Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to kiss.

1578		J. Whetstone Promos and Cassandra I IV vii: Come, smack me; I long for a smouch.
1684		‘Jealous Nanny’ in Ebsworth Roxburghe Ballads (1891) VII:2 373: And have I not seen you with Sawney, / Discourse, embrace, and to smack.
1780		Muffetees Garland 5: Then every lad his lass did turn, / And on the grass he smack’d her mum [sic].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Smack, to kiss. I had a smack at her muns: I kissed her mouth […].
1789		G. Parker Life’s Painter 139: The first thing that was done, sir, / Was handling round the kid, / That all might smack his muns, sir.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1868		M.M. Pomeroy Nonsense 78: I never had kissed her before, for it is wrong to kiss girls – before you kiss them! But that night, how I went for kisses. We smacked and smacked, till the owls hooted in fear.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 6 June 22/1: ‘Embrace me!’ cried the Baron. And he smacked the Australian Rich over each eyebrow.
1926		Wood & Goddard Dict. Amer. Sl.
1961		C. Himes Pinktoes (1989) 81: ‘Your secretary is smacking.’ [...] ‘As long as she’s not shacking.’.
1968		‘Sl. of Watts’ in Current Sl. III:2.
1972		R.A. Wilson Playboy’s Book of Forbidden Words.

2. to whip a horse.

1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 494: He said no more, but quickly got / His geldings smack’d into a trot.
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) II 315: Though, by great luck, this Jehu got / His geldings smack’d into a trot.

3. (also smack about, smack around) to hit, to beat; thus smacked, hit, beaten; killed.

1826		Age (London) 8 Jan. 6/1: [T]he defendant [...] came up to her, exclaiming ‘I’ll smack your ugly chops,’ at the same time [...] she gave the complainant so violent a blow on the mouth, as caused the claret to flow profusely:.
1864		‘Ned Buntline’ Life in the Saddle 46: He gave me some of his lip, and I smacked his face for it!
1877		E.L. Wheeler Deadwood Dick in Beadle’s Half Dime Library I:1 84/1: I smacked him in the gob.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 19 Sept. 9/2: The burden of one song was that if your girl didn’t seem sufficiently pliable at the first go-off, you were to ‘smack her round the “kisser” once or twice.’.
1899		C. Rook Hooligan Nights 128: I knocked ’im out first time I smacked ’im.
1908		Sporting Times 7 Mar. 1/4: You really should smack that daughter of yours, Mrs. Jones.
1914		‘Ian Hay’ Lighter Side of School Life 78: He would rather have his head smacked than be ignored.
1925		Wodehouse Carry on, Jeeves 181: I saw the fat child meditatively smacking a jelly-fish with a spade.
1932		(con. 1910s) J.T. Farrell Young Lonigan in Studs Lonigan (1936) 137: Fighting made him sick. When he went with the guys smacking Jews, [...] he felt as if he’d puke.
1944		L. Glassop We Were the Rats 110: Give the kids a fair go Charlie, or I’ll smack you in the chops.
1951		J.D. Salinger Catcher in the Rye (1958) 213: I was almost all set to hit her. I thought I was going to smack her for a second or two.
1958		C. Lee diary 6 May in Eight Bells & Top Masts (2001) 110: He threatened to smack me one, but his heart wasn’t in it.
1962		R. Cook Crust on its Uppers 33: He’d always have smacked her one when I came back the next day.
1974		V.E. Smith Jones Men 134: I’m gon tell him to keep smackin’ you [...] till I think you tellin’ me the truth.
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 31: ‘You rotten fart. I orta smack you fair in the gob’.
1984		‘Derek Raymond’ He Died with His Eyes Open 14: They might give him a push or smack him just once.
1995		J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 38: Out the way or I got to smack you.
1996		(con. 1946) G. Pelecanos Big Blowdown (1999) 80: I used to smack him around. It was to make him tough.
2000		N. Griffiths Grits 90: Ulweys pissed up an smackin us about like.
2012		Chicago Trib. ‘The Onion’ 1 Nov. TAB-5/1: Those toxic cells [...] get a ‘certain sick joy out of smacking researchers around like a bunch of little birches’ .
2018-20		T. Thorne (ed.) ‘Drill Slang Glossary’ at Forensic Linguistic Databank 🌐 Smacked - punished, attacked or killed.
2023		Rayman & Blau Riker’s 45: [T]he cops smacked me around because I’m trying to explain.

4. to throw (into).

1937		P. Cheyney Dames Don’t Care (1960) 108: I’ll take you right over the border now an’ smack you in the first sheriff’s lock-up [...] I come to.
1956		‘Charles Raven’ Und. Nights 22: They smack him in a peter on a charge of receiving.

5. (US black gang) to act sycophantically, to toady.

1991		L. Bing Do or Die (1992) 127: Want to get respect? You don’t gotta kiss nobody’s ass, you don’t have to smack.
1997–2001		Online Sl. Dict. 🌐 smack [...] 2. to fraternize with the enemy. Often involves ‘kissing up’. (‘They’re off smacking with student government.’).

6. (US black) to criticize someone behind their back [ass n. (2)].

1994

G. Smitherman Black Talk.

7. (also smack ass, smack it) to be very good, to excel.

1997–2000		College Sl. Research Project (Cal. State Poly. Uni., Pomona) 🌐 Smack (smack ass) (verb) To be very good; to be cool or awesome.
2003		BlazinParadise ‘Blazing Squad Language’ 🌐 Smacked it – Did something good.

8. see snack v.¹