swift hike into the hills.
1915		Wodehouse Psmith Journalist (1993) 195: ‘I’ll wait,’ says he lightin’ out for de door.
1921		Dos Passos Three Soldiers 77: Well, we didn’t mess around with them captains. We just lit off down a side street an’ got into a little café.
1927		D. Hammett ‘$106,000 Blood Money’ Story Omnibus (1966) 329: ‘On the jump,’ I grunted and lit out for the dark cottage.
1934		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Young Manhood in Studs Lonigan (1936) 168: Suddenly, Kenny lit for the rear platform.
1937		E. Anderson Thieves Like Us (1999) 183: We’ll know exactly where we want to light out for.
1947		B. Schulberg Harder They Fall (1971) 134: If I hadn’t been with the guy [...] since I was fifteen I sure in hell would have lit out for Oklahoma.
1959		D. Niland Big Smoke 122: Frosty chases him there only to find he’s lit out for Brisbane.
1966		C. Himes Run Man Run (1969) 162: I lit out and ran for my life.
1977		A. Brooke Last Toke 190: Seem they packing to do y’all ’bout to light out fo’ Georgia.
1998		C. Fleming High Concept 93: Most of her girls had lit out after that.
2000		C. Cook Robbers (2001) 262: They went after Johnny Ray. He lit out for parts unknown.

see separate entries.