Green’s Dictionary of Slang

nanty adv.

also nante, nantee, nanti, nanty, nenti, nunty, nuntee
[Ling. Fr. nantee, none or not; ult. Ital. niente, nothing]

1. none, no; esp. as general phr. of negation, meaning either I have none or No to that; also as n., nothing.

[UK]Swell’s Night Guide 47: Nanty coming it on a pall, or wid cracking to queer a pitch. [Ibid.] 71: The slavey donna [...] touted the rum-cull nanty pipe’ums, cos her nibs was rank sweet on the shallow cove.
[UK]Man of Pleasure’s Illus. Pocket-book n.p.: ‘Pipe my fams! nanty bano quester!’.
[UK]Yokel’s Preceptor 30: Nanty, Without.
[UK](con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 208/1: ‘Is it good?’ If it is, I say, ‘Say.’ That is, – Yes. If not, I say ‘Nanti.’.
[UK]Western Dly Press 24 Oct. 4/3: Such expressions as these—‘fake the cly,’ ‘rumbo cully,’ ‘nante denali,’ ‘varda my nibs,’ &c, have some means got out of their proper channel, and have been appropriated by third-rate actors.
[Aus]Australasian (Melbourne) 3 July 8/5: ‘Give us some tobacco, Joe.’ ‘Nanti fogare,’ says the other, and they go off together.
[UK]Hotten Sl. Dict.
[UK]London Life 5 July 3/2: That's Nantipoloni, the King of the Acrobats, in his trap.
[UK]Sporting Times 8 Nov. 2/3: With an Hebraic Government in power he would be made a baronet, with the title of Sir Noses Nanti-poloney.
[UK]P.H. Emerson Signor Lippo 95: I get my kip for nenti here for helping old Blower tidy up.
[UK]Binstead & Wells Pink ’Un and Pelican 20: The Manchester Lothario had got twenty pounds on Barcaldine with the ‘Nanty Poloney Ironclad Firm’.
[UK]J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 180/2: Nanty (Italian organ-grinders’). Nothing-corruption of niente. ‘’E’s a nanty cove.’.
[UK]R. Hauser Homosexual Society Appendix 3, 167: Nanti, no.
[US]B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 140: nanti (Brit gay sl, fr Parlyaree, // It nienti = nothing) a negation.
[US]Maledicta VI:1+2 (Summer/Winter) 139: Parlyaree in homosexual use […] gives us nanti (no).
[US]M. Coward in Verbatim 24:2 n.p.: If something is naff, you would want to put the mockers on it. ‘Nante that!’ you might cry, nante meaning either ‘cancel’ or ‘desist from’, or simply ‘nothing’, depending on context.
[UK]Guardian 14 Jul. 🌐 Nanti: none or nothing. Eg, Nanti dinarly: no money. Nanti worster: no worse. Nanti pots in the cupboard: no teeth.
[NZ]W. Ings ‘Trolling the Beat to Working the Soob’ in Int’l Jrnl Lexicog. 23:1 59: Cant contributed words to the argot of the male prostitute, including omee (man) and nantee (not/nothing).
[US]W. Keyser ‘Carny Lingo’ in http://goodmagic.com 🌐 Nanty — Nothing. (Compare the British circus use).
[UK]P. Baker Fabulosa 295/2: nanti, nantee, nanty, nunty, nuntee a general negator that can mean no, none, don’t or nothing [...] nanti dinarly no money [...] nanti polari, nanty panarly don’t speak, nanti pots in the cupboard no teeth, nanti that leave it alone, forget about it.
[UK]R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 5: I want nanti dinarli for my liver, nanti advance, nix royalties, no money for this venture.

2. used adj. impoverished, out of funds.

[UK]J. McNicoll [perf. Marie Lloyd] And she lisped when she said, ‘Yes!’ 🎵 When she left the poor boy ‘nanty,’ / She said she’d to meet her aunty.

In compounds

nanty crackling (n.) [crackling n.]

(Polari) the vagina.

Holford & Shenk Gallop Your Maggot 35: Vagina [...] Nanty Crackling. The first word is Palary (circus and theatre) slang for ‘nothing’ or ‘none’ and the absence of crackling (hard, burnt skin) in this particular circumstance is to be commended.

In exclamations

nanty palaver! (also nantee palaver! nante palare! nanty panarly!) [palaver n. (1)]

shut up! be quiet! also as n.: no talking.

[UK]New Sprees of London 3: Nanty palary the rumcull of the Casey is green to the fakements.
[UK]Man of Pleasure’s Illus. Pocket-book n.p.: Nanty—nanty pallary; she's a plant on the swell to stag his lumber and cop his denarley. Stall away —hook it; nanty piping.
[[UK]Yokel’s Preceptor 30: Nanty, [...] Be quiet].
[UK]Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
[Aus]Melbourne Punch ‘City Police Court’ 3 Oct. 234/1: Prisoner.- Your worship, if I were, I hope I may be – The Mayor.- Come, none of your patter flash, my nibs Nantee palaver.
[UK]Hotten Sl. Dict.
[Aus]Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 6: Nantee Palaver - Hold your tongue. No words!
[UK]Took & Feldman Round the Horne 22 May [BBC radio] She’ll vada me and smile, / I’ll understand and in a little while / She’ll hold my German band, / And though it seems absurd / There’ll be nante palare.
[UK] (ref. to 1950s–60s) Baker & Stanley Hello Sailor! 83: ‘Nanti polari’ meant shut up, somebody’s listening.
[UK]P. Baker Fantabulosa 42: nanty panarly [...] imperative: don’t say anything.