tap city, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

tap city n.

[SE tap, f. the tradition of tapping the table to signify passing in poker/tap v.² (3b)/tap out v. (1) + -city sfx]

1. the state of being unable to raise a stake for further betting.

1961		H. Ellison ‘High Dice’ in Gentleman Junkie 89: One of us gonna leave here broke [...] One of us gonna be Tap City.
1991		(con. 1920s) O.D. Brooks Legs 66: I knew my going to tap city would break up the game.

2. a metaphorical place devoted to borrowing or begging money.

1981		G.V. Higgins Rat on Fire (1982) 30: Being Jewish in this town is like living next door to Tap City.
1991		(con. 1920s) O.D. Brooks Legs 84: The tramps (who never work) came to Chicago to scrounge off drunken working stiffs [...] whenever they could latch onto one who hadn’t yet gone to tap city.

3. (also tapsville) the state of poverty; also attrib. [-ville sfx¹].

1935		A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks.
1963		A.S. Fleischman Venetian Blonde (2006) 141: I was broke. Really Tap City.
1966		R.E. Alter Carny Kill (1993) 109: I’m just a tap-city spieler.
1981		J. Ellroy Brown’s Requiem 192: I’m Tap City, Augie.
2000		(con. 1940s–60s) Décharné Straight from the Fridge Dad 8: Beat 2: Broke, out of cash, tapsville.