keg, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

keg n.

also beer keg

1. (US) the stomach.

1887		F. Francis Jr Saddle and Mocassin 144: We’d been having ‘a time,’ and my keg was pretty full, too.
1997–2000		College Sl. Research Project (Cal. State Poly. Uni., Pomona) 🌐 Keg (noun) A beer gut (usually on guys).

2. (Aus./N.Z.) beer, a barrel of beer [abbr. SE beer keg].

1912		Sport (Adelaide) 13 July 14/3: They Say [...] That Red H., the dashing ruck man for the Subs., has at last caught a tart, and will soon have to shell out the ‘keg’.
1968		in Randolph & Legman Ozark Folksongs and Folklore (1992) I 463: All you keg women, you better put it on the wall, / ’Cause I’m gonna get drunk an’ do my dirty talk.
1971		F.J. Hardy Outcasts of Foolgarah (1975) 192: Nothing like a keg party to drive away the blues.
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 65/2: keg beer; from a barrel of beer.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].
2013		F. Bill Donnybrook [ebook] Red suspenders going down over his keg belly.

3. (US drugs) 5 lbs of marijuana [? the amount of marijuana that would fill a beer keg].

1971

Current Sl. VI.

4. (N.Z. prison) a urine sample or its container.

2001

D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 98/1: keg n. a urine sample; a urine sample container.

In compounds

keg-belly (n.)

(Aus/US.) a distended stomach, the result of consistently excessive drinking.

2004		https://www.outsideonline.com 1 Oct. 🌐 Doland cultivated a relationship with Harelson [...] often duct-taping a recorder and microphone to his beer-keg belly.
2010		www.therenewalpoint.com 27 Mar 🌐 The fat that causes a ‘beer belly’ or ‘keg belly’ is mostly made up of a type of fat called visceral fat.
2023		D. Whish-Wilson I Am Already Dead 105: [T]he bartender, an older man with a drinker’s nose and keg-belly.

keg-fly (n.) [on pattern of bar-fly n.]

(US campus) someone who hovers around the beer keg at parties.

1989

P. Munro Sl. U.

keg-legs (n.)

(UK juv.) an insult aimed at a girl with fat thighs or esp. calves.

2001

OnLine Dict. of Playground Sl. 🌐 keg-legs n. derog unkind name shouted at girls with ‘fat’ calves or thighs or (more especially) calves.

In phrases

carry the keg (v.) [pun on SE keg/cag n.]

to be easily annoyed, to be unable to take a joke.

1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 231: carry the keg: a man who is easily vexed or put out of humour by any joke passed upon him, and cannot conceal his chagrin, is said to carry the keg, or is compared to a walking distiller.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

come off the keg

(Aus.) don’t talk nonsense.

1911

E. Dyson ‘The Picnic’ in Benno and Some of the Push 1: ‘Come orf the keg, little boy,’ replied the packer, with his man-of-the-world air. ‘You ain’t talkin’, y’ know; ye’re just makin’ a noise.’.

have a keg on board (v.)

(US) to be drunk.

1887

Lantern (N.O.) 21 May 2: Judging from the way Frank and his friend walked, they must have had a keg aboard.

keg it up (v.)

(N.Z.) to drink, usu. in a party or public house.

1995		Dominion (Wellington) 12 Sept. 1: Most of the group on the bus...had been ‘kegging it up’ since Friday celebrating the birthday of a one-year-old girl [DNZE].
2002		M. De Chellis Mike D’s Awsome Drinkin Page 🌐 We will have a good time and keg it up yaaaaaaaaaa.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 120: Students in particular engage in a keg party and compete in a keg race to consume the most beer in the shortest time, referred to as kegging it up. ANZ, from start of C20.

open a keg of nails (v.)

to open a bottle; thus to have a drink.

1901		A. Binstead More Gal’s Gossip 176: Joe said he proposed to terminate the proceedings by opening just one keg of nails at the Carlton.
1952		(con. 1948) G. Mandel Flee the Angry Strangers 31: Won’t you stay? We’re about to open a keg of nails.
1988		(con. 1930s) C.E. Lincoln The Avenue, Clayton City (1996) 9: Lay a quarter on me [...] We might open a keg a nails.