Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to extort money, with or without menaces; to charge to someone else’s account.

1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 244/2: They ‘put it on them for dunnage’ (beg a stock of general clothing), flattering their victims first and frightening them afterwards.
1895		Derby Mercury 9 Jan. 8/3: Selby says, ‘I’ll go round to the Mug agin, and put it on him (make him pay) for another bit.’.
1903		A. Binstead Pitcher in Paradise 191: A bit of a cavalry brat who put it on me for ten pennies.
1955		B. Hill Boss of Britain’s Underworld 6: In the end the Blacks put it on the thieves just too much.

2. to blame, to chastise.

1879		A. Tourgée A Fool’s Errand 157: "I can’t understan’ it, Colonel. They say our side whipped; that the Union won, an’ the Confederacy lost: an’ yit here they be a-puttin’ it on tu me like all possessed [...] jes cos I was a Union man’.
1907		Sun. Times (Perth) 27 Oct. 1/1: The landlord objected to the mincing marionette tampering with door-locks [so] the ‘gallant’ galoot then put it on to the poor barmaid.

3. to assault, to beat someone up, to murder.

1899–1900		C.L. Cullen Tales of the Ex-Tanks 222: I saw the barkeeps [...] put it on a lot of other hard-luckers for not buying within the specified time.
1906		E. Pugh Spoilers 72: In the vulgar [...] I shall ’ave to put it on you. On’y one ’alf looper an’ you wouldn’t be worth dressin’. [Ibid.] 161: ‘A green ’and might think it a improvement to put it on the ole man, y’see, whereas you ...’ ‘I bar that.’ ‘So do I, Chick; so do I. Makes too much of a smoke, murder does.’.
1928		R. Fisher Walls Of Jericho 304: put it on one To injure deliberately.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 168/2: Put it on one. To turn a gun, knife, or any weapon against one; to seize one in a strangle hold.
1958		(con. 1940s) B. Behan Borstal Boy 108: I might have a chance of warning Browny that Dale was going to put it on him.

4. to show off.

1889

P. Pelham ‘I Put It On’ 🎵.

5. to overcharge.

1937–84

Partridge DSUE (1984) 940/2: C.20.

6. (Aus.) to make a suggestion, to propose.

1914		Bulletin (Sydney) 6 Aug. 32/3: He guv us an eye-opener w’en he opened the bar that mornin’, but w’en we put it on ’im for another he got personal and said things wot wouldn’t be took from nobody but a publican w’en a feller’s stiff.
1918		Kia Ora Coo-ee 15 Apr. 17: Me and Billo put it on the O.C. for leave to go see a sick cobber.
1944		L. Glassop We Were the Rats 6: I’ll have a pint at the Royal tomorrer and put it on the blonde. She’ll be jake.
1951		D. Stivens Jimmy Brockett 162: He finally got round to putting it on me: ‘If you—if you’re thinking of promoting anything else, Jimmy, let me know, won’t you?’.
1959		D. Niland Big Smoke 146: You put it on him for a lift down town.
1974		D. Jenkins Dead Solid Perfect 30: Janie Ruth Rimmer was somebody I wouldn't mind having around for a while. [. . . .] So I put it right on her. I said why didn’t she venture out on the tour?
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 133: Jeff put it on Rita Barrett about the possibility of a job.
2000		Sun. Times News Rev. 12 Mar. 2: If you were to put it on about the Jews you’d have a thousand complaints.

7. to demand, to extort, to persuade.

1938		X. Herbert Capricornia (1939) 371: Frank put it on him for the lend of a tenner.
1953		‘William Lee’ Junkie (1966) 63: I handed him one cap before he could put it on me for two or three.
1984		Public Opinion (Chambersburg, PA) 16 July 8/3: ‘The old chief really put it on us tonight’.

8. (US gang) to declare war.

1953		Kramer & Karr Teen-Age Gangs 6: A few weeks ago the Emeralds and the War Hawks had ‘put it on,’ a phrase meaning declaration of hostilities. No War Hawk was safe if caught on the turf of the Emeralds. And no Emerald was safe on the turf of the War Hawks.
1957		Beckley Post-Herald (WV) 1 Dec. 7/4: Put it on — To declare war on another gang — eithewr formally, by announcing ‘it’s on’ or by aggressive action against another gang.

9. (US black) to excite sexually.

2005

posting at advicechick.com 8 Nov. 🌐 Men rarely leave their wives because some ho’ bitch can put it on him better than wifey.