Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to receive one’s due deserts; also as n.

1915		C.J. Dennis Songs of a Sentimental Bloke gloss. 🌐 Collect – To receive one’s deserts.
1968		G. Slatter Pagan Game (1969) 115: This is my lucky week. I’m due for a collect. And I’m due for a win on Saturday.

2. to arrest.

1968

J. Alard He who Shoots Last 139: How did they come to collect you this time, Red?

3. to be hit by, to collide with, usu. of a car.

1965		Minneapolis Star (MN) 9 Feb. 32/1: Some drong got in my way as I was pulling out and I nearly collected him.
1968		G. Slatter Pagan Game (1969) 162: He got collected by a transport lorry at that blind bend.
1983		J. Byrell (con. 1959) Up the Cross 10: ‘One of the other mugs took a swing at Awful and collected him on the fizz’.
1999		G. Seal Lingo 66: To collect something or to be collected by something is another World War II-ism still in use, as in the car collected the bus.

4. to be killed.

1991

M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read Chopper From The Inside 108: I believe it is only a matter of time before he is collected by some headhunter.

5. (Aus.) to make a profit, a winning bet.

1996

J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 315: [M]axie Harvey and I collected and Bill Young had to be satisfied with runner-up.