Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a butcher.

1824		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 26 Sept. 4/3: [T]hey never give the Whitechapel stickers a chance to have the grin against them in trotting their thorough-bred cattle over the stones.
1889–90		Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.

2. a pointed, stabbing weapon, e.g. a knife, rather than one that is used to slash.

1848		‘Ned Buntline’ Mysteries and Miseries of N.Y. V 64: You shouldn’t ha’ drawed your sticker on me. If you’d hit me with your fist like a man I’d sarved you out with the same tools [...] but when you drawed your weapon, I was bound to haul out mine.
1852		N.Y. Pick (NY) 21 Feb. n.p.: ‘That’s a sticker,’ as the boy said to the toad when he stuck him with his jack-knife.
1899		C. Rook Hooligan Nights 61: I out wiv my sticker in a mo an’ [...] slashed the string froo.
1910		D. Stewart Devil of Dartmoor in Illus. Police News 12 Nov. 12/2: ‘I ’ve dropped poor old Grummet’s sticker, but I’ve got as good a one here’.
1926		(con. 1918) L. Nason Chevrons 230: I thought my sticker was in him for the rest of the war.
1934		O. Strange Sudden 49: Don’t yu know his sort allus carries a sticker?
1940		O. Strange Sudden Takes the Trail 48: If you’d put that sticker in his dirty neck it would ’a’ saved a lot o’ trouble.
1947		Sydney Morn. Herald 7 Feb. 7/6: If the old laddie hadn’t come up with his sticker, it would have been us, and no error.
1950		‘Hal Ellson’ Tomboy (1952) 34: Angel flipped the knife to Jiggs, saying, ‘Look at the size of that sticker’.
1960		E. De Roo Big Rumble 147: ‘Got your sticker?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘Got your heater?’ ‘Yeah,’ Larry lied.
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 10: One guy tried to hit me with a Keep Off The Grass sign, which he pulled out the ground while he was running from my sticker.
1995		J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 163: ‘What you doin’ carrying a knife anyway?’ ‘Everyone carries a sticker Mum.’.
2002		J. Cameron Hell on Hoe Street 24: Give a shafting with a sticker, give a whacking with a rice flail.

3. (US tramp) a scarf pin.

1927		‘Jargon of the Und.’ in DN V 464: sticker, A scarf pin.
1931		Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 183: sticker.– [...] A scarf pin.
1962		Ragen & Finston World’s Toughest Prison 820: sticker – A knife; a scarf pin.

4. the penis.

1966		Trimble 5000 Adult Sex Words and Phrases.
1970		in P.R. Runkel Law Unto Themselves 53: My sticker is always hard as soon as she gets in the car with me.

5. a narcotics addict.

1960

P. Rabe My Lovely Executioner (2006) 126: Once in with the reefers there’s no problem finding the stickers among them.

6. (US drugs) one who helps a heroin addict find a vein in which to inject.

2003

W.D. Myers Beast 121: A young boy, I figured he was a sticker, was examining the arm of an older man.

7. (Aus. und.) one who uses a knife.

2006

B. Matthews Intractable [ebook] I spoke with the stabber [...] apart from his reputation as a sticker, this man was notorious for pulling the biggest bank job in US history.