Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) any group of individuals who are members of a given occupation.

1850		‘Epistle from Joe Muggins’s Dog’ in Era (London) 16 June 5/3: [of the horseracing fraternity] Well, I and ther rest of ther talent found ourselvs bowlin along ther South-Western line pretty early on Toosday mornin [Ibid.] 23 June 4/4: Well, I never seed more haristocracy and ‘talent’ down at Hampton. All ther reglar purfesshunals was in ther Ring.
1895		Mirror of Life 6 Apr. 6/1: The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race was not such a ‘cert.’ as the talent anticipated. One false move on the part of the Oxford crew, and where—oh where would the 6 to 1 on Oxford have been!
1904		C. Connors Bowery Life [ebook] Den he’d [...] he’d weigh up de bunch dat would be sleepin’ on de chairs, an’ he’d shake de chairs and wake de talent, you know, de nuckle-pushers.
1969		H. Rap Brown Die, Nigger Die! 76: He came up with the idea of an arts festival to get all the people together. So he got all the local talent from D.C. to participate.
1993		R. Firestone Swing, Swing, Swing 37: [T]hey decided [...] to look around for some good local talent they could break in on the Coast.

2. attractive young women, esp. those standing around at a party, in a club or dancehall etc.

1857		J.E. Ritchie Night Side of London 70: A few fast clerks and warehousemen, who confidentially inform each other that there is ‘no end of talent here.’.
1882		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 24 June 3/2: [A] lot of alleged ‘bloods,’ who have infested Tony Pastor’s [...] like impotent pups sniffing around the ‘talent’.
1905		A. Binstead Mop Fair 32: The soulless Waterloo Road agent, utterly unscrupulous when in search of fresh ‘talent.’.
1935		(con. 1920s) McArthur & Long No Mean City 36: Mary was ‘talent’ of more than ordinary charm.
1956		S. Selvon Lonely Londoners 123: A spade wouldn’t hit a spade when it have so much other talent on parade.
1966		B. Reckord Skyvers I ii: Well, I don’t go much for the young talent because it ain’t very well informed see?
1975		W. Trevor Angels at the Ritz 188: If Alice thought that Lenny and Albert weren’t chancing their arms with the local talent in Italy and Africa then Alice definitely had another think coming.
1985		S. Berkoff West in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 93: They don’t even like pulling talent / lest they disembark their energy they wish to save / for making love to violence.
1996		J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 37: [O]n Cup days there was always a stack of talent parading the lawns since they’d been lured there by complimentary passes.
1997		N. Barlay Curvy Lovebox 188: Fola’s [...] scannin’ for talent.
2001		K. Waterhouse Soho 25: Is it a drag joint, Dave? Because if it isn’t, there’s a lorrer talent round Donny haven’t half gotter five o’clock shadder problem.
2012		G. Pelecanos (con. 1972) What It Was 135: He often came over here when the sun was out to look at the talent.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 142: Zanuck’s got X number of young talent on his string.

3. (Aus.) a larrikin n. (1)

1880		Bulletin (Sydney) 30 Oct. 8/3: The Gunnedah ‘talent,’ when a show is in their town, subscribe amongst them sufficient money for the admission of one, and draw lots who is to go in. The winner has his duty to perform inside. It is to scratch the paint off the inside of the windows for the outside audience.
1881		N.Z. Observer (Auckland) 8 Jan. 163/2: Those of the ‘talent’ who had lost heavily all Saturday afternoon, more than made up for their deficits by backing Libeller.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. 8/2: The Forties, the worst types of ‘the talent’ who get up rows in a mob, [...] and sometimes assault and rob, either in barrooms or the streets.
1892		H. Lawson ‘The Grog-an’-Grumble Steeplechase’ in Roderick (1967–9) I 216: An’ the Holy Terror talent were the first upon the ground.
1908		Sun. Times (Perth) 20 Dec. 4/8: The talent who were boodled took a trip across the Bight.
1917		‘Banjo’ Paterson ‘Concerning a Dog-fight’ in Three Elephant Power 117: Now and then a van, laden with ten or eleven of ‘the talent’ [...] rolled softly along in the same direction.
1941		Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.
1999		G. Seal Lingo 40: The larrikins organised themselves in gangs called pushes, also termed the talent.

4. (orig. Aus.) a generic term for the criminal underworld.

1877		S. James Vagabond Papers (2nd Ser.) 128: Except that he risks no money, his modus operandi is much the same as the theory of book-making – in practice, the ‘talent’ may find themselves astray after a meeting. The tout takes so many horses which are likely to win, and gives their names as tips to so many different clients, with much secret and important information and instructions how to ‘get on.’.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. 10/1: Where’s all the talent, Betsy? Where’s our jokers? I haven’t had a drop of lush since they went out with Tiger Liz, and I must have some white satin, though I haven’t a posh about me. Tip us a peg. Where’s all the company, Betsy ? Where are our fancy men? I haven’t had a drop of drink since they went out with Tiger Liz, and I must have some gin, though I haven’t a piece of money about me. Give me a shilling.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 25 Feb. 3/8: The goal barber [...] keeps two razors, one for the ‘silver-tails’ or upper ten, and one for those who are [...] unrecognised by the talent.
1900–10		Stephens & O’Brien Materials for a Dict. of Aus. Sl. [unpub. ms.] 152: TALENT slang gamblers, spielers, confidence men, and the idle and disorderly class in general [...] Each locality has its ‘talent’ or ‘push’ of thieves, gamblers, or larrikins. The meaning of the word is in no way connected with ability.
1901		J. Flynt World of Graft 26: There are ‘mobs’ of pickpockets working from Chicago that cannot be beaten, but New York produces ‘talent’ equally skilled.
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 3 Apr. 4/5: Burglar Bill [...] entertained several of the talent at a beer beano the same evening, the function taking place in the Wife Beaters’ Arms.
1909		H. Lawson ‘Stickin’ to Bill’ in Roderick (1967–9) II 289: For the talent has sent round its thievish hat / [...] / For a quid or two just to see Sal through.
1917		‘Banjo’ Paterson ‘White-when-he’s-wanted’ in Three Elephant Power n.p.: As we knew also of many more who would ‘inform’ for a pound or two, we were sure that it could not have been local ‘talent’ that had taken him.
1927		D. Hammett ‘The Big Knockover’ Story Omnibus (1966) 283: They had moved around the town enough to see it was bubbling over with visiting talent.
1933		‘Paul Cain’ ‘One, Two, Three’ in Penzler Pulp Fiction (2006) 3: If they were a fair example of local talent I figured I had plenty of time.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 233: talent A clever crook.
1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 203: I don’t fancy having some of the talent round here putting the boot into me.
1958		C. Himes Real Cool Killers (1969) 49: Maybe we can import some talent to make the hit.

5. attractive young men.

1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 236: Your Yank friends seem to have infected the talent with their bad habits.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 194: talent young, attractive boys.
1992		K. Lette Llama Parlour 19: Abe ordered me out of the pool and come and talk to some ‘boize’. I could take my pick of the ‘talent.’.
2003		K. Cage Gayle 98/1: talent n. attractive men (There’s no talent here tonight.).

6. (US und.) a teenage girl destined for prostitution.

1957

D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam News 5 Oct. 11: Too many pimps [...] parading around school candy stores in search of new and young ‘talent’.

7. in police terms, a suspect.

1960		Wodehouse Jeeves in the Offing 52: If Wilbert bops him and he bops Wilbert, it won’t matter, he being outside talent.
1970		G.F. Newman Sir, You Bastard 54: Look in our file of local talent.