Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und.) to stop, to refrain, to give up; thus stash the glim v., to douse the light; stash that! stop it!

1794		Sessions Papers 17 Sept. 1200/2: He says, Miller, it is, stash, I am satisfied.
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 271: stash: To stash any practice, habit, or proceeding, signifies to put an end to, relinquish, or quash the same; thus, a thief determined to leave off his vicious courses will declare that he means to stash (or stow) prigging. A man in custody for felony, will endeavour, by offering money, or other means, to induce his prosecutor’s forbearance, and compromise the matter, so as to obtain his liberation; this is called stashing the business.
1823		‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 165: Stash [...] set it at rest, made it to cease. ‘Stash the glim’ — to put out lights.
1827		High Life in London 30 Dec. 2/1: [T]he man told him that Moses would stash (compromise) the affair for 100l.
1835		J.T. Haines My Poll and My Partner Joe I i: You see, my old cove, here’s the parchment—no gammon about it—all reg’lar. So you’s better out with the yellow ’uns, and stash all patter.
1845		J. Lindridge Sixteen-String Jack 317: Stash your palaver, will you, and do as I order!
1858		‘A. Pendragon’ Queen of the South 124: ‘Stash that,’ cried ‘Mud-stained Slops’ who was of a lively turn.
1859		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. 101: stash to cease doing anything, to refrain, be quiet, leave off.
1863		C. Reade Hard Cash II 242: Stash your gab.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 117/2: I waunt aul ‘graft’ ‘stash’d’ wile we ar on this business, an’ after that thau may ‘pull’ a wagon load ‘away’.
1879		‘’Arry on the Rail’ in Punch 13 Sept. 109/2: He’d a fist like a sledge, so we stashed it [i.e. noisy singing].
1884		Henley & Stevenson Admiral Guinea I vi: Stash your patter, damn you.
1885		J.S. Borlase Blue Cap, the Bushranger 37/2: ‘Stash that row, yer fools’ he roared.
1891		‘’Arry on a ’ouseboat’ in Punch 15 Aug. 77/1: They ain’t stashed by no ink-spiller’s rot.
1895		Truth (Sydney) 13 Jan. 5/5: ‘How long have you been at this game?’ ‘Oh, stow your patter [...] stash your gab’.
1895		Mirror of Life 14 Dec. 10/4: ‘They tell me, Dan, you are very like me?’ ‘Yes,’ responded Creedon; ‘but I think I am a bit better-looking.’ ‘Oh, stash that,’ replied Jem; ‘when I was a boy they used to call me Pretty Jem’.
1908		Vanguard Library 31 Mar. 4: Here, stash that, Johnny!
1912		E. Pugh City Of The World 276: Now, of course, the motors ha’ stashed that up.
1914		Jackson & Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Sl. 80: stash [...] to cease talking.
1963		A.E. Farrell Vengeance 157: You can stash that sort of twaddle, Mike.

2. to hide.

a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795) n.p.: stach to conceal a robbery.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1828		Lytton Pelham III 298: ‘Stash the lush!’ cried Mrs. Brimstone, ‘aye, and toddle off to Ruggins.’.
1833		‘Her Muns with a Grin’ in Swell!!! or, Slap-Up Chaunter 50: All moonshine to stash — is the young lightning’s flash.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open 125: Stach, to conceal a robbery.
1914		Jackson & Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Sl. 80: stash [...] To hide; to conceal.
1928		J. Callahan Man’s Grim Justice 109: I stole it piece by piece and ‘stashed’ (hid) it in the basement.
1933		Ersine Und. and Prison Sl. 71: stasch, v. To hide.
1940		J.H. O’Hara Pal Joey 26: I [...] had not stashed any dough away.
1944		Cab Calloway New Hepsters Dict. in Calloway (1976) 260: stache (v.): to file, to hide away, to secrete.
1948		H. McCoy Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye in Four Novels (1983) 97: ‘Stash him away for an hour or so . . .’ ‘I’ll stash him good. I got an interest in him,’ Mason said.
1958		Mad mag. May-June 20: Romeo, stash that tag that doesn’t swing.
1968		N. Heard Howard Street 194: They used it to stash their loot.
1978		F. Norman Dead Butler Caper 47: The safest place to stash the jewels was in the same place as my gun, under the loose floorboard.
1992		G. Disher Paydirt [ebook] He had seven days to put a good team together and stash some cars between Belcowie and Adelaide.
1997		A. Frewin London Blues 46: All sailors stash something away that they might be able to trade or sell.
1998		(con. 1986) G. Pelecanos Sweet Forever 52: Maybe Junie got greedy, stashed the bundle somewhere before the accident.
1999		D. Looser ‘Boob Jargon’ in NZEJ 13 35: stash v. 2. To hide or hold on to.
2000		Guardian G2 7 Jan. 18: Stashing some hot diamonds.
2007		L. Redhead Cherry Pie [ebook] ‘Don’t suppose you’ve got a bottle of bourbon stashed in your knickers?’.
2008		D.R. Pollock ‘Honolulu’ in Knockemstiff 190: Howard still remembers where he stashed the pistol.
2010		Guardian 18 Dec. 1/1: [headline] Sudan leader ‘stashed $9 bn in UK banks’ .
2016		D. Whish-Wilson Old Scores [ebook] That much money, they might have stashed it nearby.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 91: I checked [...] for stashed booty and got zilch.
2023		R. Milward Man-Eating Typewriter 421: I considered stashing her in a dustbin.
2023		A. Nette Orphan Road 39: ‘Dad agreed to help Bennett stash the diamonds until the heat was off’.

