Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a small group, amount or collection.

c.1595		Shakespeare Love’s Labour’s Lost V ii: A holy parcel of the fairest dames.
1606		J. Day Ile of Guls II i: Twere a pretty parcell of pollicy.
1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle V i: A parcel of such stuff.
1632		R. Brome Covent-Garden Weeded III i: These are a parcel of those venomous weeds, / That ranklie pester this faire Garden-plot.
1678		Four for a Penny 2: We here present you, Gentlemen, with a parcel of Beasts of prey.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Bully-huff, a poor sorry Rogue that haunts Bawdy-houses, and pretends to get Money out of Gentlemen and others, Rattling and Swearing the Whore is his Wife, calling to his assistance a parcel of Hectors.
1707		Farquhar Beaux’ Strategem IV ii: But such a parcel of scoundrels are got about him now, that, egad, I was ashamed to be seen in their company.
1715		S. Centlivre Gotham Election I i: A Parcel of canting Rogues.
1721		Penkethman’s Jests 21: We bark like true Dogs, but you bark like a Parcel of Curs.
1733		Laugh and Be Fat 67: It was a hard case that her Cloaths, which were very Neat and Good, should be given to a Parcel of Gosspis.
1747		H. Simms Life of Henry Simms/Alias Young Gentleman Harry 20: I [...] was taken by a Parcel of Thief-takers, and conducted to Clerkenwell Bridewell.
1751		Smollett Peregrine Pickle (1964) 171: Then turning to Gam, threw him out at the window, among a parcel of hogs that fed under it.
1759		Low Life Above Stairs II v: They only bring Nobility into Disgrace [...] just as a Parcel of low-lived Wretches make the Manners of their Superiors appear ridiculous by an aukward Imitation of them.
1768		Proceedings Old Bailey 6 July 246/1: The noise was terrible, like a parcel of men working upon a ship’s bottom.
1775		in F. Moore Songs and Ballads of the Amer. Revolution (1855) 93: A parcel of noodles.
1788		G.A. Stevens Adventures of a Speculist I 219: We are a parcel of d---’d fly fellows.
1797		M. Leeson Memoirs (1995) III 229: A parcel of abandoned prostitutes.
1805		H.H. Brackenridge Modern Chivalry (1937) Pt II Vol. II Bk IV 546: By my showl, said he, I will be after bating de whole o’d you togeder. A parcel of spalpeens and bog-trotters.
1809		Horry & Weems Life of General F. Marion (1816) 75: ‘Here now,’ I said to myself, ‘is a parcel of people, meaning my poor father and his friends.’.
1812		Spirit of Irish Wit 226: [H]iring a parcel of strangers, who did not care a farthing about me.
1822		D. Carey Life in Paris 218: A parcel of macaroni Frenchmen.
1837		A. Greene Glance at N.Y. II v: I like a good fight, but not one with a parcel of foo-foos like them.
1848		‘Ruff Sam’s Bear Fight’ Spirit of the Times 4 Mar. (N.Y.) 14: Depend on it, thar was a parcel on ’em.
1850		F.E. Smedley Frank Fairlegh (1878) 255: Tell me a parcel of lies, most likely.
1856		M. Griffith Autobiog. of a Female Slave 246: Wal, I owed some men a parcel of money, gamblin’ debts.
1865		‘Times and Fashion’ in Bob Smith’s Clown Song and Joke Bk 3: With narrow-bottomed pants and short tailed coats, / And hair on their chins like a parcel of goats.
1879		G.R. Sims Dagonet Ballads 76: A silly young oaf to be fillin’ his head with a parcel o’ lies.
1884		(con. c.1840) ‘Mark Twain’ Huckleberry Finn 31: A whole parcel of Spanish merchants and rich A-rabs was going to camp in Cave Hollow.
1898		E. Pugh ‘The Inevitable Thing’ in Keating Working Class Stories of the 1890s (1971) 111: I’m a widder myself, but I don’t go boozin’ with a parcel o’ men.
1903		W.W. Jacobs ‘The Money Box’ in Monkey’s Paw (1962) 119: This comes o’ listening to a parcel o’ teetotallers.
1916		R. Service ‘The Black Dudeen’ in Rhymes of a Red Cross Man 140: A parcel o’ lead comes missing me head, / But it smashes me old dudeen.
1928		E.C.L. Adams ‘The Telephone Call’ in Nigger to Nigger 102: Dere been a passel er niggers in de store settin’ ’round on boxes.
1937		J. Curtis You’re in the Racket, Too 145: As if it were not bad enough to have the sanctity of one’s home upset by a rascally thief, without having it further invaded by a parcel of detectives.
1941		G. Casey ‘Short Shift Saturday’ in Mann Coast to Coast 212: There were parcels of ‘blueys’, rolled in towels, all over the place.
1956		R.T. Hopkins Banker Tells All 135: The gang opened several large safes and captured the largest ‘parcel’ of gold watches ever recorded in a burglary.
1966		R. Stone Hall of Mirrors (1987) 316: I just come up against a parcel of niggers you bastards let in.

2. a young woman.

1877		‘’Arry on His ’Oliday’ in Punch 13 Oct. 160/2: I looked sweet / On a tidy young parcel in pink as ’ung out in the very same street.
1889		‘’Arry in Switzerland’ in Punch 5 Dec. in P. Marks (2006) 97: He’d a mash at Charmooney — neat parcel, though in course not my style.

3. a substantial sum of money, esp. when won or lost in gambling.

1898		Binstead & Wells Pink ’Un and Pelican 191: They were to be sure and ‘have a fair old parcel on’.
1903		A. Binstead Pitcher in Paradise 223: The Plunger was off in the first flight [...] to go and lose another ‘parcel’ at some other diversion.
1910		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘A Derby Bet’ Sporting Times 28 May 1/2: If the gee ‘cops’ I can’t claim my parcel, if beaten the stake’s his.
1923		Wodehouse Inimitable Jeeves 114: If you haven’t dropped a parcel over the race [...] why are you looking so rattled?
2004		(con. 1990s) N. ‘Razor’ Smith A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun 446: We came to nick a right parcel.

4. (Ulster) a difficult, troublesome person; a term of abuse.

1943		M. Harrison Reported Safe Arrival 43: ‘Parcels!’ said Penny.
1967		R. Conot Rivers of Blood 53: [H]is grandmother, [...] told him he was a no-good parcel just like his father .
1997		Share Slanguage.

5. (Aus. tramp) a rolled blanket which contains one’s possessions.

1945

Baker Aus. Lang. 102: A drum, of course, is the equivalent of swag, bundle, curse, matilda, shiralee, parcel, turkey, donkey, national debt or bluey as the tramp’s rolled blanket is variously called.

6. (NZ prison) contraband.

1999

D. Looser ‘Boob Jargon’ in NZEJ 13 34: parcel n. Illegal contraband.

7. a bulk consignment of drugs.

2000

J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 11: Now I was shifting parcels.