Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (Aus.) to buy up the best sections of land, thus making the adjoining territory worthless [the speculator ‘picks out the eyes’ of the land].

1894		W. Epps Land Systems of Australasia 28: When the immediate advent of selectors to a run became probable, the lessees endeavoured to circumvent them by dummying all the positions which offered the best means of blocking the selectors from getting to water. This system, commonly known as ‘peacocking’ [etc.].
1894		Truth (Sydney) 10 June 2/6: We don’t want any more ‘gridironing’ or ‘peacocking’ of the land.
1919		Farmer & Settler (Sydney) 3 Jan. 3/5: PEACOCKED RESERVE CURTAILING THE WARREN TEMPORARY COMMON UNDULY. PREFERENCE TO AN INSPECTOR. Strong dissatisfaction has been expressed [...] at the Land board granting an application for a special lease of part of the Warren temporary common.

2. (Aus.) to outwit.

1941

Baker Popular Dict. Aus. Sl.

3. to pay morning calls.

1883

Graphic 17 Mar. 286, 3: Another curious custom of Indian hospitality which extended to a late period [...] was that of inviting visitors, or ‘callers,’ to take beer at eleven o’clock in the forenoon [...] The quantity of bottled ale which a gentleman of the period out peacocking, as it was called, could put inside him [etc.] [F&H].

4. (orig. Anglo-Ind.) to promenade up and down in one’s best clothes [the bird’s characteristic display].

[1817		M. Edgeworth Love and Law I ii: Who’s rapping at the street? – Carver of Bob’s Fort himself, in all his glory this fair-day. See then how he struts and swells. Did ever a man, but a pacock, look so fond of himself with less rason].
1861		Hills & Plains I 225: ‘Women are all devilish well, [...] but as for “sammying” and “peacocking” about them from morning till night, thinking you are doing the devil and all, when they are laughing at you the whole time — oh, no, none for me, thank you’.
1868		Out of the Meshes 200: A fop in London, a fop in Timbuctoo, and a fop in Nawaubgunge have different fashions, and our young friend had got-up in the most approved summer costume of the latter city, for a motive that may hereafter appear. ‘Been peacocking, young man? Eh!’ began the Major. ‘I have been making a visit or two, Major,’ said Mr Simpkin.
1872		Tennyson Gareth and Lynette n.p.: Peacocked up with Lancelot’s noticing [F&H].
1884		Civil & Milit. Gaz. (Lahore) 21 Mar. 2/3: [A]n Akhali [...] mounted on the seediest of country leafs, gravely ‘peacocked’ up the whole length of the mounted files.
1888		Kipling ‘“Sleipner,” late “Thurinda”’ in Civil & Military Gaz. 12 May (1909) 135: ‘Come and peacock at the band-stand this evening’.
1893		‘T. Bland Strange’ Gunner Jingo’s Jubilee 281: A pic-nic in the crimson rhododendron forests. A ball, too, and peacocking about. I must leave all this civilisation, it is rather overpowering, and I am not used to it.
1898		Binstead & Wells Pink ’Un and Pelican 65: In peacocked the little man with the long chain, the ‘wine-steward’ who chucked away Ernest’s half-Oxford.
1905		A. Binstead Mop Fair 140: The preposterous horse-watcher was peacocking up and down the course in front of the lawn.
1913		H. Hervey European in India 156: [F]rom eleven to two, when Society was either ‘peacocking’ or sitting in state to receive visitors, the couple would meet at the now empty reading-rooms.
1924		Lawrence & Skinner Boy in Bush 103: Lennie peacocking on an enormous hairy-heeled roadster; [...] Tom on a grey stallion.
c.1930		(ref. to late 19C) N. Kimball Amer. Madam (1981) 178: Living like a nob, dressing well without doing any peacocking.
1946		‘Josephine Tey’ Miss Pym Disposes 132: The successful star calling on the humble lecturer at a girls’ college should surely show more [...] willingness to peacock in front of the stranger.
1957		J. Braine Room at the Top (1959) 202: Watching the Dufton yobs peacocking it in new suits.
1967		(con. 1940s) M. Dibner Admiral (1968) 44: Peacock-proud MacArthur’s air force was caught with its pants down.
1984		C. White Life and Times of Little Richard 190: Little Richard [...] peacocked around the stage in pancake makeup.
2002		‘Touré’ Portable Promised Land (ms.) 48: Some well-dressed Negroes was over here peacockin down the street like they was late to they coronation.
2016		C. Eble (ed.) UNC-CH Campus Sl. Spring 2016 7: PEACOCK — try to be attractive and appealing to potential mates: ‘Jeff is dousing himself in cologne. He’s going out peacocking’.