Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to beat up; to assault; thus downer, a knock-down or knock-out blow.

1838		Paul Pry 30 Sept. 181/4: [headline] Championship of England Disputed / And a Downer for Deaf Burke.
1842		Egan ‘The Bould Yeoman’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 137: But said he I will not down you, if you will but disburse / Your rowdy with me, yeoman – I’m content to whack your purse!
1869		J. Greenwood Seven Curses of London 190: He’ll ‘down’ you with a ‘one’r’ [...] if Mother H — only gives him the wink.
1874		W.E. Henley unpublished ballad: Then I downs my bleeding Judy, And puts a new head on her [F&H].
1887		G. Devol Forty Years a Gambler 52: I downed him, and was just getting ready to go to work, when the police rushed in.
1895		J. Greenwood Behind A Bus 105: I found his hand in my pocket where my money was. And then I ‘downed’ him with my stick.
1905		Marvel III:58 17: I thought as it ‘ud be a-hangin’ job when I had to down old Malham with my jemmy.
1917		‘A-No. 1’ From Coast to Coast with Jack London 105: And who are you that you dared to down our ‘Bad Bill,’ as we locally know him best?
1920		Marvel 10 July 15: ‘Hold him!’ roared the Spider, beside himself with fury. ‘Down him!’.
1935		J. Conroy World to Win 213: A policeman fell, downed by a brick.
1938		X. Herbert Capricornia (1939) 374: Then someone yelled, ‘Foul! — Barsted knee’d him!’ Babble of voices. ‘Down him!’.
1943		W. Guthrie Bound for Glory (1969) 140: Downed ’im three times!
1961		‘Frank Richards’ Billy Bunter at Butlins 34: He wouldn’t blame a fellow for chipping in to help a man who was downed by a footpad.
1977		E. Bunker Animal Factory 66: Ponchie’s boys are gonna down somebody.
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 105: The endgame is literally to ground your opponent [...] So you attempt to deck, drop, down, or dust him with all due speed.
1989		P. Munro Sl. U. 73: Did you see the shiner on Sam? His girlfriend must have downed him again.

2. to defeat.

1883		Daily Trib. (Bismarck, ND) 5 Sept. 11/5: Holy smoke, you ought to see me down Phil Sheridan on ‘draw’ [...] he can’t play draw a little bit.
1894		Coburg Leader (Vic.) 15 Dec. 2/5: If the Lyndhurst had ‘downed’ the East, in one innings as anticipated there would have been plenty of ‘smokes’ on the job.
1897		A.H. Lewis Wolfville 15: Never let no kyard-thief down you.
1904		Sun. Times (Perth) 3 Jan. 2/6: As it was, he downed a smart customer in the Carbine colt, Carabine, in the Viceroy Cup.
1905		Sporting Times 1 Apr. 1/5: [He had] been previously reproached for downing his men too quickly.
1912		Bulletin (Sydney) 18 July 15/1: Dozens of white women [...] vainly endeavor to establish themselves in the wash industry, and are downed because the very people who fight for White Australia with their mouths fight against it with their pockets.
1919		J. Buchan Mr Standfast (1930) 573: You won’t get any heroics about war from me. I’m all for peace, but we’ve got to down those devils first.
1935		H.L. Davis Honey in Horn 231: I could [...] pick a fight with him. Maybe if I jump on him I could down him, and then I’d be rid of him for good.
1939		(con. 1880–90s) S. O’Casey I Knock at the Door 74: They were watching their chance for years, and Kitty O’Shea is only an excuse for downing him.
1941		K. Tennant Battlers 11: ‘It’s men,’ she said. ‘Everywhere you go they’re runnin’ things. Tryin’ to down you.’.
1966		J. Holledge Great Aust. Gamble 18: Corteen [...] collected £30,000 when it downed Nigger Minstrel and Spearfelt after almost going off the course at the start.
1972		N. Heard To Reach a Dream n.p.: scorn the can / learn flimflam / down the man / never be a Sam.

3. to shoot dead.

1897		A.H. Lewis Wolfville 55: This yere second Mexican is downed on the run-in.
1907		G. Manington Soldier of the Legion 219: Lieutenant Bennet [...] picked up a rifle and ‘downed’ several of our eager pursuers.
1911		E.J. Brady Tom Pagdin Pirate 183: ‘He won’t never get within three yards of you! [...] I’ll down him the first step he takes!’.
1926		Z. Grey Fighting Caravans (1992) 89: I guess I’ve downed my first redskin.
1934		O. Strange Sudden 9: If he downs Pug this yer town won’t go inta mournin’.
1997		E. Little Another Day in Paradise 237: I don’t work with niggers. We came here to down some. Not work with one of the motherfuckers.

4. (US black) to have sexual intercourse.

1967

E. Liebow Tally’s Corner 144: ‘I’m going to the dance tonight [...] I’m going to down at least four women in the next twenty-four hours’ .