Green’s Dictionary of Slang

see separate entry.

(US) of a man, to wear no underwear.

2001

‘Randy Everhard’ Tattoo of a Naked Lady 229: I wasn’t wearing any underwear – freeballin’ for the hell of it.

see separate entries.

of a woman, esp. a potential prostitute, to have sexual intercourse without charging.

1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues III 67/1: Free-fucking [...] the favour gratis.
1961		in E. Cray Erotic Muse (1992) 163: Down in cunt valley where gizzum does flow, / The cocksuckers work for a nickel a blow; / There lived pretty Charlotte, the girl I adore, / My free-fucking, cock-sucking cowpunchers’ whore.
1977		(con. 1960s) D. Goines Black Gangster (1991) 70: I’d rather see you selling your ass than out free-fuckin’.

(US) a prison.

1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn) 90: free hotel A jail.
1949		Dan Burley ‘Back Door Stuff’ 29 Jan. [synd. col.] Boot Nose narrowly missed getting a ‘free home’ for 30 days when he tried to peddle some Creeping Sam to the guests.
1971		(con. 1920s) J. Brown Monkey Off My Back (1972) 46: One of the bigtime racketeers who was doing time at the ‘Free Hotel’.

(orig. Aus.) a wind-powered electricity generator, especially in the Outback.

1941		letter in Western Mail (Perth) 6 Feb. 31/3: I have lately acquired a generator. It has at one time been in a car. At present I want to use it for a free light, but the charging is unsatisfactory, .
1949		Age (Melbourne) 16 Apr. 8/7: [H]e has no sooner grounded his plane than he is finding some fresh activity [...] repairing a radio set, or a free light.
1994		J. Renie Jargodin 26: A thirty-two volt wind generator, (called free lights), created power for lights, washing machine and iron.
2016		(ref. to 1940s) S.B. Friend Realities of an ‘Orkney Way’ 74: Even after the installation of mains electricity, small handmade wind turbines were used. One woman in her 70s recalled how many people she knew had what she called ‘free lights’ that ran off the small turbine.

see separate entries.

1. (US) an arrest.

1910		‘O. Henry’ ‘Past One at Rooney’s’ in Strictly Business (1915) 268: Are you afraid you’ll get a free ride?
1926		Maines & Grant Wise-crack Dict. 8/1: Free ride – Social trip with the police.

2. an easy time; in cite 1977 immunity from prosecution .

1977		Ben-Veniste & Frampton Stonewall 107: Dean was too deeply involved, too culpable, too big a fish, to get a ‘free ride’—total immunity from prosecution.
1978		R. Daley Prince of the City 252: ‘Give me the same deal you gave Leuci, and sure I’ll cooperate. Just give me the same free ride he’s getting’.
1990		(con. early 1950s) J. Ellroy L.A. Confidential 39: He’d been financing his free ride ever since; unless Hudgens had 10/24/47 on paper he was safe.
1991		B. Hamper Rivethead (1992) 75: Christ, you boys today are gettin’ a free ride.
1993		K. Scott Monster (1994) 157: Survival of the fittest continued to rule our existence. No one got a free ride.

3. a prostitute.

1975

L. Dills CB Slanguage.

4. an unpaid sexual encounter with a prostitute.

1993		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read How to Shoot Friends 120: There was this whore [...] who picked me up and got me back to a hotel room. It was a free ride, so I didn’t mind.
1994		P. Blauner Casino Moon 159: ‘‘You ain’t gonna charge me, right?’ ‘Nope, this one’s a free ride,’ she said in a tired voice.

the unpaid-for services of a prostitute.

1983

R. Klein Jailhouse Jargon and Street Sl. [unpub. ms.].

the inadvertent revelation by a woman of her body, in all or part, glimpsed by a passing individual usu. a man.

1966		Trimble 5000 Adult Sex Words and Phrases.
2001		‘Randy Everhard’ Tattoo of a Naked Lady 97: High in his cab, he couldn’t miss seeing Bunny’s free show.
2012		J. Duke ‘Bastards of Apathy’ in ThugLit Sept./Oct. [ebook] [H]is first impression was: crack whore squatting to piss. [...] Maybe he would get a free show.
2020		(con. 1991-94) W. Boyle City of Margins 121: Ava takes a quick glance at the woman’s breasts. [...] The woman notices. ‘Ain’t a free show,’ she says.

the world outside prison.

1967		P. Thomas Down These Mean Streets (1970) 254: I wished I could stop thinking about the free side. The free side—dig that! In the beginning I’d said ‘outside’; now I said ‘free side,’ just like a con.
1977		B. Jackson Killing Time 177: You was damn lucky to ever see the free side of life I can damn well tell you that. There was a lot of them that didn’t.
1992		Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 107: Free World also Free Side Anything outside the confines of an institution.

see separate entries.

see trade, the n. (1)

a prostitute, a promiscuous girl or woman .

c.1850

Peeping Tom (London) 19 73: [cartoon caption] the guilty husband. Having brought a Free-trader to his bed, is interrupted by his wife.

women’s knickers, open at the crotch.

1982

(ref. to 1920s) N. Keesing Lily on the Dustbin 38: ‘Free traders’ [...] comprised knee-length calico pants trimmed with lace but, instead of a front and back seam, were open from the front waist to the back waist, and fastened around the waist by long tapes. It meant you could use the toilet without pulling your pants down.

see separate entries.

a phr. describing an impotent husband.

1678		J. Ray Proverbs (2nd edn) 191: He’s free of Fumbler’s-hall Spoken of a man that cannot get his wife with child.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1980		Maledicta IV:2 (Winter) 188: The old man, when, alas, free of Fumbler’s Hall, is said to have no more ink in the pen or no more lead in the pencil.

see under bush n.¹