works, the, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

works, the n.

also the whole works

1. everything, the lot.

1899–1900		C.L. Cullen Tales of the Ex-Tanks 133: Costumes, street apparel, and the whole works for the presentation of ‘Shakespearian repertoire.’.
1906		C. M’Govern Sarjint Larry an’ Frinds 24: Oi [...] had de whole works clamped tight around his head.
1916		J. Lait ‘Felice o’ the Follies’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 76: There would be room at the table, and a room the size of a table, and the whole works would cost six dollars a week.
1929		D. Parker ‘Big Blonde’ in Penguin Dorothy Parker (1982) 195: I’m through with the whole works.
1934		H. Miller Tropic of Cancer (1963) 267: More and more of it — until the whole fucking works is blown to smithereens.
1949		W.R. Burnett Asphalt Jungle in Four Novels (1984) 263: White beach, palm trees, tremendous luxury hotels [...] the works!
1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 20: Coming in here at five-thirty and throwing her weight round to get the whole works.
1951		Kerouac On the Road (The Orig. Scroll) (2007) 330: The fear if they caught me they’d really give it to me – I mean rubber hoses and the works.
1958		E. Dundy Dud Avocado (1960) 178: He looked like a Hollywood director out of New Yorker cartoon; full flowing foulard, red shirt and beret, the works except for riding boots and a megaphone.
1965		R.L. Pike Mute Witness (1997) 53: Give it the full treatment – labels, luggage, clothes; everything. Linings and the works.
1970		E. Tidyman Shaft 5: Just testimony or the whole works with photographs and all that.
1978		F. Norman Dead Butler Caper 11: Yes, yes, the whole works.
1989		C. Hiaasen Skin Tight 219: We arrive with bells on – sirens, lights, the works.
1995		J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 99: Give you the works Rameez.
2000		J. Hawes Dead Long Enough 219: Me. Who has witnessed the whole bastard works.
2011		S.J. Watson Before I Go to Sleep 258: I’d come over and see you and you’d be a mess. Crying, the works’.

2. the leader, the ‘boss’.

1902		Ade Girl Proposition 142–3: The only call that he made on her Intellect was to please regard him as The Works.
1927		D. Hammett ‘The Big Knockover’ Story Omnibus (1966) 319: If he hadn’t [...] been the works, how could he have so neatly turned the others over to me one at a time?

3. the finest example.

1913		T.A. Dorgan Silk Hat Harry’s Divorce Suit 14 May [synd. cartoon strip] She thinks that old Rumnmy is the whole works.
1928		R. Fisher Walls Of Jericho 181: This place was a flock o’ towns. It was the same thing to that part o’ the country that New York is to this. It was the works.
1935		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Judgement Day in Studs Lonigan (1936) 486: She had a long, greyish coat which made her look like the works.
1947		T. Thursday ‘Sing Sing Sweeney’ in Crack Detective Jan. 🌐 I just come down to Miami for my health. [...] The quack told me that the Florida sunshine would be the works.
1969		A. Buzo Rooted II i: Let’s go out to dinner tonight. I’ll give you the works – cocktails, dinner by candle-light.
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 49: Get yourself five outfits — the works, look like a boss.
1986		J. Sullivan ‘The Miracle of Peckham’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] You’ve gotta see this bird, she really is the works.

4. the situation.

1929

M. Levin Reporter 255: ‘Come on,’ growled Welsh Hogan, ‘I know the works.’.

5. a beating; the ‘third degree’; murder.

1931		C.W. Willemse Behind The Green Lights 278: He [...] must have demonstrated, if arrested, that he can ‘take the works’ at a police station without a squeal.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 239/2: Works. 1. A violent beating; murder.

6. (US Und.) an informer; a confession.

1935		A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks n.p.: He’s the works, he is a stool pigeon.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 239/2: Works. [...] 4. The complete details, as of a crime; a full confession. ‘You better lam (get out of town), Moe. I hear your broad (girl) got picked up (was arrested) and spilled the works (confessed everything).’.

7. (US gay) a passive homosexual.

1935		A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks n.p.: He’s the works [...] sexually perverted.
1951		D.W. Cory Homosexual in America 112: The passive [pederast] is defined by no less than sixty-eight different words or phrases, from apple-pie to works.

8. sexual intercourse.

1932		J.L. Kuethe ‘Johns Hopkins Jargon’ in AS VII:5 338: the works — [...] copulation.
1959		W. Brown Teen-Age Mafia 71: This girl Connie was in for the works.

9. (US teen) a machine.

1953

Kramer & Karr Teen-Age Gangs 50: ‘Shoot the works.’ There was a whirl of the juke box record wheeling into place, the scratching of the record.

10. in prostitution, the full range of a prostitute’s services.

1986–7

Maledicta IX 150: The original argot of prostitution includes some words and phrases which have gained wider currency and some which have not […] the works (complete treatment, perhaps including around the world anilingus).

In phrases

big works (n.)

(US) an important person.

1912

G.R. Chester Five Thousand an Hour Ch. xiv: I’ d call to-night if I didn’ t have to be the big works at a Coney Island dinner party.

get the works (v.)

1. to suffer, to be punished, to be killed.

1930		R. Whitfield Green Ice (1988) 26: Who tipped you off to the fact that Wirt Donner was to get the works?
1936		K. Mackenzie Living Rough 209: The poor niggers sure used to get the works.
1938		H. Asbury Sucker’s Progress 145: When ordinary [...] politicians and officials bucked the tiger the dealers ‘protected the house’ at all times; in other words, these smaller fry got the works.
1953		R. Chandler Long Good-Bye 140: I did something foolish and I got the works for it.

