Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. Aus./N.Z.) to ask someone for something, usu. money.

1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 10 Aug. 1/4: A leading politician [...] went into a bank the other day to hit ’em up for an overdraft.
1899–1900		C.L. Cullen Tales of the Ex-Tanks 19: I [...] hit up some people there for a job.
1924		‘Digit’ Confessions of a Twentieth Century Hobo 74: How about hitting up the law for a night’s flop?
1936		K. Mackenzie Living Rough 27: You are on the bum and happen to hit up some nice, kind holy fakir who is bursting over with sentiment and sob-stuff and advice and you hit him up for price of a meal.
1949		H. Miller Sexus (1969) 45: You’ve been hitting me up – for nickels, dimes, quarters, dollar bills.
1955		‘Blackie’ Audett Rap Sheet 16: The power company in Spokane -first place I hit up for a job.
1971		D. Goines Dopefiend (1991) 19: He stood a better chance of hitting Porky up for a little credit.
1983		R. Aven-Bray Ridgey-Didge Oz Jack Lang 10: The vanilla fudge had hit him up for fifty Oxford scholars. It was a hefty blow on his whippy at that time.
1991		B. Hamper Rivethead (1992) 117: We started hittin’ ’em up for every two-bit rumor they could hustle down.
2001		G. Pelecanos Right As Rain 228: ‘You got personal business with him?’ ‘He owes me money.’ ‘Hittin’ him up too.’.