hang up one’s..., v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

hang up one’s... v.

[image of hanging up on a peg the item required for the job]

used in a variety of phrs., usu. linked to the occupation in question, meaning to retire; thus fig. to die.

2000		Indep. Rev. 18 May 6: I heard he had ‘finally hung up his coconuts’ in Western Samoa.
2000		M. Manning Get Your Cock Out 51: [of a rock star] He was never going to be able to hang up his leather strides.

In phrases

hang up one’s boots (v.) [hang up one’s... v.]

to die.

1983

A. Payne ‘Get Daley!’ Minder [TV script] 36: Well, your general anaesthetic, that goes wrong, you might as well hang up your boots.

hang up one’s fiddle (v.) (US)

1. to stop what one is doing.

1833		S. Smith Major Downing (1834) 84: If this don’t carry it, you’ll have to hang up your fiddle till another year.
1848		Bartlett Dict. Americanisms 136: to hang up one’s fiddle, is to desist from any labor or project; a metaphor derived from a musician, who, when he ceases playing, is supposed to hang up his fiddle.
1873		J. O’Connor Wanderings of a Vagabond 464: The old fellow was very popular among the play-going portion of the community, and whenever his game fell off for want of patrons, all the rest in the city might hang up the fiddle.
1884		J. Harrison ‘Negro English’ in Anglia VII 274: To hang up de fiddle en’ de bow = to cease from, to die.
1938		S. Beckett Murphy (1963) 62: My liver dried up [...] so I had to hang up my lyre.

2. to retire.

1863

C. Reade Hard Cash I 287: I swan to man I may just hang up my fiddle.

3. to die.

1884

see def. 1.

hang up one’s gloves (v.) (also hang up the gloves) [orig. prize-fighting jargon] (US)

1. to retire from one’s profession; ad hoc vars. occur (see cit. 2000).

1973		E. Bunker No Beast So Fierce 35: ‘Man, I know you. You’re gonna rip off everything in town.’ ‘No, I’m hanging up the gloves.’.
2000		Indep. on Sun. Culture 14 May 6: After his Hamlet at the RSC, he thought it was time to ‘hang up the tights’.

2. to give up.

1935

(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Judgement Day in Studs Lonigan (1936) 774: He was through. Studs Lonigan, hang up your glove.

3. to die.

1983

N. Heard House of Slammers 58: I ain’t hardly ready to get dead [...] The Big Spook ain’t ready to hang up his gloves yet.

hang up one’s harness (v.) (also hang up one’s iron, ...tackle)

1. (also drop one’s harness) to retire.

1914

Bulletin (Sydney) 29 Oct. 41/2: A veteran of the Inky Way [...] dropped his harness the other day after representing the Christchurch Press in the North Canterbury district for 51 years. He reckoned it was time he had a rest.

2. to die.

1975

(con. 1900s) G. Swarthout Shootist 115: They must have heard I was hanging up my irons for good.

hang up one’s hat (v.)

1. to die.

1854		N&Q X 203: He has hung up his hat. This sentence, which is sometimes used in reference to persons deceased, etc [F&H].
1942		Berrey & Van Den Bark Amer. Thes. Sl. 132: Die, hang up one’s hat.

2. to have a place to live.

1895

Leeds Times 22 June 4/6: [from N.Y.] Advertiser [...] says: ‘A widow (thirty-seven) owning beautiful home [...] would marry soon.’ She probably will [...] for the prospect of being able to go and hang one’s hat up without the necessity of having first to buy [...] the home is calculated to bring many replies.

3. to retire.

1901

‘Hugh McHugh’ Down the Line 40: Hang up your hat, Buck, and gather the myrtle with Mary!

hang up one’s hat to (v.) [the image of hanging up one’s hat while making a visit to the admired one]

(Aus.) to make advances to.

1900–10		Stephens & O’Brien Materials for a Dict. of Aus. Sl. [unpub. ms.] 83: HANG UP YOUR HAT TO: that is, to make matrimonial overtures to a lady, is in common use.
1912		Sport (Adelaide) 22 June 6/2: They Say [...] That now that Tommy has turned Emma down Shannon is hanging his hat up.