Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also piece of work) the criminal life or a criminal act; thus attrib.

[1589		Nashe Martin-Marprelate Tractes in Works I (1883–4) 146: They are some yong Diuells, and that their purpose is to make some hot work with vs].
1762		E. Collins ‘Ninth Ode of Horace’ Misc. 115: In some dark Corner Dick, she’ll lurk. A Corner fitting for the Wurk [...] She’s all thy own, snatch any Thing – And tho’ she squeeks, you’ll have her Ring.
1797		‘T.B. Jr’ Pettyfogger Dramatized II i: Ferret remains staunch — why should he not? he has done all kind of work for me. [Ibid.] 107: All Kinds of Work. All kinds of dishonest Actions whatever.
1829		Vidocq Memoirs (trans. W. McGinn) III 80: He leads him on to some job that he may be caught at work.
1877		J. Greenwood Dick Temple I 280: How [...] would the little thieves at home get bread and butter? [...] Papa and the elder children must stick to ‘work.’.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 2: Broad-Faking [...] ‘work’ of the three-card description.
1899		C. Rook Hooligan Nights 26: I tumbled at once that there was a bit of work on ’and.
1914		Amer. Mag. 77 June 31–5: When I left prison I was received with open arms and was offered ‘work’ of various kinds on a number of different criminal ‘mobs.’.
1926		J. Black You Can’t Win (2000) 263: Coppers located ‘work’ for burglars and stalled for them while they worked.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 157/1: Piece of work. Any criminal venture.
1952		(con. 1910s) G. Fowler Schnozzola 24: A pickpocket mob used to hang out at the Chatham Club until seven o’clock each morning, an hour when they left for ‘work.’.
1965		J. Breslin [synd. col.] 4 Oct. A couple of guys came in and told him about some piece of work over in Brooklyn. It was a payroll.
1977		G.F. Newman Villain’s Tale 54: Clifford Harding hadn’t really been looking for a serious game of snooker, but had vaguely been looking instead for someone who might be interested in a bit of work.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.
1996		J. Cameron It Was An Accident 66: The boys were trying to do a little bit of work, and got unlucky. Happen to anyone.
2004		N. ‘Razor’ Smith A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun 13: We could ill afford a tug for tax [car tax] when we were tooled up and plotted on a bit of work.
2004		R. Cooley When Corruption Was King 252: [T]wo cars. One would be the ‘work’ car, which was probably stolen. They would drive that to the house and then ditch it after the robbery.
2006		D. Winslow Winter of Frankie Machine (2007) 88: The boy has done some other work that, thank Saint Anthony, the feds didn’t make him for.
2011		J.J. Connolly Viva La Madness 71: Ted had eyes and ears all over the Home Counties who got a bunce if any work they put up paid off.
2019		D. Winslow Border [ebook] ‘I was wondering if you could do some work’.
2020		S.A. Crosby Blacktop Wasteland 76: ‘I ain’t trying to wake up to three hots and a cot because you gonna ball up like a baby when the work goes down’.
2021		Breen & Conlon Hitmen 220: [of an assassination] ‘Right, pal, fucking sit here, we’re going to do a bit of work’.

2. in prizefighting, actual physical assault rather than maneouvring for position.

1824

Pierce Egan’s Life in London 24 Oct. 4/3: Both shy, cautious, and nothing like work.

3. (US) deceit, lies.

1915

T.A. Dorgan Indoor Sports 5 Jan. [synd. cartoon] Are you getting the work she’s giving him.

4. (US tramp) begging.

1927

in ‘Jargon of the Und. in DN V.

5. (US Und.) the marking of cards by a cardsharp.

1926		J. Black You Can’t Win (2000) 255: He went to work on his cards, and after many days and nights of patient toil put his ‘work’ on them so he could read them from the back as easily as from the front.
1961		J. Scarne Complete Guide to Gambling 694: Work – crooked cards, or dice.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak 150: Work – crooked cards.

6. (US Und.) some form of weight used to make ‘loaded’ dice.

1961		J. Scarne Complete Guide to Gambling 694: Work – crooked cards, or dice.
2004		‘Animated Dominoes, Dice’ at Old and Sold 🌐 Each manufacturer had his own secret metal used to load the dice and [...] manufacturers always included honest dice with their orders to match the set with ‘work’ in them.

7. a sexual or flirtatious advance.

1938

D. Runyon ‘Social Error’ in Runyon on Broadway (1954) 455: He is just about to begin giving her a little more work.

8. (US Und.) the written records held by illegal bookmakers or ‘numbers’ operators.

1972		Knapp Commission Report Dec. 84: Another common method [of extortion] consisted of policemen confiscating the gambler’s numbers slips, which are known as ‘work.’ The police officer would then offer to sell the work back to the gambler.
1973		P. Maas Serpico 165: [N]ext in the intricately structured racket is the pickup man, who brings the ‘work’—the betting slips—from various collectors to a controller.
1996		(con. mid-1960s) J. Lardner Crusader 87: [T]he cops ransacked the premises, searching for ‘work’—slips of paper reporting the bets that smaller gamblers had laid off.
2006		(con. 1950s) Jurgenson & Cea Circle of Six 63: I was what they called a runner, picking up the work, or the actual slips, from three different drop spots.

9. (W.I.) a sexual relationship; usu. in lose the work v., to lose one’s girlfriend.

1995

Francis-Jackson Official Dancehall Dict. 31: Lose-de-work to lose one’s girlfriend.

10. (drugs) a supply or consignment of a given drug.

2007		UGK ‘Cocaine’ 🎵 I used to switch cars with the Mexican, at the gas station / Mine had money in it, his had the work.
2015		Young M.A. ‘Brooklyn Popin’’ 🎵 [W]e hear that ‘Woop woop!’ yeah, them sirens / She don’t run, she be the one to take the work and she hide it.
2018		Unknown T ‘Mad about Bars’ 🎵 Bag that work with the latex on, the rack will come in.
2020		G. Krauze What They Was 17: [of crack cocaine] There were always nittys [...] damp and sticky-skinned with rotten black mouths [...] catting to get some b and work .