Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK Und.) money.

1688		T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia III i: I have ready, rhino, cole, darby.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Darby c. ready Money.
c.1712		R. Estcourt Prunella 4: Come, nimbly lay down Darby [...] don’t be tardy: For Marshalsea’s the place Where you shall end your Race.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: darby ready Money; as, The Cull tipp’d us the Darby; The Fellow gave us all his ready Money.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. 1725].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1812–82		B.M. Carew Life and Adventures.
1821		R. Waln Hermit in America on Visit to Phila. 2nd series 26: Down with the darbies—down with the dust—rouse out your gelt—out with your goldfinches.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 24: darby Cash. ‘Fork over the darby,’ hand over the cash.
1862		E. de la Bédollière Londres et les Anglais 313/2: darby, [...] argent comptant.
1914		J. McCree ‘Types’ Variety Stage Eng. Plays 🌐 I’ve copped the family darby.
1928		J. Callahan Man’s Grim Justice 127: Kate’ll be tickled to death when I git back with all this darby (money).
1936		Nottingham Eve. Post 9 Oct. 5/4: Some synonyms for money are simply fanciful [...] Why ’darby,’ or ‘mopusses’ or ‘stumpy,’ or a hundred others?
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.

2. (UK Und., also darbey) a haul of stolen goods.

1863		‘Thiefs Intercepted Letter’ in J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era (1909) 104/1: Ben – You ought to be in London on the 10th of this month. The Prince of Wales will be married [...] and all the ‘lads’ expect to make a good ‘darbey’ (good haul, or robbery). Old Bill Clark expects about 24 red rags (gold watches), and old Tom and Joe expect twice as many.
1904		Salt Lake Herald (UT) 19 Oct. 5/1: Derby — a good haul.

3. see darby kelly n.