Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. UK Und.) any job or plan that pays well, almost invariably criminal; often as nice little earner.

1967		‘Whisper All Aussie Dict.’ in Kings Cross Whisper (Sydney) xxxiv 4/4: earn: Any money earned by using the wits.
1974		G.F. Newman You Flash Bastard 106: He’d have thought a couple of poofs would have been able to come up with something more gentle for their earner.
1980		A. Payne ‘All Mod Cons’ Minder [TV script] 17: Thing is we could be onto a very nice little earner here.
1983		R. Aven-Bray Ridgey-Didge Oz Jack Lang 13: ‘I’m a shitkicker meself, what do youse do for an earn?’ ‘We are students of literature,’ the Charlie volunteered.
1986		R.G. Barrett Godson 197: ‘I give the punters wot they want, and pick myself up a nice little earner at the same time’.
1990		R.G. Barratt ‘Time to Munch Our Moggies’ in What Do You Reckon (1997) [ebook] Even though my heart’s breaking I’m still on the lookout for an earner.
1991		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read Chopper From The Inside 117: I made quite a nice little earn over the years by sending so-called hit men to see my enemies with offers to kill me.
1998		Guardian Sport 2 Oct. 16: The vital little earners that make a pro’s life that little bit easier.
2001		(con. 1945–6) P. Doyle Devil’s Jump (2008) 143: The boss asked me to [...] put a bit of a scare into you. There was to be an earn in it for me.
2005		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read Chopper 4 175: It would be a fun night out an a good little earner.
2008		A. Wheatle Dirty South 157: If weed was legalised there’ll be no more shottas and I’d be out of a sweet little earner.
2013		T. Peacock More You Bet 10: They would ‘emu’ the grounds [...] and my father assured me that there was a handy three-way earn there every week.
2016		D. Whish-Wilson Old Scores [ebook] He’d keep something as insurance, and as a potential doublecross earner.
2021		P. Papathanasiou Stoning 91: ‘Maybe she was turning tricks as well. Nice little earner’.

2. (UK police) a bribe, esp. one paid as regularly as more legitimate wages.

1970		G.F. Newman Sir, You Bastard 7: His earner had come on top.
1975		Bulletin (Sydney) 26 Apr. 44: No monkey, they say, and no way I get bail. So I told em that if I weren’t gonna get bail there’d be no earn for them out of it.
1997		N. Barlay Curvy Lovebox 52: They got their earners.
2007		N. ‘Razor’ Smith Raiders 52: Bent Old Bill [...] had to be bunged an earner.