chalk, v.¹ — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

chalk v.¹

[resemblance to a chalk mark]

1. (UK Und.) to slash or cut someone’s face; in weak use to shave.

1785		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1822		(con. early 17C) W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel II 131: Chalk him across the peepers with your cheery.
1840		‘May Day Morning’ in Capt. Morris’s Songs in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) III 221: I wash’d all the soot from my face, / And I chalk’d it.

2. (US Und.) to kill [the chalk outline the surrounds the body].

2004

Simon & Alvarez ‘Homecoming’ Wire ser. 3 ep. 6 [TV script] Two of our people chalked, and we ain’t got shit to show for it.

chalk against (v.) [the chalking up of one’s debts on a piece of wood by shopkeepers, publicans etc]

to bear a grudge against.

1836		Lancaster Gaz. 12 Nov. 4/2: ‘I hardly thought they would have chalk’d the matter o’ that again me’.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

chalk off (v.)

see separate entries.

chalk one’s hat (v.) [the custom of the conductor placing a white mark or ticket on the headgear of the passenger]

to obtain services for free, orig. and esp. in railroad use.

1823		letter in Quitman Life and Corr. (1860) 78: I shall be able to say, ‘Come and see me,’ and I will ‘chalk your hat’ for the journey .
1847		Knickerbocker Aug. 168: We will ‘chalk your hat,’ a boatman’s phrase, which means more heartiness in the welcome we tender you than any other set form of speech we could make.
1853		Yankee Notions 2 227: [I]t will afford me inexpressible pleasure to chalk your hat, sir, by which you will [...] escape the payment of fare.
1880		A.A. Hayes New Colorado 149: Twenty-five seedy, second-class ruffians, who proposed to travel, as they say in the West, ‘with their hats chalked,’ or free.
1880		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 17 Jan. 6/1: [of using a brothel] He is Charged with Frequenting / DENS OF PROSTITUTION / And Making free with the Inmates. / Keepers Who Refused to Chalk His Hat Driven Out of Town.
1928		J.W. Starr 100 Years Amer. Railroading 76: The practice out there was called ‘chalking the hat,’ from the custom of the conductor in placing a white mark or ticket on the ‘stove-pipe’ or other headgear of the free passenger [DA].

chalk out (v.) [the drawing of a line with chalk; senses 3 and 4 the chalk line drawn around a corpse]

1. to describe clearly, to give directions.

1607		Dekker & Webster Northward Hoe V i: She told us, that, inquiring at London for you or your son, your man chalked out her way to Ware.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

2. (also chalk down) to plan.

1707		N. Ward Wooden World 88: He that can chuse to live contentedly, need never trouble his Head what Lodgings are chalk’d out for him in the other World.
1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. (2nd edn) 113: CHALK OUT, or chalk down, to mark out a line of conduct or action; to make a rule, order.
1876		C. Hindley Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack 315: My old friend [...] was doing a good trade in the very description of goods and the style of business I had always ‘chalked’ out to enter in myself.

3. to die.

1944

D. Runyon Runyon à la Carte 73: Not long before Rudolph chalks out.

4. (US, also chalk off) to murder, to kill.

1940		S. Longstreet Decade 317: Nails Flowers is on the lam. They hung a rap on him at last. He chalked out a momser, and the coppers and harness bulls and G-heat are on him.
1981		H. Gould Fort Apache, The Bronx 334: I already told you pigs that. You wanna mess with my head, I’ll just start chalkin’ them off in here.

chalk it up! [fig. use of chalk it up, make a note]

look at that!

1900–10		Stephens & O’Brien Materials for a Dict. of Aus. Sl. [unpub. ms.] 43: ‘CHALK IT UP’ SLANG make a note of it.
1923		J. Manchon Le Slang.