tackle, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

tackle v.

1. lit. or fig., to grip, to lay hold of.

1858		Chicago Trib. 14 Aug. 2/5: One of the gentry tackled Governor Powell — determined to make a convert [i.e. to Mormonism].
1883		J. Greenwood Odd People in Odd Places 165: The love o’ liquor had got that tight hold of me [...] I’d give up trying to break away from it [...] ever since my wife died, and she could never break away from it when she once got tackled fast to it.
1901		J. Flynt World of Graft 95: One day I turned up in the city after doin’ a job out in the country, an’ one o’ the percentage coppers recognized me in Broadway an’ tackled me for some dough.
1917		‘A-No. 1’ From Coast to Coast with Jack London 46: ‘Tackled a drummer who treated you to a hotel course-dinner which took an hour to finish?’ I came back, believing I had struck a straight clew as commercial travelers were about the best fellows going.

2. to attack.

1917

‘A-No. 1’ From Coast to Coast with Jack London 114: Using our pocket knives each of us tackled one of the shiners.

3. to take in hand, to deal with.

1861		A. Smith Medical Student 47: He then takes a pinch of snuff, winks at the other pupils as much as to say, ‘See me tackle him, now.’.
1871		H.B. Stowe Sam Lawson’s Oldtown Fireside Stories (1881) 168: They was resolute, strong, hard-workin’ wimmen. They could all tackle a hoss, or load and fire a gun.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 369: Like everything he tackled [he] had been squaring it all for our getting away with head and hand.
1899		Ade Fables in Sl. (1902) 146: I can’t tackle that Outfit to-day [...] It’s too big a Job.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 239: – Eternal punishment, Haines said, nodding curtly. I see. I tackled him this morning on belief.
1924		G.H. Lawson Dict. of Aus. Words And Terms 🌐 TACKLE — To fight.
1950		Sheffield Dly Teleg. 19 June 2/3: We in Britan have proved that full employment is perfectly possible — if you tackle the job right.
1965		Birmingham Dly Post 4 Nov. 26/7: The redundancy payments plan was an attempt to tackle one of the real evils of industrial life.

4. to enter into a discussion with, to approach or question some subject.

1848		G.W.M. Reynolds Mysteries of London II (2nd Ser.) 30: I paid you to tackle that there smeaking-looking chap over there, and not to ke-vestion me.
1858		N.Y. Times 9 Aug. n.p.: The people are no ways backward about discussing the subject of Mormonism... One of the gentry tackled Governor Powell the other day, determined to make a convert [F&H].
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1874		‘A.P.’ [Arthur Pember] Mysteries and Miseries 42: I caught sight of a very charitable-looking gentleman [...] I at once tackled him, and succeeded so well in working on his feelings as to draw from him five cents.
1887		‘’Arry at the Sea-Side’ in Punch 10 Sept. 111/1: If a feller would tackle a feminine fair up to Dick, he ’as got to be dabs at the cackle.
1890		Sporting Times 29 Mar. 1/4: Charley Head and a punter [...] who tackled him on a Bank Holiday.
1900		Boy’s Own Paper 17 Nov. 99: I tackled Cobb Major about writing to Aunt Grace; but he said he’d never even dreamt of doing such a thing.
1902		Bulletin (Sydney) 13 Dec. 20/2: Thought I’d ask f’r a job next likely place I come to. It was a farm [...] ’n I tackled th’ boss.
a.1966		‘The Skewbald Black’ in G. Logsdon Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing (1995) 120: I thought one spring, just for fun, / I’d see how cowpunching was done, / So just as the roundup had begun / I tackled the cattle king.

5. to grapple with, to attempt to deal with.

1843		Major Jones’s Courtship (1872) 51: It tuck a feller mighty wide between the eyes to tackle that tree, for it was a whopper.
1891		G.R. Sims ‘Pickpocket Poems’ Dagonet Ditties 93: Well, you tackled a scorcher; / That elderly gent was Jem Mace.
1917		‘A-No. 1’ From Coast to Coast with Jack London 101: Wasn’t you ever afraid to tackle a hobo, sir?
1920		‘Sapper’ Bulldog Drummond 19: No man could tackle that little bunch alone.

6. to fall upon (food), to eat.

1884		‘Mark Twain’ Huckleberry Finn 313: So the king sneaked into the wigwam, and took to his bottle for comfort; and before long the duke tackled his bottle.
1894		C.W. Gardner Doctor and the Devil 47: We had ‘tackled’ a lunch of oysters and pie.
1910		Bulletin (Sydney) 11 Aug. 43/2: Bill’s friends liked yabbies, he said, and as a host he was going to give ’em a yabby salad such as they’d never tackled before. [Ibid.] 29 Sept. 10/1: A salmi of pheasant / He tried, was so pleasant / He tackled another big plateful!

7. (W.I.) to get to know someone with the specific aim of initiating an affair.

1996

8. see tack v.