ream, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

ream v.

[SE ream, to stretch, to tear in pieces]

1. (US) to cheat, to swindle.

1914		‘High Jinks, Jr’ Choice Sl. 17: Ream one (to), to swindle one.
1933		Ersine Und. and Prison Sl.
1942		Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Sl.
1955		E. Hoagland Cat Man 12: The sideshow barkers were keyed up to their best, summoning every footsore, ancient wisecrack, pulling every verbal gimmick to draw and ream the suckers.
1968		G. Legman Rationale of the Dirty Joke (1972) I 315: She has been had [in all senses of the term — or subsitute: ‘fucked,’ ‘screwed,’ ‘reamed,’ or other hostile sexual equivalent].
2000		P. Roth Human Stain 183: Having got himself reamed, steamed, and dry-cleaned (as well as properly tattooed in the bargain).

2. (US, also ream out) to scold, to reprimand.

1948		J.G. Cozzens Guard of Honor 430: ‘You try and lay down — officer, enlisted man, anybody — and he’ll ream the guts out of you. But he don’t ask you to do anything he wouldn’t.
1955		L.F. Engler ‘Gloss. Air Force Sl.’ in AS XXX:2 116: CHEW OUT; REAM OUT, v. phv. Reprimand; reproach; bawl out.
1960		(con. 1940s) D. MacCuish Do Not Go Gentle (1962) 184: We got our ass reamed in the bargain.
1962		(con. 1940s) G. Mandel Wax Boom 74: You let me do the talking, Sal. I’m gonna ream them officers out.
1966		W. Wilson LBJ Brigade (1967) 28: He does not speak to us, he reams us out with his attitude, he is disgusted.
1968		K. Brasselle Cannibals 202: He got reamed out by your buddy.
1984		I. Doig Eng. Creek 90: This was a starchier Stanley [...] one you could imagine giving Canada Dan the reaming out he so richly deserved.
1991		B. Hamper Rivethead (1992) 99: What is it with you and Henry Jackson? Why is he always reamin’ your ass?
2010		L. Berney Gutshot Straight [ebook] The Whale [...] turned to ream out the doorman about something.
2013		K. Sampson Killing Pool 184: I ream them with a bit of the old Scouse humour.

3. (US) of a man, to have sexual intercourse.

1966		G. Legman More Limericks 104: For they heard the babe screaming / When Tim started reaming / In her bedroom on Cunt Street, Sedalia [Simes:DLSS].
1984		T. Robbins Jitterbug Perfume 228: [H]e rooted, rolled, and reamed [Simes:DLSS].
2014		M. Sheridan ‘Feeling Good’ in ThugLit Jan. [ebook] I reamed Jenny on her own doormat at 4 a.m. one morning.
2017		T. Pluck Bad Boy Boogie [ebook] ‘You’ll get reamed by every fag for miles’.

4. (US campus, also reem) to treat unfairly.

1977		Eble Campus Sl. Fall 5: reemed – to be treated unfairly.
1989		J. Doyle College Sl. Dict. 🌐 got reamed [Purdue] Did very poorly on an exam.
1994		Eble Campus Sl. Apr.

5. (US) to drive fast.

2023

F. Bill Back to the Dirt 137: ‘You were reaming the hell out of your car down the driveway’.

In compounds

ream job (n.) [job n.²]

1. the licking and sucking of the anus, orig. gay use.

1964		R. Blake Amer. Dict. Sexual Terms 179: ream job (vulg sl) A single performance of oral intercourse on the anus, or anal intercourse effected lingually; anilingus.
1966		Trimble 5000 Adult Sex Words and Phrases.
1971		E.E. Landy Underground Dict. (1972) 160: ream job [...] Oral copulation of the anus with stimulation by the tongue. [Ibid.] 161: rim job.
1983		R. Klein Jailhouse Jargon and Street Sl. [unpub. ms.].
2008		(ref. to 1971) F. Dennis ‘Old Bailey’ Homeless in my Heart 183: Carried from each cell door / To a place where all hope fails, / Where men are buggered and reamed, / Their bodies bruised and numb.

2. in fig. use.

1967–8		Baker et al. CUSS 183: Ream-job Difficult exam.
1977		L. Heinemann Close Quarters (1987) 286: We’ve been had. This is a champeen ream job.

In phrases

ream (out) (v.) [SE ream, to enlarge or widen a hole]

(orig. US gay) to penetrate the anus either with the tongue or penis; also used fig., to cause harm to or trouble for.

1918		in Jrnl Hist. Sexuality 235: ‘I asked him if he wanted to suck my cock and he said he would either suck me or ream me—I said he could suck me’ [Simes:DLSS].
1949		‘Swasarnt Nerf’ et al. Gay Girl’s Guide 14: ream: To insert one’s tongue in partner’s anal opening.
1952		J. Jones From Here to Eternity (1998) 184: The Army’s been that way [...] ever since Benedict Arnold first put the slippery dong to the Point – and got reamed for his pains.
1962		(con. 1940s) G. Mandel Wax Boom 99: He’s gonna shove an umbrella up your pants and open it to ream you out.
1965		Guild Dict. Homosexual Terms 39: ream (v.): (1) To pedicate.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 172: to lick or suck anus [...] ream [somebody out].
1972		C. Bukowski Erections, Ejaculations etc. 355: I’ve been reamed by half the United States Navy! [...] There’s nothing like a bit of clean round-eye!
1983		R. Price Breaks 102: A ‘protector’ who would ream me up to my tonsils and then make me do his laundry.
1992		Warriors & Lovers 50: [M]arine bottoms like to know who’s boss. They love having their asses reamed, but need to respect the guy who’s doing it [Simes:DLSS].
1997		C. Summerisle Velvet Web 50: James was such a great pumper, and had reamed Bob’s arse with such aplomb [Simes:DLSS].
2002		‘Touré’ Portable Promised Land (ms.) 172: A rimming, a reaming, a frightening velocity.
2015		S. King Finders Keepers (2016) 76: Off we go to Riverview [a reformatory] where we will get our tender young buttski reamed and make exciting new friends.

reamed, steamed, and dry-cleaned (adj.)

(US) wholly overwhelmed, given a complete experience, ‘soup to nuts’.

1948		Bricklayers [...] Int’l Union 54/1: We were ‘reamed, steamed and dry-cleaned’ in two years. (Laughter and Applause . ).
1969		P. Roth Portnoy’s Complaint 176: ‘You said we were going to get blowed! Reamed, steamed, and dry-cleaned, that’s what you said!’.