Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. drunk; thus crockhead n., a drunk.

1917		in C.H. Burton Letters 270: I fancy he is ‘crocked.’ [HDAS].
1927		in New Republic 9 Mar. 71: Crocked loaded leaping screeching [...] soused.
1934		‘Maxwell Grant’ ‘Murder Marsh’ in The Shadow Oct. 1 🌐 ‘Crocked,’ was the bell hop’s statement. ‘Wanted to bust a pitcher over my head because I disturbed him.’.
1947		(con. 1944) J.H. Burns Gallery (1948) 51: I would drink white wine so cold and bitter [...] that I stumbled out from my breakfast more than a little crocked.
1957		Kerouac On The Road (1972) 75: He was crocked. He wasn’t even shaved.
1966		‘Tom Pendleton’ Iron Orchard (1967) 114: You ol’ crock-head.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 209: The rollers finally got crocked.
1975		L. Rosten Dear ‘Herm’ 98: His top people having such a hot time and getting so crocked they don’t know Business vs. Pleasure.
1982		M. Braun Judas Tree (1983) 93: The rubbery-legged gait of a man crocked to the gills.
1991		P. Cornwell Body of Evidence (1992) 367: What better time than when you’re half crocked and getting out of your car on a dark driveway in the middle of nowhere?
2005		J. Stahl I, Fatty 176: She’d get crocked and rip her clothes off every other week.

2. (also crocked up, crucked) hurt, damaged, disabled, esp. through a sporting accident.

1843		Gleaner (Manchester, NH) 2 Dec. n.p.: Tha great sandy-haired, wall-eyed, crocked legged, plupper-choped, cat-headed, gander-gutted puke .
1911		J. Masefield Everlasting Mercy 11: And when he hit he winced with pain. / I thought, ‘Your sprained thumb’s crocked again.’.
1918		E. Hemingway letter 13 Dec. in Baker Sel. Letters (1981) 20: Bill, this is some girl and I thank God I got crucked so I met her.
1928		(con. WWI) H.F. Cruikshank ‘So This Is Flanders!’ Battle Stories July 🌐 I’m afraid I’m deucedly crocked up, ol’ man.
1930		K.S. Prichard Haxby’s Circus 233: She couldn’t live for ever, I suppose. And it’s better this way than if she’d just died of old age – crocked-up and had to be shot perhaps.
1934		Rover 13 Jan. 48: My left leg’s crocked, an’ I’ve got a bullet in my shoulder.
1947		D. Davin For the Rest of Our Lives 165: He got crocked up early on in the offensive.
1968		G. Slatter Pagan Game (1969) 27: I don’t like seeing my boys crocked when it isn’t necessary.

3. malfunctioning, going wrong.

1919		J. Buchan Mr Standfast (1930) 660: ‘I think your rotten old compass has soured on us,’ I replied [...] I looked at the compass carefully and saw that it was really crocked.
1975		L. Rosten Dear ‘Herm’ 239: I may be going off half-crocked to ask you a thing like this, pal.
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 28: Retain all the best lawyers and barristers just in case it all goes crocked.

4. corrupt.

2009

T. Black Gutted 196: You’re both law and as crocked as all fuck.