2. (US prison) to receive a death sentence, to receive a very long sentence.

1936		Mencken Amer. Lang. (4th edn) 581: In virtually all American prisons [...] To be sentenced to death is to get the works.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 97: get the works To be sentenced to death.
1993		(con. 1945) S. McAughtry Touch and Go 127: Do you think he’ll get the works?

give someone the works (v.)

1. to reveal everything.

1940

W.R. Burnett High Sierra in Four Novels (1984) 425: Louis sure gave them the works. I’m wanted for murder.

2. (also put the works on) to harm, ranging from beating up to actual murder.

1918		J.E. Rendinell diary 10 July in One Man’s War (1928) 133: The calf did not want to go [...] We carried it alongside of a fence and gave it the works. It was some job skinning it.
1924		D. Hammett ‘Nightmare Town’ in Nightmare Town (2001) 36: Well, the rest of them [...] were all for giving Nova the works.
1929		Hostetter & Beesley It’s a Racket! 242: works — The ‘Third Degree’; the use of violence to obtain a confession; e.g. ‘The bulls gave me the works.’.
1930		D. Hammett Maltese Falcon (1965) 307: ‘I'm sorry I got up on my hind legs, but you coming in and trying to put the work on me made me nervous’.
1931		Dundee Courier 8 Oct. 11/6: The Treherne girl’s old man put the works on me.
1931		C.B. Yorke ‘Snowbound’ in Gangster Stories Oct. n.p.: ‘Give them the works if there‘s any funny business. Scram’.
1934		(con. 1920s) J.T. Farrell Young Manhood in Studs Lonigan (1936) 249: If any bird on this team starts dirty work . . . give him the works!
1937		J. Tully Bruiser 28: At once Gill began to ‘give him the works.’.
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 21: Sid [...] wobbled down to the police station to squawk about how some hoodlums gave him the works and hijacked all his whiskey.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 187: put the works on To employ violence.
1950		‘Hal Ellson’ Tomboy (1952) 117: The cops picked up twenty-three of us [...] and gave us the works.
1963		(con. 1944) L. Glassop Rats in New Guinea 149: Then them an’ the tanks give the Nips the works.
1982		E. Mac Thomáis Janey Mack, Me Shirt is Black 148: Then Johnny went out to get the gang that gave his Da the works.

3. to put all one’s efforts into communicating something, typically a sermon or political oration, or doing something, criticizing or selling something etc.

1927		K. Nicholson Barker I ii: Get this kid – hook, line an’ sinker – give him the works.
1930		J. Lait Put on the Spot 39: I got half a notion to give that big flatfoot the works. He’s hot for the front-page copy.
1943		J. Davidman War Poems of the United Nations 85: Battle stations, give him the works, give him hell.
1953		I. Hamilton Till Human Voices Wake Us 11: [The magistrate] assumed the portentous air they nearly always do when they’re giving a chap the works.
1954		Wodehouse Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit 40: I [...] prepared to give her the works.
1963		‘Nino Culotta’ Gone Fishin’ 116: You pretend to be an inspector. Give him the works.

4. (US tramp) to be given a job by a social agency.

1930

‘Dean Stiff’ Milk and Honey Route 206: Give him the works – To be given a job by a social agency, or sent to the rock pile by the judge.

5. (also put the works into) to make sexual advances towards.

1921		Broadway Brevities Dec 11/2: After having the skids put under her by L. Lawrence Weber [...] she skipped to the coast and put the works into jack Dillon.
1970		San Diego Sailor 15: He took his hand out of his pocket and started giving me the works.

6. to engage in sexual intercourse.

1930		J.T. Farrell ‘Clyde’ in Short Stories (1937) 169: He handed her an additional dollar [...] Calling him dearie, she gave him the works.
1934		‘J.M. Hall’ Anecdota Americana II 30: The fairy then took his pants down and gave him the works in the ass.
1949		H. Miller Sexus (1969) 105: It was the signal to give her the works and spare nothing.
1959		G. Slatter Gun in My Hand 204: Well, your popsy’s not here, sport. Probably someone’s giving her the works on the front verandah.
1970		B. Naughton Alfie Darling 173: Did you give her the works — the full treatment?
1979		Maledicta III:2 232: He also may or may not know the following words and expressions: [...] give him the shaft (the action, the rod, the works, etc.).

7. to make a thorough medical inspection.

1956

‘Ed Lacy’ Men from the Boys (1967) 29: ‘I’d say you’re in good shape — for an old man.’ ‘I’m only fifty-four, you punk.’ ‘Okay, pops, take off your shirt and I’ll give you the works.’.

hand someone the works (v.)

to spoil someone’s chances.

1947

N. Marsh Final Curtain (1958) 124: ‘What’s he done?’ ‘Handed them the works.’.

put the works on (v.)

1. (US Und.) to beat up.

1928

(con. 1900s) J. Callahan Man’s Grim Justice 31: Dat’s my goil [...] I’ve put the works on more than one mug fer trying to make her.

2. (US) to direct one’s energies towards, e.g. in order to deceive or seduce.

1928

J. Callahan Man’s Grim Justice 140: Winnie [...] saw I was a regular eighteen-carat sap, so she preceeded to put the works on me.

turn on the works (v.)

(Aus.) to commit oneself completely, esp. for manipulative reasons.

1961

R.S. Close With Hooves of Brass 14: [S]he had turned on the works - flirting and flowering with femininity in a way she didn’t think would have been possible for her.