Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. absolutely defeated.

1811		Hereford Jrnl 2 Oct. 3/4: Molineaux was dead beat and only fought to encounter Cribb’s death-like blows .
c.1825		T. Jones ‘The True Bottom’d Boxer’ in Egan Bk of Sports (1832) 74/1: And will ne’er say enough, till he’s downright deadbeat.
1845		Punch IX:63: The general opinion is that the Premier is dead beat.
1846		Bell’s Life in Sydney 31 Jan. 3/1: Mr. Walker's horse was evidently, even at this stage of the race, dead beat, and could hardly raise a gallop.

2. worn out, exhausted [note Egan, Life in London (1821): ‘“Dead beat!” or “beat to a stand still!” Common phrases in the Sporting World, when a man or horse is so completely exhausted from over-exertion, or the constitution breaking down, as to give up the object in view, not being able to pursue it any further’].

1821		Egan Life in London (1869) 114: Logic was at length [...] so dead beat as to be compelled to cry for quarter.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1839		Kendal Mercury (Cumbria) 14 Dec. n.p.: He ‘broke down,’ and resigned the contest, evidently ‘dead beat’.
1843–44		Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1995) 295: ‘I wish you would pull off my boots for me,’ said Martin, dropping into one of the chairs. ‘I am quite knocked up. Dead beat.’.
1846		Bell’s Life in Sydney 31 Jan. 2/4: He was ‘dead beat’ [...] from his incessant exertions.
1859		G.A. Sala Gaslight and Daylight 49: I saw no face [...] but in which I could read Ragged and Tired – Dead Beat – Utterly Destitute – Houseless and Hungry.
1861		T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxford (1880) 165: Drysdale was always dead beat at the Gut, and just like a log in the boat.
1870		Appleton’s Journal (N.Y.) 29 Jan. 133: Longfellow has given us the exact meaning here by translating the words ben vinto, ‘dead beat’.
1873		Bristol Mercury 19 Apr. 6/4: A man I had known [...] was ‘dead beat’ trying to live on ‘Rotgut’ whiskey or ‘chained lightning’ without eating anything.
1880		G.R. Sims Three Brass Balls 68: My old ’omen’s dead beat, and she ain’t had a wink.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 31: I’ve seen a stockrider, when all the horses were dead beat [...] jump off and turn his horse loose.
1890		Devizes & Wilts Gaz. 9 Jan. 5/5: Although their fox is dead beat [...] the ground is so crisp with the frost that scent [...] totally fails, and they have to to give up.
1893		H. Lawson ‘Hungerford’ in Roderick (1972) 106: We saw one of the storekeepers give a deadbeat swagman five shillings’ worth of rations.
1907		D. Runyon ‘The Defence of Strikerville’ in From First To Last (1954) 23: My scouts [...] comes in, their horses dead beat.
1917		‘Henry Handel Richardson’ Aus. Felix (1971) 13: Give us a drink, old boy! . . . I’m dead-beat!
1929		‘Max Brand’ Rustlers of Beacon Creek (1935) 58: They were dead-beat by the work of the day.
1937		R. Westerby Wide Boys Never Work (1938) 75: The car was dead-beat.
1938		G. Kersh Night and the City 19: You look dead beat.
1945		‘Henry Green’ Loving (1978) 173: I’m dead beat I am.
1958		A. Sillitoe Sat. Night and Sun. Morning 125: I didn’t get out for a single drink, I was so dead beat.
1999		Guardian G2 7 July 22: They’ve even brought back deadbeat ex-cop Mike Roberts.
2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 185: ‘You look deadbeat, brother’.

3. useless, ne’er-do-well, impoverished.

1826		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 15 Oct. 716/2: [T]he rogue and the honest man, the man of law and the lawless man; overfatted plenty and starving honesty, the regular swell cove to the dead-beat chum.
1882		Dly Astorian (OR) 18 Oct. 2/1: The ignorant [...] dead beat whisky bloat, backwoods bummer.
1884		E. Nye Baled Hay 65: Whenever a dead-beat poet strikes bedrock and don’t have shekels enough to buy a bowl of soup.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 31 Mar. 23/1: As a matter of fact some politicians long ago contemplated imposing a heavy poll-tax on dead-beat baronets and other stumped sections of the old nobility.
1912		H. Lawson ‘Ah Dam’ in Roderick (1972) 797: The derelict and the dead-beat, working their way over at the tail of a friendly cart.
1921		Wash. Times (DC) 9 Jan. 37/3: [cartoon caption] Dead Beat, Return my fifty cents.
1953		T.A.G. Hungerford Riverslake 167: Peopled with all the dead-beat cooks and yardmen and hangers-on he had met and known in half a dozen camps – good men some of them, and some of them, just the wrecks of men.
1970		A. Sillitoe Start in Life (1979) 69: No job. No prospects even. What a deadbeat tramp you are.
1972		J. McNeill Old Familiar Juice (1973) 102: bulla: That’d be better than dead-beat, suckin’ on metho corks.
1979		G. Wolff Duke of Deception (1990) 184: You’re all air [...] just a crummy, deadbeat talker.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 49: He was just another of her supply of deadbeat daddyos.
2002		J. Lerner You Got Nothing Coming 343: Come on out, you deadbeat piece of shit!
2010		(con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 45: Bring me the money you owe, you deadbeat fuck.
2011		E. Beetner ‘Zed’s Dead, Baby’ in Pulp Ink [ebook] Drug addict. Gambler. Deadbeat Dad. Car thief.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 361: Chino. The sodft joint. It housed first-time felons and career deadbeat dads.

4. lazy, idle.

1875

Chicago Trib. 13 Oct. 4/4: The eagerness of our local officials to avail themselves of every opportunity to go on a dead-beat spree [DA].