Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a euph. phr. for suffering a variety of legal penalties, being arrested, imprisoned, fined etc.

1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 257/1: The first conclusion arrived at by their mates is that they have ‘got into trouble’ (prison).
1885		A. Griffiths Fast and Loose III 141: ‘I have far more to lose, and it would be worse for everyone if I got into trouble.’ ‘What are you talking about trouble for? The thing is as easy as a glove.’.
1957		G. Kersh Fowlers End (2001) 21: What a bastard ’e was, that Booligan! Every girl ’e got into trouble. [...] ’E got me into trouble.
1995		J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 31: ‘Ricky you’re still getting into trouble arent’ you?’ ‘Eh? What you mean trouble?’ ‘You know what I mean.’ ‘Mean sort of I go away now and then like?’ ‘And before that you steal things.’.

2. (also get in trouble) of a woman, to get pregnant (cf. in trouble ).

1875		J.H. Warren Crying Shame of NY 151: Their [i.e. lying-in hospitals] business is to attend, during confinement, young women who get into trouble.
1933		N. West ‘Miss Lonelyhearts’ in Coll. Works (1975) 242: When I got into trouble, I didn’t know what to do and asked him for the money for an abortion.
1938		X. Herbert Capricornia (1939) 114: It’s no fault of mine she’s got into trouble.
1949		H. Miller Sexus (1969) 110: Why she can’t even look at a man without getting into trouble. She’s a walking abortion ...
1973		C. Himes ‘Baby Sister’ [screenplay] in Black on Black 35: LIL You’re using those things I gave you, aren’t you? BABY SISTER (offhandedly) Of course. You think I want to get into trouble?
1980		Barltrop & Wolveridge Muvver Tongue 76: An unmarried girl who ‘got into trouble’ had created a disaster for herself.
1996		(con. 1970) G. Moxley Danti-Dan in McGuinness Dazzling Dark (1996) II i: Don’t think I’m marrying any ol’ flah bag who’s after getting herself in trouble.

of a man, to get a woman pregnant.

1901		H. Lawson ‘Send Round the Hat’ in Roderick (1972) 475: A girl I knowed turned Carflick to marry a chap that had got her into trouble.
1930		N. Lindsay Redheap (1965) 80: ‘It was [...] a renunciation of the adventure of youth, which is to get some wench into what is still, I believe, called ‘trouble’’ .
1931–7		J.T. Farrell ‘Seventeen’ in Short Stories (1937) 280: I got Elouise in trouble.
1941		G. Kersh They Die with Their Boots Clean 63: You mustn’t form a trade union. You mustn’t get girls into trouble.
1941		C.S. Johnson Growing Up in the Black Belt 227: ‘I was going with a boy and he got me in trouble last year’.
1958		A. Sillitoe Sat. Night and Sun. Morning 65: He’s got a young woman into trouble.
1967		P. Thomas Down These Mean Streets (1970) 84: He moved away because he got some girl in trouble.
1974		C. Loken Come Monday Morning 198: They’re afraid you’d get me in trouble.

1. serving a sentence in prison.

1555

Cavendish Cardinal Wolsey (Singer) 382: [The phrase] be in trouble [is used of a man imprisoned] [F&H].

2. of a woman, pregnant and unmarried; thus antonym out of trouble referring to abortion.

1872		E. Crapsey Nether Side of NY 142: In order that I may show how few in fact are the abortionists who profess to be such, while many of them are not, I mention in addition [...] Dr. Selden, 241 Bleecker street, who proclaims himself the best physician for ladies in trouble.
1874		‘A.P.’ [Arthur Pember] Mysteries and Miseries 12: She told us that she got into trouble when young, and was obliged to run away from home to hide her disgrace.
1924		(con. 1880–1924) F.J. Wilstach Anecdota Erótica 13: Dr. H. said, being asked, that many young girls came to him to be helped out of trouble.
1959		D. Niland Big Smoke 155: One day she asked me what it was worth to help Biddy — that’s the piece — out of her trouble.
1977		(con. 1950s) Nicholson & Smith Spend, Spend, Spend (1978) 49: I didn’t know then that I was already in trouble! [...] I just thought I was getting fat.

(Aus.) a dismissive excl., ‘don’t worry about me’, ‘I don’t care’; also his troubles, her troubles, etc.

1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 11 Jul. 18/4: This was bigamy – but, her troubles! The second husband got a divorce, and of course the third marriage was invalid. With a light heart, and confident in her own resources, she ‘slung’ her third husband in his turn, and married a fourth time.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 14 Jan. 6/7: My troubles if he broke his bleeding neck.
1906		E. Dyson Fact’ry ’Ands 151: ‘Iv it gets know here they’ll bounce yeh on ther pavement.’ ‘My trubs!’ [Ibid.] 194: ‘She’s in er bar up town. Er sixpenny bar.’ ‘My troubs!’ answered the packer.
1910		Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Sept. 36/1: Saltbush William, doing in a buffalo cheque at Boorooloola the other day, was asked what he was going to do after it was cut out. ‘My troubles!’ said Bill. ‘Let the future take care of itself.’ Bill is a true type of straight-haired native all right.
1911		E. Dyson ‘The Rivals’ in Benno and Some of the Push 162: ‘Our trubs!’ answered Thripny, with terrible scorn.
1955		N. Pulliam I Travelled a Lonely Land (1957) 236/1: my troubles! – exclamation like our ‘I couldn’t care less.’.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 139: my troubles/worries! Exclamations of concern. ANZ.