Login

Green’s Dictionary of Slang

hold it! excl.

also hold everything! hold it right there!

[the subject is supposed to freeze in position. Partridge suggests orig. painters’ jargon]

stop what you’re doing! be quiet! etc.

[1839		Operative 31 Mar. 11/3: ‘Hold!’ interposed Thomas, ’ he can do no more mischief’].
1927		D. Hammett ‘$106,000 Blood Money’ Story Omnibus (1966) 350: ‘Hold it, everybody,’ I ordered.
1933		R. Chandler ‘Blackmailers Don’t Shoot’ in Red Wind (1946) 85: Macdonald made a motion, said: ‘Hold it . . .’.
1937		P. Cheyney Dames Don’t Care (1960) 8: Hold everything, here she is.
1948		C. Day Lewis Otterbury Incident 171: ‘Hold it, you!’ he snarled at them.
1957		R. Prather Always Leave ’Em Dying 44: Hold it, Hunt. Listen to me a minute.
1959		A. Zugsmith Beat Generation 137: ‘Hold it!’ Stan yelled.
1967		P. Thomas Down These Mean Streets (1970) 32: Hold it, kid. We ain’t gonna hurt ya.
1970		T. Southern Blue Movie (1974) 191: ‘Now hold it, hold it,’ Sid protested stoutly.
[1974		D. Jenkins Dead Solid Perfect 28: A Hold It is some kind of a strong lady strolling around with an impressive body and a look of merriment in her eyes. When you see a Hold It on the tour [. . .] you tend to turn quietly to the guy you're paired with and say: ‘Uh, hold it. Hard left. Behind the front bunker’].
1981		J. Ellroy Brown’s Requiem 107: Hold it right there, motherfucker.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 221: Whoah! Hold it! I don’t have that information.

In exclamations

hold it down!

be quiet! calm down!

1947		D.W. Hamilton ‘Pacific War Lang.’ in AS XXII:1 Feb. 55: hold it down. Keep it quiet, not so loud.
1968		T. Wolfe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1969) 113: Above all, keep quiet, for God’s sake, hold it down, whisper, moan, mumble, meditate.
1978		J. Webb Fields of Fire (1980) 165: Now, hold it down, OK, Burgie? No noise, man.
1987		S.F. Examiner 15 Feb. 35/3: ‘Hey, hold it down, will ya, I’m tryna cop some Zs!’.
1995		Francis-Jackson Official Dancehall Dict. 24: (H)ol’ it dung avoid getting excited; play it cool: u. big man, hol’ it dung, nuh.
1997		‘Q’ Deadmeat 86: old it down, bro.
2002		‘Touré’ Portable Promised Land (ms.) 158: We Words (My Favorite Things) [...] Caught out there. Hate me now. Hold it down. Show and prove.
2023		Rayman & Blau Riker’s 183: You keep your mouth shut. You get busted? You got to hold that down, homey.