Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (usu. tramp) a guinea [to encounter so large a sum is a rare event].

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1796		Sporting Mag. Dec. IX 138/1: The doctor had recourse to his pocket; and pulling out [...] a guinea; Mr. Fig, eyeing the latter with a great degree of surprise, exclaimed, ‘Good God, sir, you seem to have got a stranger there.’.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 81: Stranger, a guinea.

2. (orig. US) a term of address to one whose name is unknown.

1809		Ashe Travels in Amer. 105: ‘Good morrow, stranger,’ (was uttered involuntarily by all) ‘how fares it?’ [DA].
1833		D. Crockett Sketches and Eccentricities 144: I cum acrost a fellow floatin’ down stream settin’ in the stern of his boat fast asleep. Said I ‘Hello, stranger!’.
1840		Leeds Times 3 Oct. 7/5: Jonathan caught the arm of his guide and accosted him thus:- ‘Look here, stranger’.
1843		R. Carlton New Purchase II 213: Well, stranjurs, I warn’t never at that cave.
1851		‘A Case of Supposition’ in Burke Polly Peablossom’s Wedding 102: Hallo, stranger! what are you doing there?
1864		‘Edmund Kirke’ Down in Tennessee 106: Giving me a grasp of the hand and a cordial ‘How dy’ge, stranger?’.
1878		J.H. Nicholson ‘Bunkum in Parvo’ in Opal Fever 113: ‘Strangers,’ the form said, stepping in, / ‘What’s all this fighting, and what’s this din?’.
1889		C.C. Post Ten Years A Cowboy 338: I say, stranger, [...] would you mind tellin’ me if this is your ‘John Hancock’?
1892		J.C. Duval Young Explorers 22: Hello! strangers, which way are you travelling?
1897		F.H. Carruth Voyage of the Rattletrap 129: Waal, now stranger, I jess reckon I have got some co’n to sell.
1900		Boy’s Own Paper 22 Dec. 178: Easy now, stranger, easy’s the word.
1912		Z. Grey Riders of the Purple Sage 8: ‘Hello, stranger!’ called Tull.
1924		‘Digit’ Confessions of a Twentieth Century Hobo 31: ‘Say, boss, how about a ride over? Only autos allowed on this trip.’ ‘Climb in, stranger’.
1932		‘R. Scully’ Scarlet Pansy 356: Hello, stranger. Come over here.
1946		Chicago Daily News 25 May 21: [comics] ‘Thank yo’, stranger.’ [...] ‘Stop calling me ‘stranger.’ My name is Walter!’ [DA].

3. (US) a barrel of whisky [in a ‘dry’ county the whisky has to be imported from a distance].

1845

W.T. Porter Big Bear of Arkansas (1847) 121: They were mighty savagerous arter likker; they’d been fightin’ the stranger* mightily comin’ up, and war perfectly wolfish arter some har of the dog. (*A barrel of whiskey is called a ‘stranger,’ from the fact that it is brought from a distance, there being none made in the country).

4. a sovereign [to encounter so large a sum is a rare event].

1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1905		Exeter & Plymouth Gaz. 4 Feb. 5/6: A soveriegn has been rechristened a ‘glistener,’ a ‘goldfinch,’ a ‘mousetrap,’ a ‘new hat’ [...] a ‘remedy,’ a ‘stranger’’.
1919		Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 7 June 9/6: Slang of Money [...] A sovereign is a ‘glistener,’ ‘mousetrap,’ ‘new hat,’ ‘quid,’ ‘remedy,’ ‘stranger,’ ‘thick ’un’.
1925		Mail (Adelaide) 23 May 23/4: The sovereign has been variously called a ‘glistener,’ a ‘mouse trap,’ [...] a ‘remedy,‘ a ‘stranger,’ a ‘bean’.

5. anyone one knows but has not seen for some time; thus hello stranger, a greeting to a long-absent friend.

1930		E. Waugh Vile Bodies 34: ‘Well,’ she said, ‘you are a stranger.’.
1941		B. Miller Farewell Leicester Square (2000) 278: There was a brief touch upon his arm. ‘Hullo, stranger.’.
1950		C. Harris Three-Ha’Pence to the Angel 137: Welcome ’ome, stranger!
1961		W.R. Burnett Round the Clock at Volari’s, 10: ‘She and Zena are out back, smoking [...] How you been, stranger?’.
1974		J. Lahr Hot to Trot 118: Dad waves me into the room. ‘Howdy, stranger?’.
1985		B. Simon ‘Outers’ Born in the RSA (1997) 78: Hello stranger . . .where’ve you been?
1995		J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 16: Hey Nicky, where you been stranger?
1999		A. O’Hagan Our Fathers 195: ‘Hello, stranger,’ she said with a smile. ‘Hello, Mum,’ I said.