licks, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

licks n.

[SE lick, a blow]

1. a thrashing [now mainly UK black].

1785		W. Forbes Dominie Deposed 5: When he committed all these tricks, For which he well deserv’d his licks, With red-coats he did intermix.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 244/1: Mother, has our Poll had her licks yet?
1961		V.S. Naipaul House For Mr Biswas 188: Do it quick sharp, or I give you a dose of licks.
1973		Sun. Times Mag. 30 Sept. 41: Well sometimes we have to give them a few licks.
1979		E. Lovelace Dragon Can’t Dance (1998) 38: I used to get licks for that too.

2. orders [now mainly UK black].

1988		W. Chen King of the Carnival 21: It go be licks and we go spread he out like rice on the ground, you hear?
2001		N. Barlay Hooky Gear 46: End the day its reality. Man must take them licks as Duane would say.

3. verbal abuse.

1986		R. Hewitt White Talk Black Talk 206: She’s gonna get ‘licks’ when she gets home.
1991		D. Widgery Some Lives! 3: So I just blanks him and he starts giving me licks.

4. (US black) robbery.

2002

Luniz ‘Dict.’ at luniz.com 🌐 Licks: Robbery.

drive licks in someone’s skin/tail (v.)

see under drive v.¹

get one’s licks (v.)

(US) to get one’s chance, to get one’s way.

1786		Burns Epistle to W. Simpson postscript: Frae words and aiths to clours and nicks, And mony a fallow gat his licks.
1967		M. Braly On the Yard (2002) 18: They get their licks in now. We get ours later.

give someone the licks of Lisbon (v.) [? ref. to Portuguese colonialism]

(W.I., Guyn.) to berate, to scold severely, to tell off.

1996

licks like fire (n.) (W.I.)

1. a savage beating.

1996

2. an overwhelming victory.

1996