Green’s Dictionary of Slang

see separate entry.

see separate entry.

to initiate or join a fight.

1873		Daily Missouri Democrat 15 Mar. in Miller & Snell Why the West was Wild 207: When the Texan shot Wild Bill, he asked the crowd in the bar-room if any gentleman had any desire to ‘mix in’.
1891		C.H. Hoyt A Trip to Chinatown Act III: Don’t mix in and spoil things.
1900		Sporting Times 9 June 1/5: I’m the P.C. with landscapes on the line, I am. You surely don’t expect a R’yal Academician to ruin his hands by mixin’ up in street scraps, do ye?
1915		Hawaiian Gaz. (Honolulu, HI) 26 Nov. 4/5: Frank Levy, the well-known clothier, and Jakie Bohnstein, the local pawnbroker, became mixed up in King Street last night, and for a time fur flew with a vengeance.
1973		(con. mid-1960s) J. Patrick Glasgow Gang Observed 234: Mix, as in ‘to put the mix in’ – to contrive a quarrel, to cause a fight by intrigue.

1. (also mix matters) to fight, to foster trouble.

1890		Bulletin (Sydney) 5 July 18/1: After several rounds had been fought, Dooley went in and ‘mixed it’ with the Barrier champion, and got on to him at will with both hands, but he had fallen weak.
1890		Sporting Times 29 Mar. 2/4: The North-American Indian (I have reason to know) can mix it uncommonly stiff.
1892		‘Fanny Flukem’s Ball’ in Bird o’ Freedom (Sydney) in J. Murray Larrikins (1973) 40: Then Fat Mag sailed in and mixed it, / And said, ‘You ice-cream trash, / I didn’t come in on the nod, / But parted up my smash’.
1896		F. Hutcheson Barkeep Stories 12: ‘Muggins is mixin’ up wid dem like he was to a p’litical picnic’.
1902		Bulletin (Sydney) 6 Dec. 36/2: Nipper got spliced yesterday, and last night he invited ‘the herd’ to have a ‘dance and general jollo.’ Towards 10 o’clock some of ’em mixed matters, and Nipper left ’em to it and came outside with a few of his cobbers.
1903		Ade ‘Hickey Boy and the Grip’ in In Babel 107: The gong sounded Monday afternoon. I shook hands with one of them microbe boys and then it was us mixin it and I ve been against the ropes ever since.
1903		A.H. Lewis Boss 134: He was in the crowd an’ saw you mixin’ it up with th’ Blacksmith, an’ let him have it.
1914		C.J. Dennis ‘The Play’ in Bulletin (Sydney) 16 July 47/1: ‘Im an’ ’is cobber, called Mick Curio, / They ’ave to go / An’ mix it wiv that push o’ Capulets.
1917		Wodehouse ‘ Crowned Heads’ in Man with Two Left Feet 98: There’s you and me mixing it [...] Pretty soon you land me one on the plexus, and I take th’ count.
1924		C.J. Dennis ‘The Crusaders’ in Chisholm (1951) 83: An’ then we mix it. Strife an’ merry ’ell / Breaks loose a treat, an’ things git movin’ fast.
1939		K. Tennant Foveaux 142: It was unthinkable that Bramely would ‘mix it’ with a couple of chaps on a street corner.
1938		J. Curtis They Drive by Night 158: You’d better help us all you know or we’ll mix it for you.
1941		F.S. Fitzgerald ‘Mightier than the Sword’ in Pat Hobby Stories (1967) 154: I can’t mix it up with you.
1948		(con. 1944) N. Mailer Naked and Dead 332: You’re not afraid to step in and mix it.
1958		(con. 1940s) B. Behan Borstal Boy 310: So long as you’re not asking me to mix it with you.
1959		W. Brown Teen-Age Mafia 98: Some stud even accused him of being chicken, afraid to mix it up with the colored.
1962		R. Cook Crust on its Uppers 106: Lucky for you it wasn’t him you mixed it up with there.
1968		P. Terson Apprentices (1970) II iii: I’m not mixing it with a karate.
1970		(con. 1950s) H. Junker ‘The Fifties’ in Eisen Age of Rock 2 (1970) 101: Switchblade and zip gun for stomping, mixing it up, rumbles.
1983		S. King Christine 54: He and Arnie were standing almost nose to nose, apparently ready to start mixing it up.
1986		C. Bowles G’DAY 109: Mr Foster decides to mix it, and there is a shemozzle.
1997		N. Barlay Curvy Lovebox 101: The mums’re already mixin’ it tryin’ to be the first through the doors.
1999		Guardian Guide 6–12 Nov. 9: Norton [...] enthusiastically starts mixing it up with him.
2000		J. Hawes Dead Long Enough 255: He tried to mix it with Sty.
2007		C. Goffard Snitch Jacket 27: ‘Couple friends can’t mix it up a little bit?’ panted Rathead.

2. to cause trouble for someone else.

1888		‘Rolf Boldrewood’ Robbery Under Arms (1922) 183: We’ll be able to mix it up with these new chum Englishmen and Americans [...] and puzzle Sergeant Goring and his troopers more than ever.
1936		J. Curtis Gilt Kid 290: The bastard, thought the Gilt Kid. He’s mixing it for me.
1958		F. Norman Bang To Rights 28: The screw [...] starts telling a load of bleeding lies and mixing it for you.
1979		F. Norman Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper 30: Mr Nicoloff is not the kind of gentleman that it’d be worth while for you to mix it with.

3. to enjoy oneself.

1833		‘Poll Tomkinson’ in Convivialist in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 14: And never a kipple could come it like they, / They mix’d it up on a clean shirt day.
1891		‘’Arry on a ’ouseboat’ in Punch 15 Aug. 76: And with larfter and banjos permiskus we managed to mix it up ’ot.
2005		J. Stahl I, Fatty 92: The trick was to keep coming up with new places for Mabel and me to mix it up.

1. to agree secretly how to cheat or deceive another party.

1823

‘Jon Bee’ Dict. of the Turf, the Ring, the Chase, etc. 119: To Mix it up — to agree secretly how the parties shall make up a tale, or colour a transaction in order to cheat or deceive another party, as in case of a justice-hearing, of a law-suit, or a cross in a boxing-match for money.

2. (US black) to change a song around or play multiple songs at the same time.

2000

Ebonics Primer at www.dolemite.com 🌐 mix it up Definition: change a song around or play multiple songs at the same time. Example: Yo dj why don’t you mix it up??

see join giblets under giblets n.