Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) a consumer of crude alcohol.

1967

(con. 1920s) J. Thompson South of Heaven (1994) 4: About half the boes you saw out here were heat-heads.

(US Und.) a gunman, an armed gangster; thus heat-packing adj.

1949		W.R. Burnett Asphalt Jungle in Four Novels (1984) 149: A blaster. Heat-packer. Gunman.
1984		G. Jenkins Unripe Gold 19: Sneaking about like a heat-packer with a Browning and laying a guard out cold.
1999		Guardian Guide 18–24 Sept. 5: This heat-packin’ Philadelphia hardnut had two objectives.

(US) to get into trouble.

1972		D. Jenkins Semi-Tough 188: I caught a whole bunch of heat.
1974		V.E. Smith Jones Men 98: He caught plenty heat because of you.
1993		Dr Dre ‘187’ 🎵 You catch heat from fuckin’ with the d-r-e.
2000		C. Cook Robbers (2001) 11: He’s catching heat downtown.
2010		J.T. Fisher Wheel of Fortune 135: Invariably he’d catch heat for being out on a race night.

see under dead adj.

1. (US) to get drunk, to be drunk.

1907		T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 54: Fedinck gets an awful heat on in Paris. Goes to a swell blowout and returns to his hotel lit up like a church.
1935		A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks n.p.: Heat-on, drunk.
1938		D. Runyon ‘Madame La Gimp’ in Runyon on Broadway (1954) 239: She seems to have about half a heat on from drinking gin.
1953		L. Uris Battle Cry (1964) 392: You ain’t lived till you get a heat on with Manischewitz Wine.
2011		A. Prible Pitching in the Promised Land 157: I just wanted to get a heat on, relax with the boys.

2. to get intoxicated on drugs.

1953

Anslinger & Tompkins Traffic In Narcotics 309: have a heat on. To take drugs, either once or habitually.

(US) to place under (verbal) pressure.

1970		‘Red’ Rudensky Gonif 125: If you were outside and somebody gave you the heat, you couldn’t fight back and slug them.
1985		M. Baker Cops (1986) 270: Your wife or girlfriend will give you all kinds of heat about doing what you do for a living.

to murder, to kill.

1935		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Judgement Day in Studs Lonigan (1936) 515: Giving the heat to another mug who got soft with cold feet.
1936		L. Pound ‘American Euphemisms for Dying’ in AS XI:3 199: Give the heat.

(US black) to tease.

1995

L. Stavsky et al. A2Z.

a phr. meaning the police are exerting exceptional pressure on the community.

1952		H. McCoy Corruption City 139: The heat’s on, Red — but after to night all the heat’ll be over.
1966		B. Reckord Skyvers III iii: cragge: Wot’s up? jordan: The heat’s on.

(US) to carry a gun or other form of weapon (see cite 2001 Looser).

1939		R. Chandler ‘Trouble Is My Business’ in Spanish Blood (1946) 200: You know any crooks that pack that kind of heat?
1949		W.R. Burnett Asphalt Jungle in Four Novels (1984) 130: He did fine till he started packing heat.
1986		R. Campbell In La-La Land We Trust (1999) 123: Whistler had never heard of a place where the local cops didn’t get very upset about private dicks [...] packing heat. So no gun.
1993		Snoop Doggy Dogg ‘Pump Pump’ 🎵 Now just back up, don’t act up, I pack up much heat.
2001		S. King Dreamcatcher 30: Maybe he’s carrying a gun (packing heat, as they say).
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 133/1: pack heat to carry a firearm or some related weapon, such as a pump water bottle filled with a mixture of sugar and boiling water, or a pump bottle filled with polystyrene balls dissolved in turpentine or petrol.
2014		C.T. McNeely ‘Assisted Living’ in ThugLit Sept. [ebook] Chuckie sat there packing more heat than a fucking volcano.

to pressurize, to threaten.

1929		Hostetter & Beesley It’s a Racket! 235: put the heat on — Bring heavy pressure to bear.
1935		H.L. Court ‘Live Bait’ in Spicy Detective Stories Nov. 🌐 She was scared some of Beretti’s pals would put the heat on her for what she did.
1944		E. Wilson 21 July [synd. col.] The police have put the heat on [burlesque] for the rest of the convention season.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 170/1: Put the heat on. [...] 2. To intensify police activity within a given area or throughout the underworld generally; to spur an anti-crime campaign; to publicize racket operations; to begin a widespread hunt for a wanted criminal. 3. To apply drastic measures, especially upon prospective victims of extortion.
1953		W. Hopson ‘The Ice Man Came’ in Thrilling Detective Winter 🌐 If they put the heat on me for it, I’ll put the heat on you and Moose.
1963		M. Spillane Return of the Hood 83: He wanted to put some real heat on Eddie for a big bundle.
1975		L. Rosten Dear ‘Herm’ 259: Last Friday I was in Peoria, to put the heat on ‘Toby’ Samoosh, who fell far below his sales quota.
1992		Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 88: Throw Down To threaten a person with a weapon, usually a gun or knife. […] (Archaic: put the heat on).

