Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) basketball (as opposed to football, played with an oval ball).

1969

19701980

1990

1969		L. Schecter Jocks 234: [cap. heading] Let’s Hear It for the Roundball.
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 252: round ball Basketball.
1988		D. Woodrell Muscle for the Wing 42: Roundballs of various sizes and snowcapped schemes offered the dreamy ways to better quarters.
1990		Eble Campus Sl. Apr.

see brown n. (3a)

see separate entries.

(orig. US) a wastepaper basket.

1975

198019902000

2004

1975		G. Underwood ‘Razorback Sl.’ in AS L:1/2 65: round file n Wastebasket.
1993		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read How to Shoot Friends 27: You better make sure you are good looking, or it’s straight into the round filing cabinet.
2004		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read Chopper 3 35: [as cit. 1993].

see separate entry.

see roundheels n.

see separate entries.

see separate entries.

(US) a dollar.

1925

1925

D. Hammett ‘Ruffian’s Wife’ in Nightmare Town (2001) 64: I brought fifteen thousand hard roundmen away with me.

the anus.

1811

18151820

1823

1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

a great lie.

1605

1610162016301640165016601670

1680

1605		Shakespeare London Prodigal D: For howsoever the Deuenshire man is, my maisters Mind is bloody; thats a round O, And therefore syr, intreatie is in but vain.
1680		Merry Maid of Islington 16: Take her into the Counting House, and try what Figure you can bring her to; a Cypher you need not fear, and the round O is the compleating of your sum.

(US) the anus.

1992

1992

Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 62: Round-Pussy The anus.

(US Und.) a member of a N.Y. gang.

1839

18391840

1841

1839		Morn. Herald (NY) 26 Nov. 2/2: White [...] was one of that infanous class of characters [...] ‘soap locks,’ ‘round rimmers,’ ‘fire rowdies,’ etc.
1841		N.Y. Herald 16 Nov. 2/5: The soaplock fashion of wearing the hair is about coming again into practice among the round rimmers.

see separate entries.

(N.Z. prison) a strip cell.

2001

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 156/2: round room (also roundhouse) n. = strip cell.

see under steak n.

(Aus.) an efficacious lie.

1895

1895

C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 68: Round Un, a well proportioned lie.