Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) a leg.

1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 433: The moment that your long legs fail ye, / Blast my old flippers but I’ll nail ye.
1917		Wash. Post 21 Jan. 2/7: Pulled his flippers – Moved his legs, ran.

2. the hand, thus fist or arm.

1812		J. Wetherell Adventures of John Wetherell (1954) 181: ‘Old fellow,’ says the landlord (to Bonner), ‘where the devil have you sprung from with your one flipper, eh?’.
c.1825		T. Jones ‘The True Bottom’d Boxer’ in Egan Bk of Sports (1832) 74/1: Shaking a flipper, and milling a pate.
1836		N. Wales Chron. 31 May 4/3: The pleasure of being [...] rewarded by grasping old Billy’s flipper.
1837		‘Who Milked My Cow?’ Bentley’s Misc. Jan. 68: Joseph Grummet went and expanded his flippers before the eyes of the surgeon.
1843		W.L. Rede Our Village II ii: If he don’t die an admiral, I’m a grampus. – Give us your left flipper!
1848		Bell’s Life in Sydney 8 July 3/3: A formidable looking weapon that Giles held in his flpper.
1859		H. Kingsley Recollections of G. Hamlyn (1891) 297: ‘I’ve been on the square this twenty year.’ ‘Same here,’ says the old chap; ‘give us your flipper.’.
1866		Illawarra Mercury (Wollongong, NSW) 18 Sept. 2/1: [A] pugilist who has sprained his knuckles is said [...] to have ‘smashed his bunch of fives,’ [...] to have ‘spiflicated his flipper,’ or ‘played old Harry with his mawley’.
1867		G.E. Clark Seven Years of a Sailor’s Life 161: Ah Jack Tar, you don’t know how many hands are waiting to grasp your tar-stained, hardened flipper that now rests on the rail.
1873		W.H. Thomes Slaver’s Adventures 47: I hit him near his flipper. See him bleed.
1887		‘Lawrence Lynch’ Mountain Mystery 27: ‘Bully for Podunk!’ ‘Give us your flipper!’.
1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 26 Oct. 6/4: After getting a few warm compliments from M’Auliffe’s flipper he went back to his corner.
1890		Dead Bird (Sydney) 13 Dec. 6/2: Come along and give us yer flipper.
1894		M.H. Foote Coeur d’Alene 103: My right flipper is hit.
1900		Boys Of The Empire 23 Oct. 35: Did you ever see such flippers before, lads?
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 7 Feb. 8/2: The Governor is called ‘Shake-hands Le Hunte,’ because he warmly grasps the flipper of every old dead beat who reaches him out.
1904		C. Connors Bowery Life [ebook] He's [...] been gittin’ all kinds uv cush out uv de fisical culture graft, an’ it cum in so fast dat his flippers got sore countin’ de coin.
1910		‘O. Henry’ ‘The World & the Door’ Whirligigs (1939) 18: Merriam gave Hedges and then Quinby an ice-cold hand. ‘Br-r-r-r!’ said Hedges. ‘But you’ve got a frappéd flipper!’.
1912		Sport (Adelaide) 9 Nov. 13/3: They Say [...] That Snowy can ‘lead ’em’with that left flipper of his.
1916		R. Service ‘The Odyssey of ’Erbert ’Iggins’ Rhymes of a Red Cross Man 48: My flipper is mashed to a jelly.
1920		A. Baer Putting ’Em Over 3 Dec. [synd. col.] Joe used to have a good right flipper but broke it several years ago.
1924		Galsworthy White Monkey 37: Well! Here we part! Give us your flipper.
1936		R.L. Bellem ‘Falling Star’ Spicy Detective Sept. 🌐 Okay, Sid Grainger. Lift the flippers—high!
1939		Wodehouse Uncle Fred in the Springtime 170: ‘It's true, is it, that the old bird has bust a flipper?’ ‘He has wrenched his shoulder most painfully,’ assented Lady Constance.
1943		R. Chandler Lady in the Lake (1952) 154: Guess I can handle this with my little flippers [...] Guess I can at that.
1958		E. Dundy Dud Avocado (1960) 122: He arrived at Rollo’s side flapping his flippers into Rollo’s face.
1989		M. Amis London Fields 402: You don’t, he thought, as his flipper reached down for his chopper. You don’t do that to a guy.
2006		Fantasy Baseball Intelligencer 29 Apr. 🌐 And lets not forget that Guardado has been pitching with a bum flipper for over a year now.

3. (UK Und.) a whip.

c.1850

Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.

4. (US black) an ear.

1944

‘Jiver’s Bible’ in D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive.

5. (N.Z. prison) a slap rather than a punch with the clenched fist; the implication is that the victim isn’t ‘man enough’ to deliver a proper blow.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 70/2: flipper n. = bitchslap.