Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (gambling) in dice games, to bet against the player holding the dice; or, in poker, to match the previous bet; thus fader n., the person who covers the bet; fading money a store of cash held by the house to cover bets if necessary.

1890		DN I 61: To fade [...] to bet against the player shooting.
1897		N.Y. Tribune 12 Dec. 13/4: After examining the dice the first player tosses a coin on the ground. ‘Fade me, miggah,’ he exclaims. Another player ‘fades’ him by covering the money.
1898		‘Game of Craps’ in Current Lit. XIII:6 558/2: The person who covers a thrower’s money is a ‘fader.’.
1912		Van Loan ‘Little Sunset’ in Ten-Thousand-Dollar Arm 74: As crap-shooters they were more to be feared than ‘faded’.
1920		H. Wiley Wildcat 28: An’ I six-aces fo’ my home is high! Fade me, niggers, fade me.
1921		Truth (Brisbane) 13 Nov. 9/3: One large nigger [...] calls out, ‘Fade me, niggers, fade me!’.
1939		R. Chandler ‘Pearls Are a Nuisance’ in Spanish Blood (1946) 106: ‘I will wage you a full quart of Old Plantation’ [...] ‘I’ll fade you.’.
1947		B. Schulberg Harder They Fall (1971) 49: He never faded in a crap game unless the percentage was with him.
1955		B. Appel Tough Guy [ebook] [A] wallet thick with the fading money for this night’s crap game.
1957		H. Simmons Corner Boy 13: The sweaty little man in overalls didn’t want to fade the square.
1968		N. Heard Howard Street 119: ‘Who got it?’ he asked around the table. Bill Grumsley was the first to fade him.
1972		(con. 1950s) D. Goines Whoreson 105: He tried to get faded for a hundred and twenty dollars.
1986		H. Selby Jr Song of the Silent Snow (1988) 11: Everytime he threw another pass he’d roar and yell shoot, come on ya bastads, fade me. I’m hot.
2002		Simon & Burns ‘The Target’ Wire ep. 1 [TV script] He fade a few shooters. Played out till the pot's deep.
2004		‘Animated Dominoes, Dice’ at Old and Sold 🌐 Some crap-shooting terms fade but a few have proved durable: Fade: cover the bet of the thrower.
2006		Burns & Corthron ‘Know Your Place’ Wire ser. 4 ep. 9 [TV script] I ain’t going to rob you. I just need to know about the next time you fade a dice game.

2. (US) to put at a disadvantage, to cause problems for someone; esp. in phr. don’t fade me; thus have someone faded, to have someone at a disadvantage.

1897		Ade Pink Marsh (1963) 135: Befo’ I sprung ’at wheel game, Gawge Lippincott had me done easy—had me faded.
1902		C.L. Cullen More Ex-Tank Tales 118: I had one of the principal contractors sufficiently faded to extract from him a promise of work.
1909		Daily Trib. (Bismarck, ND) 5 Aug. 8/6: Why, my boss has all the slang artists in this town faded to a whisper.
1912		S. Ford Trying Out Torchy 52: She’s got any of these Sixth-ave. brunettes faded when it comes to looks’.
1953		E. Wilson Look Who’s Abroad Now 22: Wilbur Clark, operator of the Desert Inn, [...] says Las Vegas has them all faded.
1967		J. Breslin World of Jimmy Breslin (1968) 21: Lew King said, ‘Hey, Breslin, this bum is fading you.’.
1994		UGK ‘Three Sixteens’ 🎵 Kinda craaazy, never letting niggas fade me / I’m a little fast on the trigga.
1996		S. Frank Get Shorty [film script] Don’t fade on me now, Bear. Not unless you wanna hold Farrah on your lap in a room fulla felons.

3. fig. use of sense 1, to respond, to counter.

1921		H.C. Witwer Leather Pushers 43: Do you fade me?
1935		Z.N. Hurston Mules and Men (1995) 66: He looked me over shrewdly. ‘Ah see dat las’ crap you shot, Miss, and Ah fade yuh.’.

4. (US Und.) to hold up with a gun.

1929		in N.Y. Times 22 Aug. 25: ‘A cannon fades a mark.’ A gunman holds up a citizen [HDAS].
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).

5. (US) to put up with, to manage something, to handle a situation.

1968		in B. Jackson In the Life (1972) 289: But, he said, he just couldn’t fade it (handle it), looking at that head.
1969		B. Jackson Thief’s Primer 69: ‘If the Rangers get you, they’re going to get a confession.’ [...] ‘I can fade ’em.’ [...] ‘You want to stay here and fade the beef.’.