Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und., also shop up) to imprison; often as past participle, shopped, imprisoned, shopping, imprisonment.

1583		T. Stocker Civ. Warres Lowe C. IV. 52b: [They] onely shopped vp some of the Catholikes within their owne house [OED].
1678		A Scourge for Poor Robin 6: At last he is shopp’d in a Prison.
1678		Four for a Penny 8: Confound us, why do we wait? let’s Shop him.
1684		The tongue combatants 4: [I]f he Dances long after your Pipe hee’l be Shopt in a Prison.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Shopt c. imprison’d.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 304: Those true bred hounds would never drop ’em, / Till they had seen his worship shop ’em.
1781		G. Parker View of Society II 188: Take care of yourself, or they will shop you.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795).
1797		Bridges Burlesque Homer (4th edn) II 51: [as cit. 1772].
1802		Sporting Mag. Nov. XXI 103/2: We guess they got flung there, / And are shopp’d in a barn with Arthur O’Plunger.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1832		Cork Constitution 12 July 1/4: The noble and learned lordf said he had better do so, or he would be ‘shopped,’ or sent to prison.
1833		London Eve. Standard 12 Dec. 4/3: He had [...] been arested [...] and in his own language ‘shopped’ in Whitecross-street Prison; but since the ‘shopping,’ the creditor had become hostile.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1843		R.S. Surtees Handley Cross (1854) 531: Consols were at ninety-two and a quarter when they shopped me.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 131/2: Shopped, imprisoned.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1866		Wild Boys of London I 7/1: ‘They collars Jack, and shops him.’ ‘Shops him?’ ‘Yes—in the station-house.’.
1879		H. Hartigan Stray Leaves (2nd ser.) 307: ‘What did they do?’ asked the colonel. ‘Milled me, sir, said Waller. [...] ‘Shopped me, sir,’ said Waller.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 145: I hope we shan’t, any of us, be shopped again for a while.
1895		Mirror of Life 27 July 14/2: The mob, in fact, was copped. / They found that they were buckled, / In other words were shopped .
1902		Truth (Sydney) 28 Dec. 8/3: A fine young feller shopped like that, / ’Twas pityful to see.
1915		Bulletin (Sydney) 11 Dec. 29/4: We want the man who forged the superintendent’s name. Own up, and nothing can happen to you. Stand out, and we shop the three of you as sure as death.
1938		G. Kersh Night and the City 176: If you gets lumbered it means a shopping.

2. to inform on and thus cause to be imprisoned, or in trouble; to denounce.

1832		Satirist (London) 5 Aug. 250/4: ‘Blessed if I don't give it your son, Kinnersley, for that ’ere shopping’.
1841		J. Mills Old Eng. Gentleman (1847) 217: If you’re not off in a twinklin’, I’ll have you shopped, my painted tit.
1866		J. Greenwood Little Ragamuffin 343: Never take up with a fresh hand till you’ve shopped your scarecrow.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 267: Why shouldn’t they shop them when they’re going shearing?
1893		K. Mackay Out Back 136: ‘Fool,’ laughed the bushranger scornfully, ‘if I’m found here, you’ve shopped yourself.’.
1909		Proc. Old Bailey 7 Dec. 242: I said, ‘I am a police officer, and am going to arrest you for [...] possessing a quantity of counterfeit coins.’ He said, ‘All right, I have been shopped’.
1919		Marvel 1 Mar. 2: He didn’t shop us [...] by blowing the whole gaff.
1923		Kipling ‘A Madonna of the Trenches’ in Debits and Credits (1926) 256: You can shop me for a lunatic to-morrow, but I saw it.
1930		Eve. Herald (Dublin) 9 Dec. 4/6: The grasshopper’s facility for ‘shopping’.
1935		Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 6: Lolly popped (or shopped): Give away [ibid.] 10: Shopped: Give away to the police.
1939		V. Davis Gentlemen of the Broad Arrows 86: None of us will ‘shop’ the screw.
1953		B. Behan Scarperer (1966) 62: I know who gave yous the bend, but if he shopped me I can double-shop him.
1956		J. Curtis Look Long Upon a Monkey 67: If they split up now, one by one they’d start shopping one another.
1960		C. MacInnes ‘The Other Man’ in England, Half Eng. 141: If the prostitute were to ‘shop’ her ponce he might very well carve her up.
1972		P. Fordham Inside the Und. 86: He is not above ‘shopping’ pals on occasion.
1984		B. Ellem Doing Time 196: shop: to inform on or betray someone.
1989		T. Blacker Fixx 68: So Collin it was he shopped, and was told to pack his bags.
1992		G. Disher Paydirt [ebook] You’d have to be a real bastard to shop him.
1999		Guardian G2 16 July 7: She’s bloody shopped me! Shopped me to the Inland Revenue!!
2001		D. Looser Boobslang [U. Canterbury D.Phil. thesis] 166/1: shop v. to inform (upon).
2007		M. Rowson Stuff 39: Collaborators and creeps who’d shop their parents for thought crimes.
2016		D. Whish-Wilson Old Scores [ebook] The real estate agent must have shopped him.