Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. out of order, utterly ruined or exhausted; thus get the kaput, to be rejected, dismisssed.

[1895		W.M. Conway Alps from End to End iii. 59: The thing would then go wie’s Donnerwetter and the man would be kaput at once].
1916		H. Sheehan Volunteer Poilu (net.lib.byu.edu/~rdh7/wwi/memoir/Sheahan/Sheahan1.htm) Ch. i: Therefore we have printed a new label telling the truth about Farina, and the Boche ‘Johann Maria’ is ‘kapout.’.
1919		in A. Cornebise Amaroc News (1981) 24 June 27: Everything looks rather ‘caput’ [sic] at the present time.
1924		Herald (Glasgow) 11 Dec. 7: The intellectual consciousness is kaput.
1944		J. Cary Horse’s Mouth (1948) 206: The picture is kaput.
1955		J.P. Donleavy Ginger Man (1958) 85: The other girl complained to the head master and I was scared I was going to get the kaput.
1961		T. Taylor Baron’s Court All Change (2011) 45: He looked far from happy. ‘Man, I’m finished — really finished — washed up and kaput!’.
1965		J. Thompson Texas by the Tail (1994) 99: We forget Zearsdale, get me? It’s all over, kaput!
1978		(con. 1940s) O. Manning Battle Lost and Won 280: We’ve given it a shake but the damned thing’s kaput.
1986		F. Taylor Auf Wiedersehen Pet Two 40: Now your marriage is kaput and you’re living with your sister.
1992		D. Burke Street Talk 2 145: My car went kaput again.
1999		Observer 29 Aug. 26: Gott! Kenny’s kaput.
2000		S. Maloney Big Ask 254: It seemed reasonable to assume that it [i.e. a mobile phone] was kaput when it arrived at Foodbank.
2012		H. Acosta ‘Doing the Job’ in ThugLit Dec. [ebook] [M]y last run with the big boys up north went kaput.

2. dead, finished.

1918		A.N. Depew Gunner Depew 281: Like many others, if it had not been for [US Ambassador] Gerard, I would be kaput by now .
1925		(con. WWI) Fraser & Gibbons Soldier and Sailor Words 134: Kaput: (German—Kaputt). Finished. No more.
1937		(con. WW1) E.C. Parsons Great Adventure 26: ‘[B]etter start praying now they don’t find those two bozos we brought over or it’s “Caput” for us’.
1938		S. Beckett Murphy (1963) 63: Dr. Fist said: ‘Giff de pooze ub or go kaputt’.
1941		J.M. Cain Mildred Pierce (1985) 526: The couple who had worked for Mrs. Beragon before ‘es went kaput’.
1957		R. Prather Always Leave ’Em Dying 107: Nope, Lyn. Trammel’s kaput.
1962		S. Longstreet Flesh Peddlers (1964) 264: Monte has been leading the opposition and he’s kaput.
1978		W. Wharton Birdy 3: The stupid war’s over for Christ’s sake! Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, the whole shitload; kaput!
1994		I. Welsh ‘The Granton Star Cause’ in Acid House 123: Wir finished. Finito. Kaput. Endy story. Goodnight Vienna.
1996		H. Roth From Bondage 391: Kaput finished.
1998		P. Bailey Kitty and Virgil (1999) 20: When we say a thing is frazzled, we means it’s worn-out [...] Kaput, it’s kaput.
2011		E. Beetner ‘Zed’s Dead, Baby’ in Pulp Ink [ebook] No one knew who did it [...] but everyone was so damn sure the boy was kaput.
2016		N. Cummins Adventures of the Honey Badger [ebook] In a flash soccer was kaput and rugby ruled supreme.
2023		M. Herron Secret Hours 334: ‘Your plan didn’t work,’ she said [...] Otis made a small exploding shape with his hands. ‘Kaput!’.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 83: Marilyn and the K[ennedy] boys were now kaput.