drift, v.¹ — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

drift v.¹

[the overtone is of moving slowly and aimlessly, although the imper. dispenses with it]

(orig. US)

1. to leave, to depart; esp. as imper. drift! go away!

1854		T. Rhand Guttle and Gulpit 15: Come, Tom, let’s be drifting.
1907		W.M. Raine Bucky O’Connor (1910) 18: ‘Drift, you red-haired son of a Mexican!’ ordered the man behind the red bandana.
c.1910		H.E. Lee ‘Tough Luck’ Variety Stage Eng. Plays 🌐 Well den, I’ll drift.
1931		O. Strange Law O’ The Lariat 104: ‘Seen any more o’ that chunky chap who got hisself put to sleep?’ ‘No, he’s drifted, I reckon.’.
1945		R.L. Bellem ‘Coffin for a Coward’ in Hollywood Detective Dec. 🌐 Then he added: ‘If you get hungry in an hour or so you’ll probably find a snack in the refrigerator.’ And he drifted.
1946		D. Stivens Courtship of Uncle Henry 71: I drifted out with the blonde but didn’t do much good for myself because she had a date for that night.
1955		E. Hunter Blackboard Jungle 59: Okay for us to drift now, chief?
1964		N.B. Harvey Any Old Dollars, Mister? 127: C’mon, cutie, let’s drift.
1972		D. Claerbaut Black Jargon in White America 63: drift v. to leave; go away.
1973		Eble Campus Sl. Mar. 1: drift on down – to go somewhere. Let’s drift on down to Hardee’s for a burger.

2. to arrive.

1909		Van Loan ‘The Low Brow’ in Big League (2004) 17: Biff began to be a patron of the arts; that is to say, he drifted into a theatre once in a while.
1920		‘Sapper’ Bulldog Drummond 253: Drift in again with the lads, the instant I ring the bell.
1935		J. Conroy World to Win 56: Maybe some o’ me old buddies ’ll be driftin’ this way one o’ these days.
1957		H. Simmons Corner Boy 97: Guys started drifting in.
1979		(con. late 19C) J.T. Edson Gentle Giant 66: I’ll drift by Ma Pinker’s.

on the drift

1. (Aus.) in a bad financial situation, lacking funds.

1926		Wingham Chron. (NSW) 22 Oct. 4/6: Murwillumbah Hospital is on the drift. Nearly £1000 will be required to meet running and other expenses up till the end of the year. Only £358 is in hand, and not much prospect of getting more.
1926		Dly News (Perth) 22 Oct. 1/2: Mr. Stevens said that the appellant was the Ideal Public Servant [...] For some considerable time, however, he had been ‘on the drift.’ It was hardly fair as the appellant was highly competent.

2. (Aus.) travelling as a tramp.

1928		Cumberland Argus (NSW) 21 Feb. 5/3: [headline] ‘On The Drift’ / Hard to Get Work / Gaol For His own Sake. ‘He said he had been out of work for three months,’ said the constable, ‘and that he had had no food since the day before. Sergeant Williamson: he appears to be on the drift.
1933		Dubbo Liberal (NSW) 4 May 1/6: [headline] On The Drift / Uncle Sam in Queer Street.
1955		N. Pulliam I Travelled a Lonely Land (1957) 236/2: on the drift – tramping around the country.