Green’s Dictionary of Slang

stow v.

[SE stow, to put away, to put on one side]

1. to stop talking; esp. in excls. stow it! stow you! shut up! stow that! that’s not true! stow your yap! be quiet!

[UK]Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 84: Stowe you [...] holde your peace.
[UK]Groundworke of Conny-catching A3: What stowe you bene cose and cut benar whydds and byng we to Rome vyle to nyp a bounge.
[UK]Dekker Lanthorne and Candle-Light [as cit. 1592].
[UK]Dekker Canting Prose in Eng. Villainies (8th edn) N3: [as cit. 1592].
[UK]R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Stow you, hold your peace.
[UK]B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Stow, you have said enough.
[UK]Hell Upon Earth 5: Stoe [sic] you bien Cove.
[UK]A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) II [as cit. c.1698].
[UK]New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
[UK]Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: stow, you have said enough (cant).
[UK]Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Stow you; be silent, or hold your peace.
[UK]Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (3rd edn) .
[UK]Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1796].
[UK]Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 272: stow, or stow-mangling an intimation from one flash-cove to another in a mixed company to be silent, or drop the subject, he was upon.
[UK]Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1812].
[UK]‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 166: Stow, stow it, and stowmarket — are synonymous for to cease.
[UK]‘Take a Sight’ in Rummy Cove’s Delight in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) III 104: Come stow it my cove, / And k’vickly move off vi’ your toes.
[US]A. Greene Glance at N.Y. II ii: Oh! stow your gab, Major.
[UK]Dickens Oliver Twist (1966) 154: ‘Stow the gammon,’ interposed the robber, impatiently.
[UK]W.T. Moncrieff Scamps of London I i: I’ll thank you to stow all such jokes in future.
[UK]Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open 126: Stow it, drop it, be quiet.
[US]Ladies’ Repository (N.Y.) Oct. VIII:37 317/1: ‘Stow your Chant’, shut your mouth; hush!
[UK]A. Mayhew Paved with Gold 280: Just stow it till we’re working the town.
[UK]T. Taylor Ticket-Of-Leave Man Act I: Stow that. There’s no tigers here. My name’s Downey; you mind that.
[US]H.L. Williams Ticket-of-Leave Man 20: Stow that!
[US] ‘Bet, the Coaley’s Daughter’ in Overland Monthly (CA) Sept. 308: But when I strove my flame to tell, / Says she, ‘Come, stove [sic] that patter’.
[US]Cincinnati Enquirer 7 Sept. 10/7: Stow it and stack it, means the same as the above [i.e. cheese it!].
[UK]G.R. Sims Dagonet Ballads 2: There, stow your perlaver a minit.
[UK]Leicester Chron. 4 Sept. 9/5: Stow your gab, and let a fellow sleep.
[Aus]Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 11: Stow - To leave off, or have done. ‘Stow it, the gorger’s leary,’ leave off, the person is looking.
[US]Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 5 Aug. 2/3: Let the landlubbers strow that bluster that is so silly.
[UK]J. Greenwood Tag, Rag & Co. 53: Their elders, who called on them to ‘stow it’.
[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 14 Feb. 17/4: Considerable indignation was expressed at a little anecdote which was told in all seriousness about the ingratitude of an inmate of the lying-in hospital, who on being ‘kindly spoken to’ […] by one of the nurses, suddenly turned round and snapped, ‘Oh, stow your bloomin’ yap. You’d do the same thing if you got the chance.’.
[Aus]H. Lawson ‘Two Larrikins’ in Roderick (1972) 231: Oh! stow that!
[UK]E. Pugh Man of Straw 8: Stow it, Ike, and have a drink.
[UK]Marvel XIII:322 Jan. 10: Stow it, Lipie!
[UK]Marvel 12 Dec. 8: Stow your gab, Letitia!
[UK]Boy’s Own Paper 8 June 562: ‘Stow that rot!’ interrupted a voice from the crowd.
[UK]D. Stewart Shadows of the Night in Illus. Police News 10 Aug. 12/3: ‘Stow yer patter and don’t pass no bloomin’ compliments’.
[US]H. Green Maison De Shine 179: Shut up! [...] Ain’t I told you onct to stow that?
[Ind]P.C. Wren Dew & Mildew 105: ‘Stow your gab’.
[US]H.L. Wilson Ruggles of Red Gap (1917) 258: He rejoined tartly that I was ‘to stow that piffle!’.
[UK]Boy’s Own Paper XL 5 267: ‘Stow it!’ he said.
[Aus]H. Lawson ‘Gentlemen All’ in Roderick (1972) 921: Stow that language in the ward!
[UK]‘Sapper’ Black Gang 272: Stow it, Jim [...] Anyone would think you wanted a nurse.
[UK](con. WWI) R. Graves Goodbye to All That (1960) 184: The other wounded men cursed him, telling him to stow it and be a man.
[UK]G. Greene Brighton Rock (1943) 25: Stow it, Pinkie [...] we don’t want ice-cream.
[UK]D. Bolster Roll On My Twelve 53: Ah, stow it, Nobby.
[Aus](con. 1936–46) K.S. Prichard Winged Seeds (1984) 85: Stow it, Daph.
[Can]R. Service ‘My Future’ in Lyrics of a Low Brow 92: Said Mother with temper: ‘Oh stow it! / You know it, a poet’s a fool’.
[US]E. Hunter Blackboard Jungle 197: Now let’s stow the talk and go on with the lesson.
[US]R. Prather Always Leave ’Em Dying 23: Stow it, mister. Get this through your head: I don’t give a damn what your opinion of me is.
[US]T.I. Rubin In the Life 146: Stow it, stow it up your poop.
[UK]A. Sillitoe Start in Life (1979) 80: ‘Stow it,’ I said. ‘Forget it.’.
[US](con. c.1970) G. Hasford Short Timers (1985) 92: ‘Me and this motherfucker are going to have one duel —’ ‘Stow it, Joker,’ Mr. Shortround interrupts.
[Ire](con. 1920s) L. Redmond Emerald Square 12: ‘Stow that,’ warned one of the soldiers.
T.P. McCauley ‘Lady Madeline’s Dive’ in ThugLit Sept./Oct. [ebook] ‘Stow the bullshit’.

