Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. W.I.) the long knotted hair that is the best-known and typical badge of Rastafarianism.

1970		B. Jerry Sooner or Later [poem] So have-gots, have-nots, / trim head, comb-locks, dread knots, / is sheep from goat.
1978		D. Hebdige Subculture 36: An expressive combination of ‘locks’, of khaki camouflage and ‘weed’.
1980		(con. 1950s) M. Thelwell Harder They Come 122: The raffia hair around his head like a cloud of serpentine white locks.
1994		M. Montague Dread Culture 103: Iration Dread had torn out a handful of her locks.
2005		L. Theroux Call of the Weird (2006) 187: Pele came back with a line about Tony having ‘shit-locks’ in his hair.
2005		(con. 1951) A. Wheatle Island Songs (2006) 81: David ah grow locks ’pon him head.
2007		D.S. Mitchell Killer Tune (2008) 41: The first thing he’d done was shave off his locks.
2020		G. Krauze What They Was 29: Uncle T [...] used to be a dread and one day [...] he showed me his locks.
2022		J. Hannaham Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit 111: Then the brother with the locks spoke up.