Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US, also do the trick, take a trick) to carry out a successful criminal act; usu. robbery, theft or confidence trick.

1872		E. Crapsey Nether Side of NY 160: [T]hese gentlemanly marauders never ‘take a trick’ at home; so far, I am informed, no robbery has ever been committed in the house.
1899–1900		C.L. Cullen Tales of the Ex-Tanks 117: It ain’t no cinch, but what you’d turn a trick with the wedge and the phony keys at that.
1902		E. Townsend Chimmie Fadden and Mr Paul 57: Duchess is a torrowbred, for fair, but I never taut she had de noive to toin de trick she done.
1909		H. Green Mr. Jackson 47: We ain’t turned a trick in so long that the other fellers in the business is losin’ their respect.
1916		J. Lait ‘Charlie the Wolf’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 65: When he’s got a little age an’ wisdom an’ nerve he turns his first neat one. [Ibid.] 162: ‘Is there anything on you?’ asked the Reporter. ‘Clean as a sucker,’ said the Kid. ‘I haven’t turned a trick for a week.’.
1923		N. Anderson Hobo 39: Gypsy fortune-tellers [...] hail every passer-by for the privilege of ‘reading’ his mind, and, perhaps, in order to turn a trick at his expense.
1929		D. Hammett Red Harvest (1965) 136: [of a murder] ‘My notion is that he [. . .] showed up at the girl's house [...] let himself in with his key, found her, decided Whisper had done the trick, took the sticker out of her, and went hunting Whisper‘.
1931		C.S. Montanye ‘Tight Spot’ in Complete Stories 15 Sept. 🌐 You’re going to come in with me on this and turn the trick like the perfect little gentleman you are.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1959		J. Thompson Getaway in Four Novels (1983) 87: Been so long since him or me turned a trick that people plumb forgot all about us.
1965		B. Jackson Get Your Ass in the Water (1974) 72: He’d turn a few tricks and baffle the dicks, / leavin’ not a clue to find.
1982		G.V. Higgins Patriot Game (1985) 56: He was just turning an extra dollar, doing a piece of work for a guy that might be able to bail him out in the future, getting a few points.

2. to perform any action successfully.

1906		A. Adams ‘In the Hands of His Friends’ in Cattle Brands 🌐 If it takes a week to turn the trick properly, good enough.
1912		R. Service ‘The Baldness of Chewed-Ear’ in Rhymes of a Rolling Stone 140: The Syndicate sold out too soon, and Chewed-ear turned the trick.
1915		S. Ford Shorty McCabe on the Job 25: Was you ever guilty of wastin’ a kind word, or puttin’ out the helpin’ hand, if you couldn’t see where it might turn a trick for J. Bayard Steele?
1920		R.J. Brown ‘Thirty Days on the Island’ in Argosy 3 Jan. 🌐 There’s a thousand bucks in it for us [...] if we turn the trick.
1931		R.E. Howard ‘Alleys of Peril’ Fight Stories Jan. 🌐 He had orders to hide you in a safe place after you’d turned the trick.