Green’s Dictionary of Slang

George n.3

[note RAF jargon George, a familiar form of address to any stranger; (1920s+) air crew jargon George, the automatic pilot in milit. and civil aircraft; N.Z. WWII milit. George, an Egyptian; note Rowse, Doughboy Dope from A to Z (1918) 25: ‘The mysterious George, who did the things you didn’t do yourself on the outside, doesn’t seem to have enlisted in this man’s army’]

1. (Aus./ N.Z.) a generic term for a Maori, thus any ‘native’.

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[R.A. Cruise Journal of Ten Months’ Residence in N.Z. 9 Apr. (1957) 77: He was accompanied by a person to whom the whalers had given the name of King George].
[UK]C. Sommers Temporary Crusaders 27 May 🌐 The proprietor of the officers’ bathing box met his Waterloo [...] An Australian became more than a little annoyed with him and threatened to slay him. This was enough for George [i.e. an Egyptian], who fled incontinently seawards.
A.F. Jackson Passage to Tobruk 95: George, the driver (all natives being christened George), pulled on the reins [DNZE].
J.H. Henderson Down from Marble Mountain 260: Everyone, soldier and Egyptian alike, is known as ‘George’, probably because our emperor is King George the Fifth or Sixth [DNZE].

2. (US) a generic term for a black man.

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[US]K. McGaffey Sorrows of a Show Girl Ch. xvi: Bartenders are called George just like Chinamen are called John? What are you trying to bale out to me?
[US]Van Loan ‘The Mexican Marvel’ in Lucky Seventh (2004) 194: All negro waiters answering to ‘George,’ jist as all German waiters recognise ‘Emile,’ and all French waiters ‘Alphonse.’.
[US]O.O. McIntyre New York Day By Day 22 June [synd. col.] He approached the Negro waiter in the dining room. ‘George [...] who is the head niggah around this here establishment’ .
[US]J. Callahan Man’s Grim Justice 74: The big boogie grunted [...] ‘Here, George,’ Eddie stuck an apple in his mouth. ‘Take a bite out of that and keep quiet.’.
[US]C. Himes ‘A Penny for Your Thoughts’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 61: Private Crabtree turned to the colored soldier and asked gratingly, ‘Whuss yo’ name, George?’.
[US]Mad mag. Aug.–Sept. 7: [used to a white man] You’re looking real, George.
[US]I.L. Allen Lang. of Ethnic Conflict 47: Given Personal Names: george.

3. (Can./US) a generic name for an otherwise nameless black Pullman porter.

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[US]M.E. Smith Adventures of a Boomer Op. 40: I guess by this time, we had about all the passengers in the car awake [...] when George shakes the curtain. ‘Skuse me boss, but is dar anything I kin do?’.

4. (US black) a boyfriend.

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[US]G. Pelecanos Drama City 119: A big man beside her [...] That would be Sherelle’s new George.
[US]G. Pelecanos (con. 1972) What It Was 181: Is Antoine your George?

In phrases

let George do it

(US) let someone else do the work or take the responsibility.

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[US]Dly Capital Jrnl (Salem, OR) 23 Aug. 1/4: His clincher is: ‘the democrats got in the self-same fix,’ and ‘let George do it’.
Bookman May 293/2: George McManus is holding something in store for those who liked ‘The Newlyweds,’ and his later creation ‘Let George Do It.’ What’s going to happen when Lovey asks papa to hold Snookums and that hitherto devoted parent says ‘Let George do it’ [DA].
[US]Tacoma Times (WA) 10 May 1/5: ‘Let George do it,’ say the directors among themselves.
[US]O.O. McIntyre White Light Nights 201: To the profession he stands as a ready response to the ‘quick touch.’ ‘Let George do it’ was coined for him.
[US]C. Ryan ‘From “Quoz” to “Razzberries”’ in AS II:2 92: ‘Tell it to Sweeney’ went the rounds until supplanted by ‘Let George Do It’.
[US]Chicago Trib. 10 Oct. 8/1: Producers have a way of saying ‘Let George do it’ whenever a particularly difficult villain role turns up [DA].
[US]Mad mag. Mar. 46: One of the most pressing problems [...] today is the universal desire to ‘goof off’, ‘to let George do it’.