Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) a substantial amount of alcohol, likely to intoxicate the drinker .

1896		Ade Artie (1963) 101: ‘Package? What’s that?’ ‘W’y, a load, a jag!’.
1912		R.W. Brown ‘Word-List From Western Indiana’ in DN III:viii 584: package, n. A load of liquor; enough to make one stagger. ‘He is carrying a package to-night.’.
2009		D. Lehr Fence 273: Kenny had what he called a ‘package on,’ meaning, ‘I was drinking.’ Since his sentencing, he’d been drinking hard—too hard.

2. (US) a police record; a jail sentence .

1912		D. Lowrie My Life in Prison 31: ‘What sort of a package?’ ‘Package?’ I asked [...] ‘Oh, you mean the sentence?’.
1981		J. Wambaugh Glitter Dome (1982) 206: There’s nothing in his package about any gook associates.

3. a drink.

1931–4		D. Clemmer Prison Community (1940) 334/1: package, n. [...] a small amount of liquor.
1946		E. Wilson Pikes Peek or Bust 74: I picked the package of champagne from the floor. [...] When I got home I said to my wife, ‘Darling, I brought you a package,’ and she said, ‘You’re telling me!’.

4. (US, a man, a person; thus US Und.) a kidnap victim.

1933		Hecht & Fowler Great Magoo 46: Say, what kind of package was this New York number?
1952		(con. 1920s) G. Fowler Schnozzola 84: Zimp pretended to be a very bad package.
1959		‘Hal Ellson’ Jailbait Street (1963) 20: Your boozy old lady ain’t no prize package.
1965		H. Rhodes Chosen Few (1966) 43: In this case it was a dark little package from Washington, D.C., named Tanback.

5. (US drugs) a bulk supply of a given drug.

1906		Times Dispatch (Richmond, VA) 8 Dec. 2/7: [headline] Caught Smuggling Package of Cocaine into City Jail. Bundle of ‘Sugar’ was too small and Trusty pounced.
1931–4		D. Clemmer Prison Community (1940) 334/1: package, n. A parcel of narcotics.
1978		R. Daley Prince of the City 219: ‘An Italian kid. Thinks he’s a big-time connection. I think I can buy a thousand-dollar package off him’.
1989		(con. 1982–6) T. Williams Cocaine Kids (1990) 32: Never be without, that’s what it’s all about. If you had a good package you could sell it, but if you had a bad package and you were the only one with a package you could sell it. The bad package is the customer’s last resort.
1997		Simon & Burns Corner (1998) 7: They’re back in business on Mount Street, too, where Diamond in the Raw has the best package.
2002		Simon & Burns ‘The Buys’ Wire ser. 1 ep. 3 [TV script] We be doin’ even better when we get that new package.
2010		Codella and Bennett Alphaville (2011) 223: A package was ten bundles - a hundred bags of dope - and would set you back a thousand bucks.

6. an attractive and usu. small, neat woman.

1934		J. O’Hara Appointment in Samarra 168: ‘Oh, and has he a nice package?’ ‘I’ll say. That’s his wife with him, isn’t it?’.
1945		L. Shelly Hepcats Jive Talk Dict. 15/2: Package, a girl.
1948		J. Archibald ‘Klump a la Carte’ Popular Det. July 🌐 ‘Some gorgeous package, ain’t she?’ Willie took a gander at the doll. He had to admit she was.
1963		A.S. Fleischman Venetian Blonde (2006) 162: It didn’t make sense that Rinny Jim would part from a lusty package like Maggie.
1972		D. Jenkins Semi-Tough 286: ‘Can I bring you a package? [...] I can probably scare up a friend of Crazy Iris or somebody.’ I said, ‘If you do, you’d better bring along somebody to fuck her. I’m whipped.’.
1979		‘Iceberg Slim’ Airtight Willie and Me 36: I was turning my head to yank the package he’d fingered.
1992		G. Disher Paydirt [ebook] She was a neat little package in her formal spring suit, stiff hair and handbag.

7. (US Und.) a (long) prison term.

1950

Goldin et al. DAUL 151/1: Package. [...] 2. (P) A long prison sentence; any prison term. ‘I’d wrap up (commit suicide) if I had a package like yours to carry.’.

8. (US) a baby, a pregnancy.

1969

M. Puzo Godfather 14: Have you dishonored my family? Have you given my daughter a little package to remember you by now that the war is over.

9. (US) the male genitals.

1972		implied in surprise package n.
1996		P. Beatty White Boy Shuffle 40: I told him Hitler had only half a package.
1996		(con. 1964-65) B. Thorpe Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 79: She grabbed my goods through the sheets [...] ‘My, yer do ’ave a nice little package’.
2001		‘Randy Everhard’ Tattoo of a Naked Lady 142: Turning to admire his package in the tight pants.
2006		G. Iles Turning Angel 172: He kept pulling on his package while he talked to me.
2009		J. Stahl Pain Killers 79: You gotta package, don’tcha? I bet you’re a regular Johnny Hog-leg.
2012		M. McBride Frank Sinatra in a Blender [ebook] [She] walked by and gave my package a casual squeeze , as if [...] my dick were an avocado.
2015		J. Stahl OG Dad 100: A package bigger than Johnny Wadd’s.
2020		D. Winslow ‘Paradise’ in Broken 245: Two of the Palala are on their knees [...] grabbing their packages.

10. (US) the vagina.

1995

(con. 1985–90) P. Bourjois In Search of Respect 315: Candy: [smiling at Primo over the slang term ‘package,’ meaning vagina] [...] No, no, no, you want the package [grabbing her crotch with both hands and making us roar with laughter] you pay for the whole package deal [pointing at two of her children].

11. (US prison) a positive report on a prisoner [the package of papers on which it is written].

1992

Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 103: Package also Parole Package Positive documentation, verifying the ways an inmate is trying to better himself.

12. (US) the female breasts.

2004

J.A. Juarez Brotherhood of Corruption 214: Two rounded breasts popped out from under her shirt. [...] All my partners [...] commented about her ample package.

13. HIV/AIDS.

2005		POZ Jan. 🌐 Slang for HIV: ‘The monster,’ ‘the package,’ ‘that shit’ (prison); ‘the virus’.
2023		Rayman & Blau Riker’s 265: They used to have sayings to tell you someone died [from HIV-related illnesses]. [...] ‘Miss Honey got the package.’ ‘She got the kitty. Why the kitty? ’Cause the bitch kept scratching’.