Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to indicate surreptitiously by a wink or similar gesture.

1760		‘Come All You Buffers Gay’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 53: Let your pal that follows behind, / Tip your bulk pretty soon.
1821		Egan Life in London (1869) 222: One of the coffee-shop party is tipping a Charley to buff it strong against Tom and Jerry.
1832		in Egan Bk of Sports 146: My moll oft’ tips the knowing dive / When sea-crabs gang the stroll.

2. to give information, esp. secret, privileged, ‘inside’ information; to warn.

1886–96		Marshall ‘Beautiful Dreamer’ in Pomes 65: The sharps tipped The Lump, and left Pip in the lurch [F&H].
1890		Sporting Times 15 Feb. 1/2: He’ll get it, won’t he? Yes, just as soon as ever I tip the winners of all the spring handicaps.
1903		A. Adams Log of a Cowboy 248: He might get funny and tip the old man.
1908		A.N. Lyons Arthur’s 182: Tip us your moniker.
1916		J. Lait ‘Charlie the Wolf’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 45: ‘Who tipped you?’ asked Kelly of Kiernan. ‘Oh, an old stool of mine,’ said Kiernan to Kelly.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 405: Had the winner today till I tipped him a dead cert.
1931		M. Harris ‘Facing the Mob’ in Gangland Stories Feb. 🌐 One day I hears a stoolie tipping the bulls where Jimmy’s gang had their hangout.
1939		R. Chandler ‘Pearls Are a Nuisance’ in Spanish Blood (1946) 115: This guy will tip the bulls.
1940		D. Maurer Big Con 264: He gives the roper the office to tip the mark that he [...] has one pair in his hand.
1949		A. Hynd We Are the Public Enemies 19: The Dayton cops were tipped.
1956		H. Ellison ‘Johnny Slice’s Stoolie’ in Deadly Streets (1983) 81: Someone was tipping the cops to who was pulling the jobs.
1967		(con. 1951) McAleer & Dickson Unit Pride (1981) 22: Coggins tipped us the answers and we got the best scores of anyone.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 37: He never tipped my name to the heat.
1972		G.V. Higgins Friends of Eddie Coyle 58: Haven’t you guys got somebody in there that can tip you?
1982		G.V. Higgins Patriot Game (1985) 65: Somebody who does recognize the boys must’ve tipped us to the witness.
1990		(con. early 1950s) J. Ellroy L.A. Confidential 317: Nobody knew he tipped the Gaitsville Sheriff’s to the Englekling connection to the Nite Owl.
2003		G. Pelecanos Soul Circus 311: It would be an anonymous call. I’d tip him that his brother got done by Horace McKinley.
2018		(con. 1963) L. Berney November Road 227: ‘Who tipped you?’ Barone couldn’t figure it. Only Stan Contini knew he was at the Hacienda.
2021		T. Pluck Boy from County Hell 280: [T]hat old con Okie Kincaid tipped Desmarteaux to their scam.
2023		D. Whish-Wilson I Am Already Dead 195: ‘Someone’s [...] tipped the targets to what’s going on’.

3. (US Und.) to introduce.

1904		‘Number 1500’ Life In Sing Sing 263: We said that plant and trimmed it nice. But that buster you tipped me to, was a raw one.
1992		R.G. Barrett White Shoes 4: Everything was moving along splendidly [...] Until Warren tipped him into Annie.

4. (Aus.) to plan.

1918

C.J. Dennis ‘Half A Man’ in Chisholm (1951) 104: The drarmer isn’t goin’ as I tipped. / I corfs, an’ makes another shot at it.

5. (Aus.) to guess, to recognize.

1914		C.J. Dennis ‘The Play’ in Bulletin (Sydney) 16 July 47/1: I tips ’e was a cunnin’ sort, wot knoo / A thing or two.
1918		C.J. Dennis ‘Half A Man’ in Chisholm (1951) 104: I tips, some’ow, that girl won’t ’esitate.
1948		S.L. Elliott Rusty Bugles II ii: You wait. I’m tippin’ Hitler will use gas.
1977		(con. 1941) R. Beilby Gunner 301: I tipped who you was soon as I sighted ya.
1986		R.G. Barrett Godson 11: ‘I tipped you’d go to the War Memorial’.

6. (US black) to gain knowledge of, to understand.

1952		W.R. Burnett Little Men, Big World 44: ‘You know what I’m talking about. You’ve tipped it half a dozen times in the last year or so.’ ‘Tipped it?’ ‘Yeah, in your conversation. You know all right.’.
a.1962		‘Duriella du Fontaine’ in D. Wepman et al. Life (1976) 46: No cop could tip, ’cause we were too hip: / We painted a picture of wealth.
1989		Kirk & Madsen After The Ball 281: Well – didn’t this tip you to the fact that you were gay?