case, adj. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

case adj.

[? SE suitcase, i.e. where the money (or other item) is stored in reserve ; ? abbr. SE just in case; ? case n.⁴ (1)]

(US) usu. of money, the last available; spare.

1905		H. Green Actors’ Boarding House (1906) 46: After that he might have had their bank roll to the case dollar.
1905		F. Hutchison Philosophy of Johnny the Gent 54: ‘[T]hat was his case suit o’ clothes he had on an he ain’t there wit’ the price to fetch a fresh one’.
1908		B. Fisher A. Mutt in Blackbeard Compilation (1977) 33: I gotta bet the case 2 bucks today. [Ibid.] 119: Here goes the case nickel.
1915		T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 24: (I[ndoor] S[ports]: Trying to dig a dime out of your pocket with thick gloves on) I’ll bet it’s the case dime too.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 44: case dollar One’s last dollar.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 41/1: Case, a. Last; only remaining; last of its kind... ‘That’s my case pack of butts; kick back (return them).’.
1959		A. Anderson ‘Comrade’ in Lover Man 139: If I went out on a detail you could bet your case ace he’d [i.e. a dog] be there too, watchin’ me work.
1968		K. Brasselle Cannibals 151: They’d share a buck with you and never let on it was the ‘case ace’.
2000		P. Beatty Tuff 180: You got case quarters for a dollar?

In compounds

case dough (n.) (also case money, case note) [dough n. (1)]

1. (US prison/gambling) limited money, one’s last available funds.

1908		K. McGaffey Sorrows of a Show Girl Ch. xvii: He gives me a twenty case note and the card.
1936		San Quentin Bulletin in L.A. Times 6 May 7: CASE DOUGH, a limited amount of money.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 41/1: Case dough. All of, or part of, the limit of one’s money; bare expenses. [Ibid.] 41/2: Case note. A dollar bill; one’s last dollar.
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.
1968		‘Hy Lit’ Hy Lit’s Unbelievable Dict. of Hip Words 47: case money – Down to the last dollar of your own.
1991		(con. 1920s) O.D. Brooks Legs 110: A guy with the shorts can never get well taking an even break for his case dough.

2. money for use in a confidence trick.

1931

C.S. Montanye ‘Tight Spot’ in Complete Stories 15 Sept. 🌐 From it he selected two thousand dollars in large bills [...] ‘There’s case-dough to keep up your front.’.