Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US) to criticize severely, to denigrate.

1871		J. Hay ‘Little Breeches’ Pike County Ballads 13: I don’t go much on religion [...] I don’t pan out on the prophets And free-will, and that sort of thing – But I b’lieve in God and the angels.
1908		B. Fisher A. Mutt in Blackbeard Compilation (1977) 35: Judge Finished who was severely panned by Attorney Beany for liberating Mutt on the trifling bail of $200.
1915		T.A. Dorgan Indoor Sports 3 Jan. [synd. cartoon] I’m in awful bad with Daisy. Gee I treat her like a queen but she pans me day an’ night.
1922		S. Lewis Babbitt (1974) 83: I guess you’ll quit listening to the guys that pan and roast and kick and beef.
1935		J. Conroy World to Win 274: Now Danny’ll think I’m bawling because he panned my book.
1944		in W.C. Fields By Himself (1974) 441: The critics panned the Hell out of the last two pictures I have been in.
1953		G. Marx letter 21 Aug. in Groucho Letters (1967) 75: Jack O’Brien panned the hell out of it.
1966		Took & Feldman ‘Bona Books’ Round the Horne 20 Mar. [BBC radio] Our film Motor Cycle Au Pair Boy got panned by the critics.
1973		D. Goines Street Players 148: If you want to get your kicks panning me...
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak.
1999		Guardian Guide 3–9 July 9: It was roundly panned.
2000		Indep. Rev. 20 May 9: HoneyMoon has been widely panned.

2. to hit in the face.

1959		I. & P. Opie Lore and Lang. of Schoolchildren (1977) 218: If a person does something which doesn’t please us we cry ‘scrag him’ or ‘pan him’.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak 110: Pan [...] 3. to strike.
2002		L. Kwesi Johnson ‘Tings an Times’ in Mi Revalueshanary Fren 78: Wid him han pan him jaw.

3. to smash, to break.

2020

G. Armstrong Young Team 4: The wee windae panes above ir aw dirty n a good few ir panned in.