Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. lit. and fig., a stink.

1853		Bell’s Life in Sydney 20 Aug. 2/7: The latter, after a brief struggle, placed its tail between its legs and cried ‘pen and ink’.
1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1866		Wild Boys of London I 288/1: They gave him what they call the laws. The laws consisted of pummelling him till he cried out pen-and-ink, after the utterance of which talismanic word, he was released.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1938		L. Ortzen Down Donkey Row 12: Pen and Ink – Stink.
1943		M. Harrison Reported Safe Arrival 11: He indicated the three gunners with a nod of his head. ‘When them blokes begins ter warm up, there’s goin’ ter be a bit of pen-an’-ink in ere.’.
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.
1979		R. Barker Fletcher’s Book of Rhy. Sl. 25: People passed by on the other side, to avoid the pen and ink.
1985		S. Berkoff West in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 117: After all the rhubarb and shouting / he’s kicking up a big pen and ink.
1989		Viz June/July 11: What a pen and ink!
1999		G. Seal Lingo 89: pen and ink for stink; trouble and strife for wife; cheese and kisses for missus, are just a few examples of rhyming slang terms common to Britain and Australia.
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 138/1: pen and ink n. 1 a stink.
2002		Pete’s Aussie Sl. Home Page 🌐 pen and ink: a stink.
2005		P. Howard Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress 161: The pen off the carpet is totally Pádraig.

2. (UK und.) in fig, use, e.g. a problematic situation.

1935

Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 11: The pen and ink is in: The police have found out.

3. a mink.

1956

‘Charles Raven’ Und. Nights 13: He was over by the wardrobe, fingering a lovely full-length ‘pen’. [Ibid.] 21: She insisted on our leaving behind three of the finest pen-and-ink smothers I ever set eyes on.

4. (orig. Aus./N.Z.) a drink; alcohol.

1967		‘Whisper All Aussie Dict.’ in Kings Cross Whisper (Sydney) xxxviii 10/1: pen and ink: Drink.
1968		J. Alard He who Shoots Last 106: Are ya gonna have a pen an’ ink?
1970		R. Fabian Anatomy of Crime 192: We went into an oozer (boozer: pub) for a pen and ink (drink).
1983		R. Aven-Bray Ridgey-Didge Oz Jack Lang 9: He took his pen and ink to a Cain and Abel and plonked himself into a Fred Astaire and tried to nut out a plan for the day.
1990		Tupper & Wortley Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Pen and ink. Rhyming slang for drink.
1997		Sydney Morn. Herald 16 Oct. 50/1: Surely I’m better now, I’m off the pen and ink and I’m not a sheila rorter.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl.