Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US, also bump over) to murder; thus bump oneself off v., to commit suicide; thus bumped off adj., murdered; cit. 1918 refers to dying on the battlefield.

1907		W.M. Raine Bucky O’Connor (1910) 21: ‘Cheese it, or I’ll bump you off.’ The first outlaw drove his gun into the sheriff’s ribs.
1913		D. Runyon ‘In Old Juarez’ 1 Jan. [synd. col.] McGuire has bumped himself, they say?
1917		F. Packard Adventures of Jimmie Dale (1918) I viii: We was to bump him off, anyway, wasn’t we?
1918		letter in K.F. Cowing Dear Folks at Home (1919) 258: I have no idea of being ‘bumped off’ with money on my person.
1927		(con. 1910?) H. Asbury Gangs of N.Y. 263: ‘An’ why,’ demanded Kid Jigger, ‘do I give youse half my stuss graft?’ ‘Because,’ said Spanish, ‘if youse don’t I’ll bump youse off an’ take it all.’.
1930		E. Glyn Flirt and Flapper 95: Flirt: ‘Parker’ was asleep beside her [...] and at first she feared he had been bumped off .
1931		R.E. Howard ‘Alleys of Peril’ Fight Stories Jan. 🌐 They ain’t goin’ to be no murder done – not tonight. You can bump him later, if you want.
1937		A. Christie Dumb Witness (1949) 123: You’ll end by getting bumped off.
1938		Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 26 Feb. 3/3: Well, so many got bumped off and never squawked that the coppers got tired of pinchin’ the ‘rod-men’ concerned.
1945		R.L. Bellem ‘Poison Payoff’ Hollywood Detective Dec. 🌐 In brief, you bumped him while he was defending the sanctity of his home.
1948		C. Day Lewis Otterbury Incident 123: If you were a natural crook like Sharp you’d bump off your grandmother for 6d.
1953		K. Tennant Joyful Condemned 11: There’s a poor kid up at Grandma’s who just tried to bump herself off.
1962		P. Crump Burn, Killer, Burn! 41: Did de ole man go around bumpin’ off people wid bricks?
1976		C. Dexter Last Seen Wearing in Second Morse Omnibus (1994) 434: Ainley thought she was bumped off.
1989		C. Hiaasen Skin Tight 109: Garcìa was tempted to [...] ask the surgeon if it was true that he was trying to bump off Mick Stranahan.
1998		Guardian Guide 10–16 Oct. 17: Since he does not love his wife...he decides to bump her off.
2000		Indep. 29 Jan. 3: The first thing I thought was, I wonder if they have bumped him over.
2006		C. Carr Our Town 337: ‘What would have happened if you’d told the Klan the story?’ ‘I’d have been bumped off,’ Willie declared.
2010		L. Redhead Thrill City [ebook] There were any number of people who’d pay good money to have me bumped off.
2012		P. Abbott ‘Undetectable’ in C. Rhatigan and N. Bird (eds) Pulp Ink 2 [ebook] Rob the biggest bank in town, drive a luxury car out of the lot, bump off the people who deserve it.
2018		G. Disher Kill Shot [ebook] ‘I can’t think what else to do except draw him out somehow, like bump off my sister or something’.
2018		(con. 1963) L. Berney November Road 55: Carlos had bumped him for reasons entirely unrelated to the assassination.

2. to die.

1927		H.C. Witwer Classics in Sl. 5: A relative of mine, i.e., Uncle Angus, had bumped off at his country home on Amsterdam Avenue, New York, and left me his business.
1929		H.C. Witwer Yes Man’s Land 224: I got a rich uncle in Philly [...] and me bein’ his only relation I rate his elephant-chokin’ bankroll when he bumps.
1953		W. Brown Run, Chico, Run (1959) 16: Ya can’t take no chances. What if Shadu bumps off? Do we let the nabs take us sleepin’?

3. (also bump out) to dismiss, get rid of.

1914		E. Dyson Spats’ Fact’ry (1922) 38: Yer wastin’ time ’n’ affection on him, Sis [...] Bump him off.
1952		(con. 1943) G. Fowler Schnozzola 219: Durante was bumped off the plane in Salt Lake City to allow a sergeant to have his seat.
1957		J.D. MacDonald Price of Murder (1978) 103: They can bump you out of that job.
1968		G. Radano Walking the Beat 185: ‘He’s so sanctimonious! But that didn’t keep him from bumping our old skipper out of the precinct so he could get the job’ .
1977		in K. Gilbert Living Black 289: They can’t just bump you off for nothing anymore, see?
1980		J.L. Gwaltney Drylongso 20: He comes over here, bumps a black man off his job.
1999		Indep. Rev. 28 June 2: How long will it be before Jermy Paxman is bumped off Start the Week and Melvyn Bragg reinstated?

4. to wound.

1922

M.E. Smith Adventures of a Boomer Op. 83: I was bumped off temporarily at Soissons, recovered in time to go along with the bunch thru Belleau Wood.

5. (US Und.) to raid.

1928

Phila. Eve. Bulletin 5 Oct. 40/3: Here are a few more terms and definitions from the ‘Racket’ vocabulary: [...] ‘bump off,’ to kill, to raid.

6. (Aus.) to knock out, to defeat.

1933

C. Drew ‘Gorilla Grogan’ in Bulletin (Sydney) 26 July 40/2: [H]e’s got a local heavyweight under his pinion who has bumped off a few third-raters and is looked upon as a comer.