Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also cell up) to share a cell with.

1928		R.J. Tasker Grimhaven 47: Do you think I’m likely to get into trouble, celling with Beardsley?
1933		‘Goat’ Laven Rough Stuff 190: No two pals will ever cell together [...] for the strain on your mind and body and the discipline seems to do something to you which makes you mean and hateful.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 41/2: Cell, v. (P) To reside; to lock in a certain cell.
1975		J. Carr Bad (1995) 46: I wasn’t allowed to cell with anyone.
1999		E. Bunker Mr Blue 360: Cornell Nolan, who celled beside me in the Folsom adjustment center.
2004		(con. 1980s) N. ‘Razor’ Smith A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun 284: I was celled up with Bob.

2. to have a cell, e.g. where does he cell?

1912		D. Lowrie My Life in Prison 57: All single cells. ‘Battleship Mag,’ ‘Clara Bell’ and all the notorious characters cell there.
1967		M. Braly On the Yard (2002) 226: Deliver a clean set of blues to Society Red. You know where he cells?

3. (N.Z. prison) to lock an inmate into their cell.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 39/2: cell v. D cell up to confine an inmate to his cell.