Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US prison) one who is confined to their cell, with some lossof privileges (e.g. no phone or external parcels); less severe than confinement in the punishment block.

2006		www.prisontalk.com 22 Feb. 🌐 Keep lock is confined to cube or cell. [...] If he has gotten to the point of keep lock he has surely lost the use of the phone. As far as time it can be as little as ten days or up to 30.
2010		L. Berney Gutshot Straight [ebook] He heard the squeak of rubber wheels. Tatum, rolling a meal cart for the keep-locks.

(W.I.) a kept woman.

1975

cited in Allsopp Dict. Carib. Eng. Usage (1996).

(US black) anyone who looks after the home, spec. a maid.

1983

R. Klein Jailhouse Jargon and Street Sl. [unpub. ms.].

(Aus.) an invitation to drink.

1918

Aussie (France) IX Dec. 19/2: The big Melbourne Show is in sight, and it’s going to be a ‘Dry’ Show. That means that the visitors can’t ask each other, ‘Can you stop one?’ or ‘Can you keep one down?’ or ‘What about it?’ or ‘Let’s kill a dog.’.

1. to make a noise or a disturbance.

1996

Allsopp Dict. Carib. Eng. Usage.

2. to quarrel loudly.

1996

Allsopp Dict. Carib. Eng. Usage.

to be restless, uneasy.

c.1698

B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.

to be hanged in chains.

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1812		Spirit of Irish Wit 32: It is ten to one if his cousin won’t keep an ironmonger’s shop on Wimbledon common yet.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

to boast, to boost one’s own achievements.

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Swannery. He keeps a swannery; i.e. all his geese are swans.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785].
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

(UK juv.) to keep a lookout.

1858		F.W. Farrar Eric II 105: Somebody must keep cavè.
1877		Era (London) 15 July 9/3: They have been none the worse for an occasional thrashing [...] invited to ‘keep cave’, and so on.
1880		Bulletin (Sydney) 1 May 2/4: Those who, in the language of our schoolboy days, were ‘keeping cave’.
1886		Aberdeen Eve. Exp. 12 July 4/1: He required Joseph Ryan to ‘keep cave’ while he gathered up the coin.
1899		Kipling ‘An Unsavoury Interlude’ in Complete Stalky & Co. (1987) 78: I vote we go down and explore. No one will come up this time o’ day. We needn’t keep cave.
1900		Boy’s Own Paper 22 Dec. 182: While Carter kept ‘cave,’ Bates stole forward towards the dining-room window.
1928		Dundee Courier 12 Mar. 9/3: I’ll keep cave here.
1932		Tamworth Herald 5 Nov. 6/5: You can keep ‘cave,’ thoigh I don’t think we’ll be disturbed.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak 85: Keep cavvy – to keep look-out. Current in South London.

see lie doggo under lie v.¹

(Aus.) to maintain one’s job despite the problems entailed.

1941

Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.

see ice v. (4c)

(UK Und.) to keep someone in suspense.

1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 250: To banter or jest with a man by amusing him with false assurances or professions, is also termed stringing him, or getting him in tow; to keep any body in suspense on any subject without coming to a decision, is called keeping him in tow, in a string, or in a tow-line. To cut the line, or the string, is to put an end to the suspense in which you have kept any one, by telling him the plain truth, coming to a final decision, &c.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue [as cit. 1812].
1849		Bell’s Life in Sydney 13 Oct. Sept. 3/3: Her daughter has kept me in a string for twelve months, and promised to marry me.
1903		J. Furphy Such is Life 38: You keep him on a string, Collins, while we coller as many of the carrion as we—.

see under ditch n.

to live a fashionable life; to prolong a debauch.

1773		O. Goldsmith She Stoops to Conquer Act V: The loud confident creature, that keeps it up with Mrs. Mantrap, and old Miss Biddy Buckskin, till three in the morning?
1775		‘Kiss and Keep it up’ Ladies Eve. Book of Pleasure 6: With joy I rove, / And take cheerful cup / Unknown to care. / My charming fair. / Kiss and keep it up, keep it up, I kiss and keep it up.
1775		Sheridan Rivals (1776) I i: Their regular hours stupefy me – not a fiddle nor a card after eleven! – However, Mr. Faulkland’s gentleman and I keep it up a little in private parties.
c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: To keep it up, to prolong a debauch. We kept it up finely last night, i.e. we staid very late & drank a great deal last night.
1788		G.A. Stevens Adventures of a Speculist II 70: I loved to keep it up.
1796		Sporting Mag. Dec. IX 164/1: Keep it up is the word, and I will while I can.
c.1800		‘A New Song’ in Holloway & Black (1975) I 193: I am going to sup / And there I suppose love, we shall keep it up.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1821		Egan Life in London (1869) 169: It was not to frequent places of fashionable resort, and to keep it up all night in drinking, swearing and singing.
1827		W. Clarke Every Night Book 34: ‘Keep it up’ is very frequently in the mouths of many of the young blades who go to Bartelmy.
1832		Egan Bk of Sports 4: He soon got rid of his patrimony in mixing with society, and ‘keeping it up’ as other swells of his acquaintance were wont to do.
1846		Bell’s Life in Sydney 14 Feb. 3/1: The boys assembled, seemed ‘determined to keep it up,’ and enjoyed themselves until a late, or, more properly speaking, an early hour.
1848		G.F. Ruxton Life in the Far West (1849) 70: Suffering from the usual consequences of having ‘kept it up’ beyond the usual point, paying the penalty in a fit of ‘horrors’.
1859		G.A. Sala Twice Round the Clock 359: The only capital that can equal London in the faculty of ‘keeping it up’ to any number of hours, is St. Petersburg.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 207/2: I’ve been keeping it up all night, and I was dying of a burnt-up throat.
1878		‘’Arry on ’Igh Life’ in Punch 20 July 24: Jest wouldn’t I go in a buster, and keep it up mornin’ and night.
1900		Bulletin (Sydney) 7 Apr. 31/3: I must save myself at all costs. Damn that poker-party last night! How the devil is a fellow to distinguish one ‘schtinker’ from another when he’s been keeping it up all night?

