Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also chain, daisy) a spintry, i.e. a circle of three or more people, hetero- or homosexual, all linked physically in mutual sex acts; also as v.

[1902		D. St John Memoirs of Madge Buford 70: The first darky put his prick into the hole of her fleshy arse; then the second man [...] and so on [to] the last man, making a chain of buggering lustfulness].
c.1915		in P. Smith Letter from My Father (1978) 56: Houses where they made a speciality of frenching and the houses were they staged shows, daisy-chains, etc.
c.1930		(ref. to late 19C) N. Kimball Amer. Madam (1981) 113: On the third floor there was usually a daisy chain, a party in which an equal number of girls and men [...] were welcoming in the New Year.
c.1940		‘Jeanie in “Two Pussies”’ [comic strip] in B. Adelman Tijuana Bibles (1997) 143: [illus. of one man and two women having sex] Hah! A daisy chain.
1950		‘Swasarnt Nerf’ et al. Gay Girl’s Guide to N.Y. 25: The old daisy-chains and mass exhibitions are only memories.
1952		Lait & Mortimer USA Confidential 46: There is an active daisy chain in every post and on every ship.
1958		E. Gilbert Vice Trap 40: We wanted to get a chain scene going, but that Lois just wanted to watch.
1962		S. Longstreet Flesh Peddlers (1964) 159: You didn’t go in for any of that daisy-chaining with Ira?
1969		J. Crumley One to Count Cadence (1987) 31: Couples, triples and daisy-chains in various stages, states, and forms of – intercourse is not strong enough.
1970		‘Troy Conway’ Cunning Linguist (1973) 10: We all found each other on the rug, rolling together, finding handholds and mouthholds and at last, it was a daisy chain of stunning proportions.
1978		L. Kramer Faggots 100: Each jerking off either himself or a fellow clubber, in some sort of cockamamie version of the daisy chain.
1989		T. Blacker Fixx 47: A daisy-chain of feverish after-lights-out activity stretching from the head boy to the newest new man.
1993		(con. 1950s) Kennedy & Davies Boots of Leather (2014) 200: ‘[A friend] wanted me to go to this daisy chain gang [...] I was not interested. I have never been at all intrigued by multiple sex or sex orgies or groups’.
1998		‘Bill E. Goodhead’ Nubile Treat 🌐 ‘Let’s do a daisy chain,’ Babs suggested excitedly. ‘A daisy chain?’ Nell asked. ‘Sure,’ Babs said. ‘That’s when a whole bunch of people fuck all at once, all linked up by cocks and cunts.’.
2005		Guardian 28 Apr. 12: It identifies a new craze in London schools known as daisy-chaining’, involving group sex among boys and girls visiting each other’s homes and having sex with several partners before their parents get home from work.

2. the group of men engaged in a gang-rape or an orgy with a single woman.

1960		H. Selby Jr ‘Tralala’ in Provincetown Rev. 3 84: Soon they tired of the dead piece and the daisychain broke up and they went back to Willies the Greeks.
1968		K.J. Shapiro To Abolish Children: And Other Essays 127: This chapter of the sermon was followed by a noisy and incoherent replay of a daisy chain or gang-shag.

3. in business use, a situation where a group of three or more companies conspire together at the public’s expense.

1978		M. McGrory N.Y. Post n.p.: An anonymous donor . . . thought Kuehn deserved a bonus for spilling the beans about a ‘daisy chain’ which poured oil through six Texas companies, jacking up the price at each resale before selling it to Florida Power Co.—which passed the $8.5 million overcharge on to its customers [R].
1989		H. Rawson Dict. of Invective (1991) 113: Even acquiring a nonsexual meaning in the business world, where it refers to a method by which three or more companies gratify each other while ripping off the public.

4. (US campus) the link created between people who have had sex with the same person at different times.

1996

Eble Sl. and Sociability 71: Daisy chain, ‘the connection between people who have had sex with the same partners at different times’.