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.
1822		W. Hazlitt ‘On Patronage and Puffing’ in Table-Talk II 333: [f.n.] It was the custom, when the king went through the lobbies of the palace, for those who preceded him to cry out, ‘Sharp, sharp, look sharp,’ in order to clear the way.
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.
1955		K. Amis That Uncertain Feeling 242: ‘Now you two run along sharp. Take your time about coming back’.
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.