Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. the penis.

1934		H. Miller Tropic of Cancer (1963) 24: A cunt who can play as she does ought to have better sense than to be tripped up by every guy with a big putz who happens to come along.
1941		in G. Legman Limerick (1953) 247: He went nuts—cut off his putz, / And then bit off his balls.
1958		(con. 1950) E. Frankel Band of Brothers 122: Smuck, puhtz, momser, shtup . . . I keep learnin’, Mel, I’ll be talkin’ Jewish right good.
1971		E.E. Landy Underground Dict. (1972).
1979		W. Styron Sophie’s Choice (1980) 438: ‘In parts of the upper south they call it a dong or a tool. Or a peter.’ ‘I’ve heard Nathan call it his dork. Also his putz.’.
1981		J. Wambaugh Glitter Dome (1982) 164: My God! [...] Your putz! it’s nearly three inches in diameter!
2002		J. Franzen Corrections 287: Your Jews with their circumcised putzes and gefilte fish like pickled turds.

2. (also putsy) an idiot, a fool, a simpleton.

1934		H. Roth Call It Sleep (1977) 411: ‘He’s a poet, dis guy!’ ‘A putz!’.
1952		(con. 1910s) ‘Harry Grey’ Hoods (1953) 6: What else can you expect from a putsy like Cockeye?
1953		‘William Lee’ Junkie (1966) 148: This guy had putz written all over him.
1967		L. Bruce Essential Lenny Bruce 44: The Jews take it [i.e. schmuck] humorously, make a colloquialism out of a literal word – and some putz who doesn’t understand what we’re talking about busts you for obscenity. [Ibid.] 46: Ah, putzo, shut up!
1970		T. Southern Blue Movie (1974) 139: What do you think, I’m a potz?
1978		R. Price Ladies’ Man (1985) 186: It was the Five Satins but I wasn’t going to be the putz to yell it out.
1984		W. Diehl Hooligans (2003) 14: The mackerel-snapping, redheaded putz.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 364: You see me naked, you’re supposed to tell me, you putz!
2005		K. Huff A Steady Rain I iii: And even though I knew Denny was out dicking around, putz that I am, I always covered for him.
2009		J. Stahl Pain Killers 5: A heavily jowled old man [...] spat an inch from my knee. ‘Putz!’.
2023		(con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 27: Liz Taylor rates Shrew of the Year to Eddie [Fisher]’s Passive Putz.

3. attrib. use of sense 2.

1986

C. Stroud Close Pursuit (1988) 52: One of his shooters-in-training is mising, a pendejo, a putz kid, by the name of Porfirio Magdalena Ruiz.