spring, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

spring n.

1. an escape or release from prison; thus make a spring v., to escape, to cause to be released.

1900		Flynt & Walton Powers That Prey 64: We only had to make one spring, an’ that didn’t cost us over six hundred.
1911		D. Runyon ‘The Informal Execution of Soupbone Pew’ in From First to Last (1954) 68: Honey Grove laid a plan for a big spring—a get-away—while they were up yonder. It looked like it would go through, too.
1940		W.R. Burnett High Sierra in Four Novels (1984) 392: Another wad for coppers and turnkeys. All we can get our mitts on for a spring if we need it.
1957		W.R. Burnett Underdog 26: ‘I’d like to have ten per cent of what he’s charging Dan for the spring’.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1903		H. Hapgood Autobiog. of a Thief 38: The capital of a grafter is called ‘spring-money,’ for he may have to use it at any time in paying the lawyer who gets him off in case of an arrest, or in bribing the policeman.
1959		E. De Roo Young Wolves 121: I oughta save this for the spring-lawyer to get Pop outa hock.

SE in slang uses

In compounds

springbutt (n.) [butt n.¹ (1a)]

(US) a keen, eager person.

2002

State.com 2 Oct. 🌐 Lindsey Graham’s friends say he was always ambitious, but never a ‘springbutt.’ That was what he and his law school buddies called the students who practically sprang out of their seats to answer the professor’s question [etc.].

spring cleaning (n.)

(US Und.) cleaning up, hiding or getting rid of evidence.

1999

Observer Screen 1 Aug. 6: Spring cleaning: cleaning up, hiding or getting rid of evidence.

spring-sides (n.)

(Aus.) elastic-sided boots.

1941

Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.

In phrases

signs of spring (n.)

(Aus.) cases of indecent exposure.

c.1943

S.J. Baker Aus. Vulgarisms [t/s] 13: signs of spring: An outbreak of cases of indecent exposure, which the police say are especially prevalent in spring.

spring ankle warehouse (n.) [SE spring, i.e. sprain an ankle + warehouse; once confined in such a place, the inmates are unable to run off]

a prison (cf. ankle spring warehouse under ankle n.).

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Spring-ankle warehouse. Newgate, or any other gaol (Irish).
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1839		(con. 1715) W.H. Ainsworth Jack Sheppard (1917) 162: He’s now in spring-ankle warehouse with Sir Rowland Trenchard.