lean on v.
1. (orig. US, also lean) to beat up, to strike.
TAD Lex. (1993) 113: I have a mind to go up and lean one on his chin. | in Zwilling||
(con. 1910s) Studs Lonigan (1936) 137: If anybody ever leaned on Kenny the whole gang would pile on him, and send him to the hospital. | Young Lonigan in||
Deadly Streets (1983) 182: You come near me again, so help me I’ll have them lean on you real good! | ‘Made in Heaven’ in||
Murder Me for Nickels (2004) 57: ‘You got a goon’s point of view [...] A guy leans on you and you lean back.’ ‘Harder.’. | ||
Third Ear n.p.: lean on v. to strike; to hit; to beat up; e.g. Leave me alone before I lean on you. |
2. (orig. US) to pressurize, to persuade, poss. with violence or threats of violence.
Hand-made Fables 277: Father was beginning to lean on him. | ||
Thrilling Detective Dec. 🌐 They knew her. They had wanted to lean on her ear. What for? | ‘Publicity for the Corpse’ in||
On the Waterfront (1964) 241: I figgered they was only goin’ to lean on him a little. | ||
Chips with Everything II vi: Don’t lean on me, Andrew – I’ve got problems. | ||
Gonif 77: The cops leaned on him and he sang so loud you could have heard him back to Elmira. | ||
Brown’s Requiem 91: I drove to the Pico and Robertson area and leaned on Larry Willis. | ||
(con. early 1950s) L.A. Confidential 125: I want to lean on Jones next. | ||
(con. 1964-65) Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 135: ‘I worked on me own and ’e kept leanin’ on me to join up’. | ||
Skinny Dip 176: The detective pleaded for a few more days to lean on Ricca. | ||
‘Lady Madeline’s Dive’ in ThugLit Sept./Oct. [ebook] [H]e had Quinn pick up Joey and lean on him until he cracked. | ||
Killing Pool 195: What we asked you to do for us was, as ever, beyond the call of duty [...] We’ve leant on you and leant on you and now you’ve snapped. | ||
Bloody January 29: ‘[G]et some fucking answers this time [...] Lean on the cunt’. | ||
Blacktop Wasteland 130: ‘I know you good people [...] But them boys gonna lean on you hard’. | ||
Orphan Road 40: [A] couple of bent cops were going to lean on Dad for the diamonds and [...] kill him if he didn’t come over. |
3. to depend on.
Chicago May (1929) 171: He was not the kind to lean on a woman. When there was work or danger, him for the front line trenches. | ||
Jeeves in the Offing 66: Augustus is a broken reed to lean on in the matter of catching mice. | ||
Animal Factory 182 : I ain’t leanin’ on nobody. I carry my own weight. |
4. (US black) to disparage or ridicule.
Gonif 165: I went downstairs [...] praying this bastard wouldn’t keep leaning on us. | ||
Runnin’ Down Some Lines 95: Some of the terms used to characterize verbal confrontation – [...] to cut someone, to lean on someone – are the same terms used to describe physical assault. |