3. to prevent, to eliminate.

1833

‘Flare Up!’ in Rake’s Budget in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) III 66: Eere they commenc’d — to stash all frauds, / She wanted tip.

4. to place, whether clandestinely or in view; to save money.

1927		DN V 477: Billy he done stashed the jug in th’ brush, an’ now the damned ol’ fool caint find hit.
1938		D. Runyon ‘Big Shoulders’ in Runyon on Broadway (1954) 580: Making a few dibs [...] and having Zelma O’Dare stash them away in a jug uptown against a rainy day.
1949		R. Chandler Little Sister 180: They’ll [...] pull in three or four vagrants and stash them in the flat.
1953		F. Brown Madball (2019) 6: ‘Two grand—not bad for seven weeks. And with what I had stashed up to then I’m okay’.
1957		Kerouac On The Road (1972) 180: We stashed our gear in a Greyhound bus locker for ten cents.
1957		C. Himes Imabelle 33: And she had it stashed in her trunk.
1961		(con. 1920s) J. Sparks Burglar to the Nobility 37: We got into the straight car which we had stashed three streets away.
1965		C. Himes Rage in Harlem (1969) 34: [as 1957].
1975		L. Rosten Dear ‘Herm’ 120: I bet you will stash away 1,000,000 bucks.
1981		A.K. Shulman On the Stroll 251: She stashed her backpack at the back of the closet.
1993		J. Mowry Six Out Seven (1994) 22: Whatever was stashed in the clubhouse for eating and drinking had to be replaced by whatever dude whose belly it filled.
2005		J. Stahl I, Fatty 54: I asked if I might help her stash her suitcase on the overhead rack.

5. (US black) to go to sleep.

1938		Flash! (Wash., D.C.) 21 Feb. 11/1: stach my frame—See dig my pad [i.e. go home to bed].
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 378: Stash: to go to sleep.

6. (US black) to stand around, to stay.

1938		Pittsburgh Courier (PA) 6 Aug. 11/1: After staching in this burg, St Louis, and mitting my personals in the house of many nods, I was cutting down the midway brought to my deuce of benders because ole sol was tipping his mitt on a deuce of sides of the midway.
1940		Pittsburgh Courier (PA) 10 Feb. 7/1: I stached my brown body in that fine gray auditorium.
1949		L. Hughes Tambourines to Glory I vi: Where the cool cats strum / Stashed in a cozy nook.
1958		Hughes & Bontemps Book of Negro Folklore 487: stash: To stand arrogantly, also stash back with one’s legs benched. Dressed to kill, he stashed on the corner.
1960		Beat Jokes Bop Humor and Cool Cartoons 50: He stashes around that battlement till cock crows, then he splits.
1983		N. Heard House of Slammers 88: Just stash in the store while I go score / And I’ll be back by ten.

7. (drugs, also stash up) to hide drugs.

1952		(con. 1948) G. Mandel Flee the Angry Strangers 33: You wanna get on? I got some pot stashed by the subway.
1959		W. Burroughs Naked Lunch (1968) 121: The Beagle has stached the heroin in a lottery ticket.
1961		T. Taylor Baron’s Court All Change (2011) 60: ‘Are you suggesting that we stash it [i.e. cannabis] in someone else’s pad’.
1964		Larner & Tefferteller Addict in the Street (1966) 30: We would shoot up in the bathroom [...] After that I would stash the works downstairs.
1977		A. Brooke Last Toke 7: Quickly he stashed what was left of the cocaine and pot.
1992		R.G. Barrett White Shoes 49: After she stashed it [i.e. a bag of marijuana] [...] her travelled mind went into action.
1997		(con. 1970s) G. Pelecanos King Suckerman (1998) 198: Jimmy suddenly remembered where he had stashed his smokes.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 177/1: stash v. 1 to retain or conceal drugs and other contraband.
2012		J. Fagan Panopticon (2013) 205: Now they’re giving her Valis and she’s stashing them up and popping them en masse.
2014		M. McBride ‘Sounding’ in ThugLit Mar. [ebook] [A] convict lost a rock of crack cocaine he'd stashed in his ear.

8. (NZ prison) to arm oneself.

1999

D. Looser ‘Boob Jargon’ in NZEJ 13 35: stash v. 1. To arm oneself.