Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. quickly, speedily.

1818		‘Thomas Brown’ Fudge Family in Paris Letter V 48: For Bob saw him, he swore / Looking sharp to the silver receiv’d at the door.
1848		‘Ned Buntline’ Mysteries and Miseries of N.Y. IV 49: Ah ha! Zat dam Messieur Matsell, he work ver sharp!
1858		A. Mayhew Paved with Gold 284: Keep your teeth. Didn’t I promise you supper? Now, sharp and cut to Stonehenge.
1866		Broad Arrow Jack 22: Here, get along with you [...] Sharp’s the word.
1873		J. Greenwood In Strange Company 142: Out you go. Sharp’s the word.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 68: Starlight’s out at the back and the old man too. They want you to go to them — sharp.
1895		E. Pugh Street in Suburbia 129: You’d better git art sharp.
1901		Marvel XV:377 Jan. 3: Now then, youngster, sharp’s the word!
1910		Magnet 10 Sept. 12: You’ll get out of this study, and sharp!
1920		Marvel 10 July 16: ‘Your wrists – sharp!’ he cried.
1929		J.B. Priestley Good Companions 149: Sharp’s the word.
1947		K. Amis letter 26 Mar. in Leader (2000) 125: This isn’t good enough, Larkin old boy; better pull your socks up pretty sharp, or else.
1961		V.S. Naipaul House For Mr Biswas 188: Do it quick sharp, or I give you a dose of licks.
1984		P. Barker Blow Your House Down 5: You want to rattle her chops a bit. That’d sharp cure her.
1995		J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 19: ‘Better get here sharp,’ I went, ‘and bring shooters.’.

2. intelligently, smartly.

1833		‘Job Halls and Mike Hunt’ in Lummy Chaunter 83: Like most now a days, he’d to look sharp for his blunt.
1840		T. Haliburton Clockmaker III 44: It made me an obsarvin’ man. It taught me to look into things considerable sharp.
1850		‘Ned Buntline’ G’hals of N.Y. 65: ‘It mus’ be somewhere!’ he sagaciously observed, ‘an’ if we only look sharp, we’re bound to find it!’.
1855		Delhi Sketch Bk 1 Feb. 17/1: [S]he was deuced ly sharp looked after, actually locked up by Jove!!
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor I 379/2: I look sharp after the young and pretty ladies, Miss, and shall as long as I’m a bachelor.
1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 74: They’d have to look precious sharp and get up very early in the morning to be level with chaps like father and Starlight.
1897		E.W. Townsend Chimmie Fadden 29: He was all red and white in a minute, and I was looking sharp for a scrap.
1907		‘Wal, I Swan!’ in Botkin Sidewalks of America (1954) 561: I see a cuss look sharp at my pocketbook.
1947		S. Lewis Kingsblood Royal (2001) 164: They never look things over real sharp, way we colored folks have.
1967		(con. 1920s) J. Thompson South of Heaven (1994) 194: You talked pretty sharp t’other night.

3. fashionably.

1995		(con. 1985–90) P. Bourjois In Search of Respect 257: Candy [...] had thought she was showing respect to the judge by ‘dressing sharp.’.
1996		(con. 1964-65) B. Thorpe Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 5: I was dressed expensively, sharp.
1999		E. Bunker Mr Blue 10: He may have been poor, but he dressed sharp when he had his day off.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 14: I dressed sharp for joi Lansing [...] crocodile loafers.