Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. in advance, esp. of money paid for illegal activities, e.g. drug purchases.

1937		A. Dickerson ‘Barrel House Annie’ 🎵 She said mister, don’t be no ham / What kind of fool do you think I am? / Some folks will trust you to come back and pay / I must get mine in front.
1944		C. Himes ‘Money Don’t Spend in the Stir’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 195: [T]he lawyer wouldn’t touch the case for under five thousand, and he wanted that in front.
1953		Truth (Sydney) 13 Dec. 18/3: I asked him to give me 10,000 dollars in front of my next fight for him. He said yes.
1956		S. Selvon Lonely Londoners 127: Five was a fellar, from the time he see you, he out to borrow money [...] So that all the boys start to take in front.
1967		L. Bruce Essential Lenny Bruce 145: Can I get some bread in front here?
1973		G.V. Higgins Digger’s Game (1981) 26: Eighty K in front from them.
1974		V.E. Smith Jones Men 48: I figure these people’ll want at least half their money up front.
1983		A-Team Storybook 55: That’s up front [...] There’s another hundred if the mining stops.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 14: To schlep a girl back to a hotel cost two hundred up front.
1996		P. Howard The Joy (2015) [ebook] [I]f a junkie wants to use my taxi to go cruising fuckin Dublin for drugs, then he pays up front.
1999		P. Temple Black Tide (2012) [ebook] ‘It’s [i.e. a payment] got to be up front’ [...] ‘What’s the figure?’.
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 103: You pull up ya cash up front, then you can do what ya like.
2002		D.H. Sterry Chicken (2003) 29: get the money up front!

2. openly, without deception.

1955		‘Ed Lacy’ Best that Ever Did It (1957) 16: I’m telling you in front, I don’t go in for shootings, or any rough stuff.
1973		E. Bunker No Beast So Fierce 218: She’s down on you in front.
1992		R. Price Clockers 8: At least with enemies, you know what they were right up front.
1998		L. Stringer Grand Central Winter (1999) 64: That’s Bold Gold. Worn gangsta-style. Up-front and In-Your-Face.

3. (orig. US black) first, at the start.

1960		‘Lord Buckley’ Hiparama of the Classics 20: Them Christian Cats sayin’ that yo ain’t no where and [...] if you was to be somewhere you’d be no where anyway ’cause you ain’t no where, IN FRONT!
1977		C. McFadden Serial 95: I’m telling you upfront, you can’t move in with me.
1988		D. Woodrell Muscle for the Wing 111: You’re dangerously fuckin’ confused about me. I want you to know that up-front.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 66: What we’ll do [...] is tip off Chris Cowie way up front.
2010		(con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 198: I’d rather know up front, John, before we’re anymore involved.

4. fig., in the foreground.

1977		C. McFadden Serial 13: For once in her life she ought to put her own needs right up front.
2010		W.D. Myers Cruisers 94: ‘Suppose we start agreeing with what they’re saying but put it up front so they can’t get around it?’.

5. (Aus.) in profit.

1984		Canbera Times (ACT) 20 July 2/8: ‘If we can only continue this policy for another 10 years we will be billions of dollars in front’.
1998		R.G. Barrett Goodoo Goodoo 47: I’m five hundred bucks in front.