Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also winder-up) conclusion, end; death .

[1815		T.L. Peacock Headlong Hall (1816) 200: Four marriages were about to take place by way of a merry winding-up of the Christmas festivities].
1826		C.M. Westmacott Eng. Spy II 131: An old female miser [...] being about to slip her wind and make a wind-up of her accounts.
1828		‘A Flat Enlightened’ Life in the West II 37: As a winder-up of the whole [...] it was stated that there never was a more determined rencounter.
1832		Egan Bk of Sports 15: It must be admitted [...] as a capital ‘wind-up’ to that eventful period.
1842		W.H. Maxwell Rambling Recollections of a Soldier of Fortune 219: On the wind-up, I found myself a ‘cleaned-out man.’.
1849		Bell’s Life in Sydney 14 Apr. 2: By way of a wind up the Old Man shot a match with Mr Calvert.
1854		Bell’s Life in Sydney 25 Feb. 2/7: ‘Certainly, so long as you behave as such,’ was the wind-up of Mr Singleton.
1854		N.Y. Clipper 25 Feb. 3/3: The Wind-up [i.e. of a sparring exhibition] was between Jemmy Boyle and Jem Trainer, of Liverpool. [...] Thus ended the sports of the evening.
1861		Hills & Plains 2 50: The wind-up of Captain Stapleton’s murmerings [...] was a solemn vow to avoid Beauclerc Cottage.
1866		Night Side of N.Y. 85: The wind-up of the evening is always a set-to between two athletes of real science and ‘grit.’.
1867		Sportsman 2 Mar. 2/1: Notes on News [...] Becoming senator seems an appropriate wind-up.
1874		J. Greenwood Wilds of London (1881) 114: That would be a good wind-up o the night’s luck.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 312: It would be a good wind-up, and Maddie was coming out a great swell.
1889		Music Hall & Theatre Rev. 10 Aug. 12/1: What a grand wind-up to the racing season.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 25 Nov. 7/6: The wind-up of the evening had to be celebrated in more creaming bumpers.
1896		F. Hutcheson Barkeep Stories 61: ‘De wind-up was, de sheriff an’ de marshal an’ de main bull cuts up de t’ree-sixty between dem an’ tells us t’ git out o’ dat part o’ de country’.
1899		R. Whiteing No. 5 John Street 107: What right had I to a dinner of steak pudding [...] and a slice of jam-roll for the wind-up?
1906		S. Ford Shorty McCabe 181: ‘My hopes, my fortune, my happiness, the very breath of my living, it is all with you,’ says he as a windup.
1916		R. Lardner ‘Champion’ in Coll. Short Stories (1941) 112: The shooting continued until the wind-up at the Star was over.
1926		J. Black You Can’t Win (2000) 149: Sanc and I were fortunate enough to witness the wind-up of one of her most memorable celebrations.
1937		J. Curtis There Ain’t No Justice 31: You was the semi-wind-up, wasn’t you mate?
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 102: Oh, about Jane – her wind-up was sad.
1959		W. Burroughs Naked Lunch (1968) 49: The wind-up is we are all drummed out of the industry.
1968		S. Gore Holy Smoke 87: I reckon that ’d be as good a wind-up for this book of mine as any.
1979		H. Leonard A Life (1981) Act II: A grand cushy job with a collar an’ tie on it, an’ a pension in the wind-up.

2. (US) a fight.

1911		Daily Ardmoreite (Ardmore, OK) 31 Jan. 5/4: In the wind-up between Tony Applegate [...] and Russell Burd [...] Burd surprised many in the fine exhibition he put up.
1915		H. Hershfield Abie the Agent 26 Feb. [synd. cartoon strip] I hopes that the main wind up isn’t commenced yet? [...] I wonder who got knocked out?
1931		W.R. Burnett Silver Eagle 70: The semi-windup was dull. [...] In the tenth round the fight livened up a bit.
1942		N. Algren Never Come Morning (1988) 221: The barber held a fear of Benkowski getting Bruno into a windup at the Garden on his own, leaving the barber out.

3. (US) promotion, praise.

1939

W. Winchell On Broadway 19 June [synd. col.] Lou Holtz has given the Vallee folderol the sockoest wind-up its ever had.

4. (US gambling) a heavy win.

1960

‘Lord Buckley’ Hiparama of the Classics 18: Two swingin’ Cats hit Las Vegas and do the impossible – Wind Up!!

5. a practical joke.

1983		J. Sullivan ‘Wanted’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] Yeah, it was just a bit of a wind up that’s all?
1999		Guardian Guide 20–26 Nov. 8: He thought it was a wind-up, and he was teased mercilessly by his workmates.
2000		N. Barlay Crumple Zone 61: Heated holiday-makers all keen to play the last gag, just one more wind-up, one more laugh.
2007		L. Redhead Cherry Pie [ebook] I want to check her place first. Make sure it’s not a wind-up. She’s got a pretty warped sense of humour’.
2011		Observer Mag. 1 May. 35/1: One reason why this gittish winner-contaminated wind-up must have struck our prime minister.

6. a deliberate attempt to worry or render unhappy; also attrib.

1989		in G. Tremlett Little Legs 10: I’d get what we call the wind-up.
1998		I. Welsh Filth 6: Andy Clelland cuts in on a wind-up.
2000		Sun. Times News Rev. 12 Mar. 1: It was like a slightly rowdy wind-up speech in the House.

7. a deliberate attempt to mislead.

1981		J. Sullivan ‘The Second Time Around’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] It was a wind-up! Me and Grandad put him up to it.
1999		Guardian Weekend 14 Aug. 14: I thought it was a wind-up, but it was Mr Orange himself.
2010		Sun. Times Mag. 19 Dec. 12/4: A;; this ‘10 more shopping days to go’ bollocks is such a wind-up.