1. to suffer or endure punishment or criticism.

1976		Cab Calloway Of Minnie the Moocher and Me 25: Proctor had to take a lot of heat.
1999		Guardian G2 1 July 21: Bring the Pain HBO special took heat for razzing on the idiocies of gangbanger culture.

2. to lose money.

1968

‘Hy Lit’ Hy Lit’s Unbelievable Dict. of Hip Words 39: take heat – [...] to lose a lot of money.

(orig. US) to accept responsibility.

1952		W.R. Burnett Little Men, Big World 188: He’ll be hitting the headlines soon. He’s getting paid big for taking the heat.
1976		Jenkins & Shrake Limo 235: Cooper [. . . .] had an idea that he might call Marcie and say that he and I were looking for Cindy in different places. That way, he would take the heat .
1992		J. Mowry Way Past Cool 44: Takin heat be Gordon’s job.
1998		C. Fleming High Concept 127: You’re gonna have to take the heat for the accident.

to relieve pressure on (a person).

1943		Life 10 May 78/2: Nik decided to run in and take the heat off the Searles brothers.
1948		Billboard 28 Aug. 45/1: What we are after is to stop rackets and take the heat off our members.
1952		Lait & Mortimer USA Confidential 220: The braintrusters in Washington figured they could take the heat off Democrat exposures by torpedoing the dishonest Republicans.
1979		F. Norman Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper 156: If they started blasting each other it would certainly take the heat off me.
1994		Wkly World News 12 July 27/3: Mrs. Clinton is intent on creating a diversion to take the heat off the President.
2009		A. Spencer Body Cartel 183: It’ll take the heat off my ass for a little bit. I can escape to some tropical paradise.
2010		N. de la Pena Contagion 96: I think we should play dumb [...] and allow the feds to get some of the credit, which will take the heat off of us.

1. (orig. US) to pressurize, to put pressure on.

1933		‘Paul Cain’ Fast One (1936) 212: I’m going to turn on the heat [...] only this time I’m going to make it pay.
1939		Howsley Argot: Dict. of Und. Sl. 53: turn on the heat – put on pressure; take extreme action.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 244: turn on the heat [...] to put the pressure on a criminal.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 229/1: Turn on the heat. 1. To increase and intensify police activity, [...] to apply drastic measures. 3. To subject to third degree police examination.
1953		J. Thompson Criminal (1993) 86: With the newspapers turning on the heat.
1975		L. Rosten Dear ‘Herm’ 188: And man, did Flo turn on the heat!
1981		S. Berkoff Decadence in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 28: By my magic powers I turn on the heat.
1999		Indep. Rev. 13 July 8: So who turned up the heat in the Big Apple?
2000		Indep. 29 Feb. 1: Senator John McCain turned up the heat in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination yesterday.
2010		B.G. Webb Secret War 221: LBJ had directed them to turn up the heat on North Vietnam.

2. (US) to cover or shoot with a gun.

1931		C. Martinez ‘Gats in the Hat’ in Gun Molls Sept. 🌐 He smiled as he noticed the outlines of a rod through the fancy fabric. ‘Going to turn the heat on someone?’.
1934		J.L. Kuethe ‘Prison Parlance’ in AS IX:1 28: turn on the heat. To begin to shoot.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 244: turn on the heat To shoot.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 229/1: Turn on the heat. [...] To threaten with a gun; to shoot.

of a woman, sexually excited; occas. of a man.

1888–94		‘Walter’ My Secret Life (1966) VI 1271: I was on full heat, and on her return resumed feeling both their cunts again.
1896		Farmer Vocabula Amatoria (1966) 59: Chaleur (Être en). To be amorous; ‘to be on heat’.
1945		‘Worribee Madge’ in Mess Songs & Rhymes of the RAAF 36: She’s lousy, she’s poxy, she lives on the street, / Whenever you meet her she’s always on heat.
1952		Lait & Mortimer USA Confidential 43: Lesbians in heat are more combatative than the ordinary garden variety male.
a.1961		‘Charlotte the Harlot’ in G. Logsdon Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing (1995) xviii: She’s dirty, she’s vulgar, she spits in the street, / Why whenever you see her, she’s always in heat. / She’ll lay for a dollar, take less or take more.
1981		S. Berkoff Decadence in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 7: Aren’t my frillies sweet / does it make you get just a little on heat.