Green’s Dictionary of Slang

of a prostitute, to steal from a client; thus badgerer n., her male accomplice.

1843		N.Y. Aurora 18 Aug. n.p.: He found to his consternation that his pocket-book [...] had been abducted [...] On going up to the room door in which he had been badgered, the door was found to be fast.
1881		Kansas City Times (MO) 21 June 7/2: a badger game. In which John Houghton was ‘Badgered’ Out of $75 by a Colored Prostitute.
1909		in WNID.
1928		M.C. Sharpe Chicago May (1929) 257: A woman may start out to badger an individual and find it advantageous to simply steal.
1929		D.H. Clarke In the reign of Rothstein 76: ‘Ratsy’ Tourbillon turned for the moment, at least, from his earlier pursuits of blackmail and badgering, to bootlegging.
1930		J. Lait Put on the Spot 69: A mulatto wench who had badgered a State Senator.
1934		(con. 1877) E. Cunningham Triggernometry (1957) 58: The gentleman friend of a Cyprian beauty of the town tried the ancient badger-game on Wes [...] the ‘badgerer,’ gun in hand, grinned.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 86: ‘Why do you and Paul Mitchell badger out of the Nest?’.