Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to deprive someone of their rightful position by underhand means; see cit. 1812 .

1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 246: jacket: [...] this term is more properly applied to removing a man by underhand and vile means from any birth or situation he enjoys, commonly with a view to supplant him; therefore, when a person, is supposed to have fallen a victim to such infamous machinations, it is said to have been a jacketting concern.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1847		Bell’s Life in Sydney 20 Mar. 3/1: You remember when that yaller-faced varment of an overseer jacketed me for smugging .
1867		J. Greenwood Unsentimental Journeys 204: I knowed what was coming since that heavenly ganger, bless his precious eyes, jacketed me on Thursday.

2. to betray a confidence.

1812

Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang. in McLachlan (1964) 246: jacket to jacket a person, or clap a jacket on him, is nearly synonymous with bridging him.

3. to report, to speak of.

1858

Bell’s Life in Sydney 19 June 3/2: Mr Bradford then informed the P. M. that he had on a former occasion ‘jacketted’ Constable Levick to Captain McLerie, and felt it to be his vory unpleasant duty to do so again.

4. (W.I.) to seduce someone else’s lover.

1968

A. Salkey Late Emancipation of Jerry Stover (1982) 20: Paula fancies me, Jerry. But Albert’s a buddy. Can’t jacket a friend, can I?