Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to hit over the head.

[1746		P. Lock Exmoor Scolding (3rd edn) 6: Chell trim the, chell crown tha, chell vump tha [OED]].
1866		Wild Boys of London I 36/2: We seed a swell in a white hat, and neither on us crowned him.
1911		G. Bronson-Howard Enemy to Society 149: Gee! I wanted to crown him with a cuspidor.
1913		H.A. Franck Zone Policeman 88 68: If you’d butt in on one o’ them Martinique booze festivals they’d crown you with a bottle.
1919		K.H. Day Camion Cartoons [caption in letter] 🌐 If you don’t dry up you’re going to get crowned.
1929		J. Lait Broadway Melody 110: If I tell Hank about it she’ll crown me.
1936		J. Curtis Gilt Kid 65: If the waiter tried to charge him for the whole bottle he would find himself getting crowned — and a bit sharpish.
1941		A. Gurney Bluey & Curley 14 Aug. [synd. cartoon strip] Flying or swimming? Whoopeeing — got crowned with a bottle.
1944		A. Marshall These Are My People (1957) 70: Then Walk-the-lead crowned him with a beaut.
1951		Cusack & James Come in Spinner (1960) 279: I’ll crown him if he doesn’t hurry up.
1968		S. Gore Holy Smoke 82: Don’t go shoving your beak around the door while all the stoush is on, or some clown’s bound to crown you with a brick.
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 75: Nex’ thang I knew, I got crowned.
1997		Simon & Burns Corner (1998) 29: In nursery school, he had words with a little girl and ended up crowning her with a chair.

2. (Aus. campus) to empty a chamberpot over a victim’s head.

1984

Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 273/2: C.20.

3. to hit a ball.

1915

R. Lardner ‘Harmony’ in Coll. Short Stories (1941) 189: Do you get paid every first and fifteenth for singin’ or for crownin’ that old pill?

4. to defeat, to knock out.

1929

R.E. Howard ‘Pit of the Serpent’ Fight Stories July 🌐 The fact that you was lucky enough to crown me don’t alter my admiration and affection.