2. to stop, to desist (other than speech).

[UK]J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 196: You Maunders all, stow what you stall, / to Rumcoves that’s so quire, / And wapping Dell, that niggles well, / and takes lour for her Hire [You maunding Rogues, beware how you do Steal, for Search is made; / And let each jade look to it too, / who will not do till paid].
[UK]Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 272: stow to stow any business, employment, or mode of life, is the same as to stash it, &c.
[UK] ‘The New Policeman’ in C. Hindley James Catnach (1878) 211: Ye spalpeens now stow all your chaff.
[UK]Flash Mirror 20: Miss Cafooselem [...] stowing all chaff and soft soap.
[UK]Dickens Bleak House (1991) 224: I’m fly [...] But fen larks, you know! Stow hooking it! [...] Stow cutting away, you know!
[UK]H. Kingsley Hillyars and Burtons (1870) 184: ‘Stow larks, Jimmy,’ said the constable.
[UK]Sl. Dict. 312: Stow to leave off, or have done; ‘stow it, the gorger’s leary,’ leave off, the person is looking.
[Aus]Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 81: ‘[S]tow it, the gorger’s leary,’ leave off, the man is looking.
[UK]A. Morrison Child of the Jago (1982) 120: Stow it, Bill! [...] The bloke’s a-comin’!
[UK]Marvel 15 May 14: Naw, then, stow it, gaffer.
[Aus]E. Dyson Fact’ry ’Ands 73: Stow it; stow it, d’ye hear?
[UK]Marvel 3 Mar. 10: ‘Stow it,’ howled the man.
[US]G. North ‘Gun Guile’ in Greater Gangster Stories Feb. 🌐 Dugan’s hand whipped back for his gun [...] Hartmann croaked, ‘Stow it, Dugan.’.
[UK]J. Curtis You’re in the Racket, Too 79: He had been sweating on having to stow for a bit.
[US]L. Heinemann Close Quarters (1987) 96: He [...] whipped out his wallet to show his ID. ‘Stow it, pop,’ I said.

3. (UK Und.) to get rid of, to throw away; to consume.

[UK]H. Smith Gale Middleton 1 149: ‘That’s all, except his togs, which are no great go — though there’s a new castor.’ ‘Stow that, Jem, if you please [...] Toggery is too apt to tell tales’.
[Aus]Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 81: ‘[S]tow the scran,’ eat the food.

In phrases

stow one’s whids (v.)

see under whid n.

In exclamations

stow magging! (also stow mangling!) [mag v. (2)]

be quiet! stop talking!

[UK]Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 272: stow, or stow-mangling an intimation from one flash-cove to another in a mixed company to be silent, or drop the subject, he was upon.
[UK]W.T. Moncrieff Tom and Jerry II vi: ’Tis the blunt that does it – but stow magging, Tom, or we shall get blown.
[UK]‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 166: ‘Stow magging,’ cease talking.
[UK]Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1812].
stow your jabber! (also stow your racket!)

be quiet! stop talking!; also as v.

[UK]Naval Chron. XV 18: In the pit [...] a sailor [...] bawled loudly for those aloft (meaning the galleries) to stow their jabber (or cease their noise) .
[US]M.H. Foote Coeur d’Alene 8: Oh, stow your tin-horn racket!