Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. the penis [a ‘twist’ of flesh].

1672

J. Phillips Maronides (1678) VI 19: Though they came out of Jove’s own Twist, / Or from a Goddess engine pist.

2. a drink of tea and coffee mixed together.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Twist half Tea, half Coffee.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

3. any mixed alcoholic drink, typically brandy and eggs or brandy, beer and eggs, brandy and gin or a gin twist, gin and hot water.

1685		G. Meriton In Praise of York-shire Ale 3: Twist, Old Pharoh, and Old Hoc.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: twist [...] Brandy and Eggs mixed. Hot-Pot.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. 1725].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: twist [...] brandy, beer, and eggs.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1814		J. Wetherell Adventures of John Wetherell (1954) 26 Jan. 206: We rested a while took a draw of the pipe and we took another twist of eau de vie.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1850		Thackeray Pendennis II 1: When he went to the Back Kitchen that night [...] the gin twist and devilled turkey had no charms for him.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1900		Eve. Teleg. (Dundee) 1 Sept. 3/6: The language of the London East-end pub [...] ‘Twist’ — Brandy and gin.

4. the hangman’s noose.

c.1800

‘The Blue Lion’ in Holloway & Black I (1975) 32: Upon the scaffold he doth come / The twist they then do tie on.

5. the arm lock forced on a person who is being arrested.

1960

C. MacInnes Mr Love and Justice (1964) 162: The tap might come upon his shoulder (or, to modernize the metaphor, the twist might come upon his biceps).

6. (Irish) a quarrel, an argument; thus phrs. in good twist, on good terms; in bad twist, on bad terms; in twist, in agreement.

1943		(con. 1850s) G.A. Little Malachi Horan Remembers 80: In a short while they got out of twist.
1943		G.A. Little Malachi Horan Remembers 70: She tried every turn with him; but him and her seemed never in twist.
1997		Share Slanguage.

7. cheating, dishonesty, treachery ; thus at the twist, double-crossing; on the twist, thieving.

1895		Western Kansas World (Wakeeney, KS) 20 July 6/2: ‘They was aimin’ to git away with all them nocturnes [...] an’ not say nothin’ [...] but they can come no twist like that an’ me ridin‘ herd. None whatever!’.
1903		A.H. Lewis Boss 362: That twist will work through all right.
1920		Bedford & Sullivan [perf. Marie Lloyd] One of the ruins Cromwell knocked about a bit 🎵 The pot-man's name is Oliver and he’s always on the twist.
1937		J. Curtis You’re in the Racket, Too 66: Awful twist, really, you know. I must say your father’s an accomplished old scoundrel.
1943		‘Myles na gCopaleen’ Faustus Kelly in ‘Flann O’Brien’ Stories & Plays (1973) 126: Ten to one you’re off to Dublin to work some election twist for Kelly.
1958		M. Allingham Hide My Eyes (1960) 66: The whole blessed place seems to be on the twist these days.

8. (Aus.) a professional criminal [abbr. twister n. (4) or ? not being straight adj.¹ (3)].

1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.
1945		Baker Aus. Lang.
1967		‘Whisper All Aussie Dict.’ in Kings Cross Whisper (Sydney) xli 4/5: twist: Same as key man.
1990		Tupper & Wortley Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Twist. An habitual criminal.

9. (Aus Und.) an indeterminate sentence.

1931

Sun (Sydney) 17 Aug. 7/6: At the police station [...] Walker said, ‘I suppose I’ll get the ‘twist’ (indeterminate sentence) for this.’ .

10. (drugs) a marijuana cigarette [it is twisted into shape].

1935		A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks n.p.: Twist, sufficient marihuana for one or two cigarettes. Twist scranner, a person who picks up the ends or butts of smoked marihuana cigarettes and makes new cigarettes from them.
1936		D. Maurer ‘Argot of the Und. Narcotic Addict’ Pt 1 in AS XI:2 127/1: twist. A marajuana [sic] cigarette.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1955		E. Hunter Blackboard Jungle 196: You know what a twist is?
1960		D. Lytton Goddam White Man 71: You get your own twist of the stuff [dagga] and what I give you on top.
1971		E.E. Landy Underground Dict. (1972).
2001		ONDCP Street Terms 22: Twist — Marijuana cigarette.

11. (Aus.) a key.

1946		Singleton Argus (NSW) 4/2: Other fancy underworld terms for [a key] are ‘the twirl,’ and ‘the gate,’ and ‘the twist’.
1983		R. Aven-Bray Ridgey-Didge Oz Jack Lang 49: Twist Key.

12. (Aus. Und.) an indeterminate prison sentence.

1950

S.J. Baker in Sun. Herald (Sydney) 8 June 9/3: A crook who earns a ‘Kathleen Mavourneen’ (that is, ‘It may be for years and it may be forever . . .’), ‘key,’ ‘twist,’ or ‘The Act’ has been declared an habitual criminal with an indeterminant sentence.

13. (Aus./US) a dishonest, untrustworthy person.

1953		‘John Eagle’ Hoodlums (2021) 127: The M. C. was listing [...] what passed for celebrities in the El Conejo. ‘Judge So and So,’ and some goony wizened twist [...] would get up to take a bow.
1955		N. Pulliam I Travelled a Lonely Land (1957) 241/1: twist – [...] a cheater.

14. (US Und.) a sexually eccentric individual, often a prostiute’s client; also attrib.

1961		T.I. Rubin In the Life 117: Maybe a queer John or a twist or something.
1963		in T.I. Rubin Sweet Daddy 11: I’ve seen twists in my time. Dumpers, what not. [...] there’s plenty bread in the twist business.
2005		R. Cea No Lights, No Sirens 241: How’s it feel, you motherfucking rapist, you twist, you scumbag?
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 305: That sick twist Jimmy Dean was all hopped up to play Chessman.

15. (Irish) a turn.

1825		T.C. Croker Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland (1862) 205: I can have another twist at it.
1972		(con. 1930s–40s) N. Conway Bloods 65: One mixed-up semi-soldier from civvie-land, doing his first twist of the two-on and four-off, successfully challenged the visiting Orderly Officer.
1990		R. Doyle Snapper 115: Whose twist is it? said Bertie.

16. (drugs) a small bag of heroin secured with a twist tie.

2001

ONDCP Street Terms 22: Twists — Small plastic bags of heroin secured with a twist tie.