Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to haggle, esp. if one takes advantage of the other person.

1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 254: needle (see nail) to needle a person, is to haggle with him in making a bargain, and, if possible, take advantage of him, though in the most trifling article.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

2. vi, to irritate, to annoy; thus needled

1873		Sl. Dict. 235: Needle To annoy.
1895		‘’Arry on Harry’ in Punch 24 Aug. 90/1: What’s needled my nabs, it appears, / Is being mistaken for Me!!!
1900		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘A Dangerous Dad’ Sporting Times 3 Feb. 1/4: Oh, it do needle me / That, as old as ’e is, ’e can out me!
1928		Phila. Eve. Bulletin 5 Oct. 40/4: Here are a few more terms and definitions from the ‘Racket’ vocabulary: [...] ‘Needle,’ to irritate, as a person.
1936		Mencken Amer. Lang. (4th edn) 580: Some of their inventions, indeed, were adopted by the whole population, e.g., [...] to needle.
1999		Observer Rev. 4 July 14: It is about the new, and the new is always needling.
2000		Sun. Times Mag. 6 Feb. 39: It needles him that in another universe entertainers are earning millions for making films.

3. vtr, to annoy someone, to tease maliciously.

1940		Topeka Journal 2 Feb. n.p.: Lewis bitterly resented this pressure and [...] developed considerable personal heat against Roosevelt for ‘needling’ him.
1947		(con. 1944) J.H. Burns Gallery (1948) 34: Nothing was easier than to lash McCloskey into mania by needling.
1952		Lait & Mortimer USA Confidential 140: They needle Mexicans in Mexico with the old song of racial inferiority, to turn them against their northern neighbors.
1959		J. Gosling Ghost Squad 157: The ‘needling’ went on all the time [...] I also paid him the final insult by asking him in public how he spelled his name!
1965		(con. 1940s) B. Behan Confessions 31: All I want to do is needle them [i.e. policemen] as I best I can.
1971		R.D. Pharr S.R.O. (1998) 108: Many of the less fortunate inmates [...] went out of their way to needle Suzie.
1978		P. Theroux Picture Palace 47: They made funny faces behind my back: you can needle an oldster!
1988		D. Woodrell Muscle for the Wing 156: Ever since she’d made the mistake of telling him the details of her previous major fling he’d needled her about it.

4. to become annoyed.

1953

R. Chandler Long Good-Bye 39: You must needle easy if this punk can do it. Who took the cuffs off ?

5. (US) to add alcohol or ether to a non-alcoholic beer or drink, usu. by injection through the cork, thus needleman, one who does this.

1928		Phila. Eve. Bulletin 5 Oct. 40/4: Here are a few more terms and definitions from the ‘Racket’ vocabulary: [...] ‘Needle,’ to strengthen, as a liquor.
1933		Eve. Sun (Baltimore, MD) 9 Dec. 31/5: Needleman — one who doctors beer.
1938		D. Runyon ‘For a Pal’ in Runyon on Broadway (1954) 573: The beer is not real, and by no means nice, being all needled up with alky.
1946		S. Jackson Indiscreet Guide to Soho 93: The thirsty patrons soon made the position easier by ‘needling’ the tame stuff with liquor from their hip flasks.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 144/1: Needle. [...] 2. To inject ether or alcohol into beer.
1962		Ragen & Finston World’s Toughest Prison 809: needle – To treat a soft drink or ‘near beer’ with some form of alcohol, ether, etc., to give it a ‘kick,’ making it intoxicating.

6. to insinuate oneself.

1940

Topeka Journal 21 Mar. 4/2: Whilst Mussolini has been losing influence with Franco in Spain, Hitler has been needling in rapidly.

7. to encourage, to ‘prod’.

1948

(con. 1944) N. Mailer Naked and Dead 37: A part of him was trying to needle his courage to look over the edge of his hole.

8. (Irish) to scrounge.

1966		P. Boyle At Night All Cats are Grey 66: He makes bloody few mistakes as far as needling for drink is concerned, even the Scroggy-man would be put to the pin of his collar to best him.
1997		Share Slanguage.

9. (US Und.) to drill a hole, e.g. in a safe.

1970

‘Red’ Rudensky Gonif 96: I needled and blew the crib inside of fifteen minutes.