Green’s Dictionary of Slang

to tell, to spread the news.

1861		W.R. Ray Four Years with the Iron Brigade [diary] 15 Oct. n.p.: Hurrah, it is noised about the Camp that the South wants to come to a settlement.
1905		H. Green Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 56: By noon of the next day it was noised about that Smathers and Du Barry were going to split because he licked her.
1913		A. Irvine My Lady of the Chimney Corner 119: It was noised abroad that he had been caught in the act of ‘skellyin’’ at her.
1923		N. Anderson Hobo 160: When a town has a railroad policeman who is ‘hard,’ the fact is soon noised about.
1928		M.C. Sharpe Chicago May (1929) 26: It soon got noised round that I was somewhat of a capitalist.
1949		J.H. Burns Lucifer with a Book 92: It was noised about that he couldn’t be tortured like most new instructors.
1951		M. Spillane Long Wait (1954) 86: It was supposed to be a hush-hush deal but it got noised around.
1965		(con. 1940s) Malcolm X Autobiog. (1968) 194: I started noising around that I was frantic to join . . . the Japanese Army.

(US black) to boast, to brag, to indulge in foolish talk.

1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 146/1: Noise off. To talk excessively, especially in a boastful or belligerent manner. ‘There’s that jerk (imbecile) noising off and bad-eyeing (glaring at) people again. Keep him out of here, or he’ll louse the joint up (give the place a bad reputation).’.
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.

to provoke, to anger.

1998		I. Welsh Filth 36: I see a completely wrecked auld cunt in faded but clean clothes noising up some students.
2008		J. Richmond Birds Call Me Seb 33: This has got to noise him up. Nope, he’s playing it cool, just cruisin.
2009		T. Black Gutted 43: You’ve got the filth rattled, you’ve noised up a judge’.
2019		A. Parks February’s Son 249: ‘Family want to know what’s going on. Think we’re just noising them up for the sake of it’.