Green’s Dictionary of Slang

berry n.1

1. used as synon. for cherry n.1 (1)

[US]Gleaner (Manchester, NH) 29 Apr. n.p.: [On] your visit to Wilmington the berries were fit for pulucking [sic] but the berry you wished to pick with Miss C., was not the berry for thee .

2. (US) an easy opponent, anyone seen as ‘soft’.

[US]Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 2 Oct. 14/1: The New Yorks have been a berry for the tailenders this season.
[US]E.H. Babbitt ‘College Words and Phrases’ in DN II:i 22: berry, n. Anything easy or ‘soft’.
[US]S. Clapin New Dict. Americanisms.

3. (US) $1, usu. in pl.

[US]T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 17: I’m in again — I got another berry — I just put the bee on the stenog for an ace.
[[US]Lima (OH) News 5 June 6/3: Coins are called [...] ‘joy berries’].
[US]Dos Passos Manhattan Transfer 367: ‘How much did they get?’ ‘Oh about fifty berries.’.
[US]E.H. Lavine Third Degree (1931) 164: The latter [...] came back fifteen minutes later with three hundred berries.
[US]Bellyhoo [comic strip] ‘It’ll cost you five bucks to screw me.’ ‘Five berries! Yer nertz,’ said the youth.
[US]C.B. Davis Rebellion of Leo McGuire (1953) 106: It’s better to fence with a guy like Moe the Mouse and get three hundred berries.
[US]R. Gover One Hundred Dollar Misunderstanding 21: Yoo-hoo, pritty baby, you wanna lil french? [...] Twenty berries an you alla roun the mothahfuggin worl’.

4. (US) a ball.

[US]A. Baer Two and Three 16 Jan. [synd. col.] Doesn’t make any difference if you [...] wear a purple derby, provided that you can smack the berry.
[US]A. Baer Putting ’Em Over 24 Aug. [synd. col.] The boys are socking the Spalding berry right on the nose.

5. (US drugs) a capsule of a powdered drug, e.g. heroin.

[US]Chicago Trib. 11 Oct. 14/3: A package of drug wrapped in paper is called a ‘deck,’ a ‘check,’ or a ‘bundle.’ If it is in a capsule it is called a ‘berry,’ a ‘bean,’ or a ‘cap’ [DA].

6. (US) a person.

Dos Passos 1919 146: Another berry horned in ahead of him.

7. a £1 note.

F.A. Waterhouse Gun Running 46: ‘See that? We ain't agreeable. Better be wise guys and give us fifty berries each’.

8. (US Und.) an attractive woman.

[US]A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks 7/2: Berry, an attractive girl.

9. (US black) a woman’s nipple.

[US]C. Major Juba to Jive.

10. (US black) a police car [its red roof light].

[US]Ice Cube ‘It Was a Good Day’ 🎵 Didn’t even see a berry flashing those high beams / No helicopter looking for a murder.

11. see berries n. (2)