Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US, also lean) to beat up, to strike.

1911		T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 113: I have a mind to go up and lean one on his chin.
1932		(con. 1910s) J.T. Farrell Young Lonigan in Studs Lonigan (1936) 137: If anybody ever leaned on Kenny the whole gang would pile on him, and send him to the hospital.
1956		H. Ellison ‘Made in Heaven’ in Deadly Streets (1983) 182: You come near me again, so help me I’ll have them lean on you real good!
1960		P. Rabe Murder Me for Nickels (2004) 57: ‘You got a goon’s point of view [...] A guy leans on you and you lean back.’ ‘Harder.’.
1971		H.E. Roberts 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.

1920		Ade Hand-made Fables 277: Father was beginning to lean on him.
1944		C.S. Montanye ‘Publicity for the Corpse’ in Thrilling Detective Dec. 🌐 They knew her. They had wanted to lean on her ear. What for?
1955		B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 241: I figgered they was only goin’ to lean on him a little.
1962		A. Wesker Chips with Everything II vi: Don’t lean on me, Andrew – I’ve got problems.
1970		‘Red’ Rudensky Gonif 77: The cops leaned on him and he sang so loud you could have heard him back to Elmira.
1981		J. Ellroy Brown’s Requiem 91: I drove to the Pico and Robertson area and leaned on Larry Willis.
1990		(con. early 1950s) J. Ellroy L.A. Confidential 125: I want to lean on Jones next.
1996		(con. 1964-65) B. Thorpe Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 135: ‘I worked on me own and ’e kept leanin’ on me to join up’.
2004		C. Hiaasen Skinny Dip 176: The detective pleaded for a few more days to lean on Ricca.
2012		T.P. McCauley ‘Lady Madeline’s Dive’ in ThugLit Sept./Oct. [ebook] [H]e had Quinn pick up Joey and lean on him until he cracked.
2013		K. Sampson 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.
2020		S.A. Crosby Blacktop Wasteland 130: ‘I know you good people [...] But them boys gonna lean on you hard’.
2023		A. Nette 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.

1928		M.C. Sharpe 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.
1960		Wodehouse Jeeves in the Offing 66: Augustus is a broken reed to lean on in the matter of catching mice.
1977		E. Bunker Animal Factory 182 : I ain’t leanin’ on nobody. I carry my own weight.

4. (US black) to disparage or ridicule.

1970		‘Red’ Rudensky Gonif 165: I went downstairs [...] praying this bastard wouldn’t keep leaning on us.
1980		E. Folb 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.