Green’s Dictionary of Slang

pre-arranged, usu. of criminal or at least deceptive activities; usu. as put-up job

1810		Annual Register 296: The police officers are of opinion, that the robbery of the above cathedral is what is called, in the slang language, a put-up robbery.
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 260: put up affair any preconcerted plan or scheme to effect a robbery, &c., undertaken at the suggestion of another person, who possessing a knowledge of the premises, is competent to advise the principal how best to proceed.
1818		W. Perry London Guide 149: This sort of league, or information from within, is called, ‘a put up robbery’.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: put up affair A preconcerted plan or scheme to rob a house, at the suggestion of the porter or servants belonging to it; they, possessing a knowledge of the premises, are the most competent to advise the best and safest mode to carry it into.
1833		[T. Wontner] Old Bailey Experience 330: Sometimes it is a put-up affair; that is, notice has been given them by some one on the premises intended to be robbed, or by an agent residing near the spot, of an opportunity to commit a robbery.
1838		Dickens Oliver Twist (1966) 277: ‘This warn’t a put-up thing.’ ‘And what the devil’s a put-up thing?’ demanded the doctor [...] ‘We call it a put-up robbery, ladies,’ said Blather.
1846		South Australian (Adelaide) 15 May4/2: [from London press] The scheme, unless the concern be a put-up one, is generally concocted by some of the swell mob.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 70: A job is said to be put up if the porter of a store should allow a ‘fitter’ to take an impression of the keys of the door of a safe; or when a clerk sent to the bank to make a deposit, or to draw an amount of money, allows himself to be thrown down and robbed, in order to have his pocket picked.
1867		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 7 Sept. n.p.: Everything that they have done for the last three years has been what is called ‘put up’ from within.
1914		E. Dyson Spats’ Fact’ry (1922) 32: It must ’a’ bin a put-up thing [...] They spieled me!
1914		H. Hershfield Abie the Agent 19 Feb. [synd strip] This is Benny Sparkbaum’s put up work!
1937		(con. 1905–25) E.H. Sutherland Professional Thief (1956) 9: Should an outsider have a putup touch (opportunity for theft suggested by an outsider) for 10 per cent, no other outfit would think of offering the putup man 15 per cent for it.
1959		D. Niland Big Smoke 32: If you ask me it was rigged. It was a put-up go.