Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to work as a pimp.

1887		W.E. Henley ‘Villon’s Straight Tip’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 176: Fiddle, or fence, or mace, or mack; / Or moskeneer, or flash the drag.
a.1964		‘Do Your Crying for the Living’ in D. Wepman et al. Life (1976) 165: Your broad becomes lazy, trifling and slack, / And starts signifying about your not having a license to mack.
1971		E.E. Landy Underground Dict. (1972).
1998		Source Nov. 196: A vintage Tela track featuring the man who was born to mack.
2000		Ebonics Primer at www.dolemite.com 🌐 macking Definition: pimping for a living. Example: You ain’t mackin in my neighborhood, nigga!

2. (US black) to swagger, to walk rhythmically.

1963		in J.H. Clarke Amer. Negro Stories 305: With no music till Lynn finishes ‘macking’ [...] across the stage [HDAS].
1970		A. Young Snakes (1971) 46: In he comes, doing that rhythmic walk, macking they called it.

3. (US gay) of lesbians, to act in a masculine manner.

1967		S. Harris Hellhole 233: ‘Bulldykes’ or ‘stud broads’ [...] often ‘mac’ it, or dress in men’s clothes.
1968		J. Colebrook Cross of Lassitude 296: Don’t worry ... I’m macking tough when I’m pregnant!
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 132: masquerade (les sl) said of a lesbian who dresses up as a man. Syn: mack it (les sl, late ’60s).

4. (US black, also mack down) to talk seductively, to flirt; spec. as a pimp to recruit a prostitute.

1965		‘SWAP Dict. Teen-age Sl’ in Ebony Mar. 98/2: Mack: to talk — as in ‘I was macking to that boss broad, but she stared hanging five on me’.
1970		T. Wolfe Radical Chic 101: I don’t want you women to be macking with the brothers if they ain’t tending to business.
1972		D. Claerbaut Black Jargon in White America 72: macking v. to engage in conversation used by pimps to solicit women to work for them.
1972		Milner & Milner Black Players 35: The initial line a pimp uses in recruiting a girl is often referred to as Mack or Mack talk, for example, ‘He sure can mack ’em down in five minutes.’.
1988		Ice-T ‘Power’ 🎵 I’m on a mission mackin hard as a hammer.
1993		Snoop Doggy Dogg ‘Gin and Juice’ 🎵 I [...] get to mackin to this bitch named Sadie.
2001		UGK ‘Choppin’ Blades’ 🎵 In a black ‘Lac mackin’ wit’ a bop in a fade.
2000		Ebonics Primer at www.dolemite.com 🌐 straight mackin’ Definition: using all one’s hustling skills to get what he wants. Example: Look at Clarence, he be straight mackin’ my hoe, Sharone.
2008		‘Grandmaster Flash’ Adventures 97: Joe Kidd was a stick-up artist of the first degree. But tonight he was mackin’ [...] ‘This is my girl Maria’.

5. to chat idly.

1970

G. Scott-Heron Vulture (1996) 88: The young whiteys were drinking beer and macking.

6. (US black) to lie or exaggerate in order to deceive, exploit or influence someone.

1972		Milner & Milner Black Players 176: The only man badder than this bad, bad nigger turns out to be — the trickster, and a pimp-talkin’, mackin’ motherfucker at that!
2000		Guardian Rev. 28 Apr. 12: Don’t mac me off like a two-bob.
2007		UGK ‘Gravy’ 🎵 Get with me if she a money stacker, bitch around me man I’ma mack her.

7. to have sexual intercourse.

1997–2000		College Sl. Research Project (Cal. State Poly. Uni., Pomona) 🌐 Mack (verb) Mackin’ a hoe (phr.) Having sex with a slut.
2002		Cypress Hill Sl. Gloss. 🌐 mack: [...] to have sex, to be a person who is liked by women.

8. to steal.

1997		‘Q’ Deadmeat 438: Mackin an thuggin will be ya new way a life.
2002		Teen Lingo: The Source for Youth Ministry 🌐 mack v. 1. To steal or take advantage of. ‘Yo . . . free pizza? I’m going to mack on some of that!’.

9. (US black) to be successful, usu. sexually.

1991		P. Munro U.C.L.A. Sl. 11: Mack ‘to be successful, esp. with having sex with women.’.
1994		UGK ‘Three Sixteens’ 🎵 But bitch niggas steal, and G niggas mack.