see under nick v.³

see under ass n.

see tighten (up) one’s game under tighten (up) v.

see separate entry.

to maintain one’s skills (in a job).

1728		J. Dalton Narrative of Street-Robberies 12: They seldom went upon these Exploits, only now and then to keep Rawlins’s Hand in.
1850		F.E. Smedley Frank Fairlegh (1878) 78: I got knocking the balls about with little Slipsey here, just to keep one’s hand in, you know.

(US black) to stop, to calm down.

1949

L. Hughes Tambourines to Glory II i: All right, keep your hips on your shoulders, old chick. I’ve had enough yap-yapping.

(orig. US black) to persist in one’s efforts.

1914		Bulletin (Sydney) 13 Aug. 36/1: If the second race favorite also goes down increase your stake for the third race, and ‘keep on keeping on’ till a favorite rolls home, when all losses will be recouped and a handsome profit made.
1978		R. Charles Brother Ray 275: As long as I can stand it, God, I’ll keep on keeping on.
2002		‘Touré’ Portable Promised Land (ms.) 158: We Words (My Favorite Things) [...] Keep it real. Keep hope alive. Keep keepin on. Down by law.
2005		W.D. Myers Autobiog. of My Dead Brother 57: So I see you keepin’ on,’ Rise said.
2008		W.D. Myers Sunrise Over Fallujah 212: ‘[J]ust shakes your head and keep on keeping on’.
2012		W.D. Myers Cruisers: A Star is Born 86: Mom and me had stayed in Harlem and kept on keeping on.

(orig. Aus.) to avoid trouble.

[1905		Bulletin (Sydney) 9 Nov. 14/3: Bill Jim, the country lout, in Sydney, has been the source of endless amusement, but unless he is the known father of an ass he knows enough to come in and have a wet, as well as to keep out of it].
1911		R. Marsh Twin Sisters 245: I’ve done a bit of following in my time and I know enough to keep out of the rain.
1924		G.H. Lawson Dict. of Aus. Words And Terms 🌐 RAIN, TO KEEP OUT OF THE—To avoid danger.
1939		A. Bessie Men in Battle 199: These’ll [i.e. condoms] keep you out of the rain.
1955		N. Pulliam I Travelled a Lonely Land (1957) 235/1: keep out of the rain – keep out of trouble.

(Scot.) to keep a lookout.

1998		I. Welsh Filth 126: Gus decides to nick into Crawford’s while I keep shoatie.
2015		I. Welsh Decent Ride 380: She’s chuggin away, n ah’m half ootside the blinds, keepin shoatie.

see give six under six! excl.

(orig. US black) stay loyal, don’t desert us.

1971		E.E. Landy Underground Dict. (1972).
1972		D. Claerbaut Black Jargon in White America 70: keep the faith interj. be loyal; remain true.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 76: Keep the faith. You always say that, Barker.

see ha’penny n.

(Aus.) to keep a lookout, esp. in a criminal context.

1898		Bendigo Advertiser (Vic.) 8 Jan. 5/5: Atkinson suggested that the apples were ‘grigging,’ and if Betts would go into the garden he would keep ‘Yow.’ He went in alone and got the fruit.
1904		Temora Star (NSW) 9 Mar. 2/6: A witness [...] said of the accused, ‘He said to me, you keep yow.’ ‘When, it is translated into English, what does it mean,’ asked counsel, in a puzzled tone. ‘Why, keeping “nit” of course’.
1912		Standard (Port Melbourne, Vic.) 20 Jan. 2/8: He never went into the reserve. [...] He did not remain outside to keep ‘yow’.
1918		Geelong Advertiser (Vic.) 4 June 2/6: In every case there is a professional scout to keep ‘yow’: he [...] takes his position on a commanding height and sweeps the surrounding country with field glasses.
1930		Werribee Shire Banner (Vic.) 6 Feb. 4/3: ‘I’m going to walk over to Comben's store and I want you to keep yow’ [...] ‘Did you tell him that you were going to do O’Toole’s shop and asked him to keep yow for you and your mates while you did it?’ ‘No, I did not’.
1942		West Australian (Perth) 18 July 3/1: Service Slang [...] Air [...] to keep yow — To act as an observer.

see under keep one’s hair on v.