Green’s Dictionary of Slang

unpleasantly; dishonestly, thus phr. come crook, cut crook, to behave unpleasantly, to get angry.

1914		Sport (Adelaide) 10 July 3/6: Ivy B. is cutting very crook because her name was in ‘Sport’ .
1916		C.J. Dennis ‘War’ in Moods of Ginger Mick 25: I tells ’im ’ow they starts / Beburnin’ poor coves ’omes an’ killin’ kids, / An’ comin’ it reel crook wiv decent tarts.
1926		Mirror (Perth) 6 Nov. 12/3: I’m sorry. I went off crook.
1959		A.W. Upfield Bony and the Mouse (1961) 48: He was in my hair, but not that crook that I’d bump him.