Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also golden ointment) money [its use in ‘soothing’ life’s problems].

1826		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 12 Mar. 468/3: Banish far away all vexatious disappointment, / And rub all our sore eyes with the Sovereign Golden Ointment.
1842		Flash (NY) 2 Oct. n.p.: [They] are at the beck and call of him who has most of the ‘golden ointment’.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1937–84		Partridge DSUE (1984) 821/1: C.15–17.

2. (US) alcohol, usu. whiskey.

1876

St Louis Globe-Democrat 19 Jan. n.p.: They nominate ‘bottled electricity,’ ‘lemonade with a stick in it,’ ‘jig-water,’ ‘budge,’ ‘bilge-water,’ ‘bug-juice,’ ‘rat-poison,’ ‘fusel-oil,’ ‘red-eye,’ ‘liquid ointment,’ ‘cut nails,’ ‘hard head,’ ‘benzine,’ ‘nitro-glycerine,’ ‘oil,’ ‘tea,’ ‘eye-water,’ ‘chain- lightning.’ [...] they all want the same article, alcohol, more or less diluted.

3. semen.

1937–84

Partridge DSUE (1984) 821: C.18–early 20.

4. butter.

1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. (2nd edn).
1873		Sl. Dict.
1892		Omaha Dly Bee (NE) 14 Feb. 6/5: Ointment is butter.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 54: Ointment, butter (medical slang).