Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) wasting time, loafing, avoiding work.

1900		Garnett Jrnl (KS) 23 Feb. 6/4: The Republican plea [...] has been a .
1929		(con. 1915) Hall & Niles One Man’s War 119: In peace time, soldiers get away with a considerable bit of ‘gold bricking’.
1929		(con. WWI) J.B. Wharton Squad 208: No goldbrickin’ now, mind!
1939		W. Winchell On Broadway 6 Dec. [synd. col.] He quotes radio writers in defence of their raid on Joe’s ancient stinkers . . . That’s all the dial muggs savvy, the lifters claim . . . But that talk is ‘gold-bricking.’.
1947		(con. 1944) J.H. Burns Gallery (1948) 202: Stuki loved to fire Neapolitans for the slightest laxness [...] he fired them for goldbricking.
1953		L. Uris Battle Cry (1964) 177: Spanish Joe Gomez, a past master at goldbricking.
1999		P.J. Finn Literacy With an Attitude 56: Slowdowns, goldbricking, extended toilet passes, unofficial job swapping, and even sabotage are mirrored in the lads’ attempts to take control of classes.
2003		Vardi & Weitz Misbehavior in Organizations 3: FW Taylor (1895, 1903) brought the practice of soldiering or goldbricking — deliberately slowing down production — to light.
2012		(con. 1943) G.S. Manson Coorparoo Blues [ebook] ‘[A] nice quiet bit of goldbrickin’ ain’t good enough for them lazy assholes’.