Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. used to express ‘kind of’, ‘in a way’ or ‘so to speak’ when used postpositively, as in he ran down the road like, and ...

[1597		G. Harvey Trimming of Thomas Nashe E: Ignatius-like thou shalt be carbonadoed].
1808		Hist. of John Cheap the Chapman 14: When I see any daft like thing, I can look and laugh at it, as well sleeping as waking.
1818		J. Hogg Brownie of Bodsbeck II 22: I naturally liftit up my een, very stupit-like, I dare say, to see what it was.
1821		W.T. Moncrieff Tom and Jerry II i: Fighting came naturally like.
1838		J. Grant Sketches in London 175: It’s so like – jist the thing.
1841		W.J. Neale Paul Periwinkle 50: If ye was to go behind a hedge and make a bit of a bellowing loike.
1854		F. Smedley Harry Coverdale’s Courtship 12: Markum, lend us a fin, old man, for I feels precious staggery-like, I can tell you.
1858		A. Mayhew Paved with Gold 21: She seemed so decent like.
1863		Story of a Lancashire Thief 4: Aw thowt yo wor sum peeler-chap, like!
1869		Sydney Morn. Herald 17 Aug. 5/5: If it’s a very good day, showery-like, sometimes I earns as much as 15s. or a Pound.
1879		‘’Arry on the Road’ Punch 9 Aug. 83/1: It’s fun and good form all in one like, and when sech top-ropes yer can carry, / Who cares if it does come expensive?
1887		Bulletin (Sydney) 15 Oct. 12/4: The eloquent Stawell seemed a bit flabbergasted at this protest from his client, and spoke more respectful-like of him during the rest of his oration.
1897		W.S. Maugham Liza of Lambeth (1966) 36: Go’ lummy! [...] that was somethin’ like!
1900		Flynt & Walton Powers That Prey 62: [We] go it sort o’ quiet like till we see how things are pannin’ out. [Ibid.] 200: I’d get real down in the mouth like about the latter end o’ things.
1914		‘Bartimeus’ ‘That which Remained’ Naval Occasions 96: ‘We reckoned we’d come an’ give you a chuck-up, like, sir,’ concluded another, and [...] they told him of their victory in a three-mile race over a rival cutter.
1925		S. O’Casey Juno and the Paycock Act II: There’s nothin’ like a ball o’ malt occasional like.
1926		F. Bason Diary I (1950) 27: Authors are funny-like.
1933		S. O’Casey Within the Gates Act iv: There they go, one after the other – foller my leader like.
1949		L. Glassop Lucky Palmer 72: He’ll pick some joker who’s too hot for him and get done over like.
1955		S. Allen Bop Fables 49: ‘Buster,’ said Red gratefully, ‘your timing was like the end, ya know’.
1959		W. Hall Long and the Short and the Tall Act II: Some nights we’d go the pictures – or dancing – or something – when I could afford it, like.
1966		T. Keyes All Night Stand 92: I can’t remember a thing about it, like.
1977		(con. 1940s) O. Manning Danger Tree 197: If it hots up, it’ll hot up sudden like.
1986		F. Taylor Auf Wiedersehen Pet Two 1: I’ve been pretty busy, like.
1992		M. Coleman Fatty 90: Then Boyd would turn to Terry Randall and start shouting at him like: ‘You’re a cat, Igor. They’re gonna give it to you, Igor’.
1995		J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 11: ‘Look Mr Andrews,’ I goes polite like.
2001		S. King Dreamcatcher 576: Relocate south. Like, immediately.
2012		J. Fagan Panopticon (2013) 93: ‘I found my adopted ma,’ I say. ‘What, dead, like?’.

2. (orig. US black/beatnik) to express ‘approximately’, ‘just about’ or poss. to draw attention to the subject matter when used prenominally, as in it takes like ten minutes; I feel, like, sick.

1942		in New Yorker 14 Nov. 22: You could hardly figure out who was right becoss like everybody in it said everybody got rights [HDAS].
1952		(con. 1948) G. Mandel Flee the Angry Strangers 104: She’s skinnier maybe a little, weaker-lookin like; you know? [Ibid.] 159: I got an idea like maybe where she is.
1968		N. Heard Howard Street 52: That gig ain’t sayin’ nuthin’. Like, it’s a drag, man.
1974		V.E. Smith Jones Men 9: Like hey, I’m for real.
1984		C. White Life and Times of Little Richard 19: I was like to have died. I was like to have had a fit.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 5: Glorioski had [...] expense accounts like everywhere.
2000		Guardian G2 14 Feb. 4: She herself has been in therapy, she says, ‘for, like, years’.

3. (orig. US jazz/beatnik/hippie/teen, also likee) usu. used as an interjection or excl. to introduce or draw attention to what follows, or to indicate uncertainty, or simply as a meaningless filler as in Like man, it’s out of sight; Like he drove so fast...

1957		H. Simmons Corner Boy 152: They were kicking like wild.
1965		C. Brown Manchild in the Promised Land (1969) 136: I said, ‘Like, fuck you.’.
1974		V.E. Smith Jones Men 181: Like I’m tied up right now.
1981		J. Sullivan ‘Big Brother’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] Me and theTrigger have got some business to discuss, like, you know what I mean.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 241: This should be, like, the best time of your life.
2009		Times Rev. 30 Apr. 23/2: See when it happened, yeah, like boom. It was kind of like a quick thing, like boom.
2015		Guardian G2 3 July 6/1: Like, man, I’ve got to wipe that off my record, it’s like, I’m not that guy anymore.
2018-20		T. Thorne (ed.) ‘Drill Slang Glossary’ at Forensic Linguistic Databank 🌐 Likee - word used as punctuation or filler in written text (similarly to ‘like’ in spoken conversations).

4. as if...; the SE used in a derisive sense, denying the validity of the speaker’s last statement.

1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 146: So like what, a cat with heart is gonna gig in some shoulder-pad factory? Scoffin’ pimp steaks off a pushcart?
1977		(con. 1969) M. Herr Dispatches 58: Like a gook is really gonna tunnel all the way in here to booby-trap a shithouse, right?
1988		(con. 1940s) C. Bram Hold Tight (1990) 204: Like you’re so important the cops really care.
1995		C. Hiaasen Stormy Weather 250: ‘No, meng, hiss no legal.’ ‘Yeah, like you give a shit.’.
2004		J. Ellroy ‘Jungletown Jihad’ in Destination: Morgue! (2004) 353: Like I’d do two A-rabs, after 9/11 and all.
2013		T. Black ‘Enough of This Shit Already’ in Killing Time in Las Vegas [ebook] Like I give a fuck, now.

5. referring to one’s feelings/speech as recalled when telling an anecdote.

1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 52: You hit the bricks shaky, very shaky. Like you want to see people, but you don’t want to.
1982		Frank Zappa ‘Valley Girl’ 🎵 And the lady like goes, oh my God, your toenails /Are like so GRODY / It was like really embarrassing / She’s like OH MY GOD, like BAG THOSE TOENAILS.
1990		S. Morgan Homeboy 83: Rings was like, ‘Wow, I never thought to find love in the clink!’.
2001		‘Randy Everhard’ Tattoo of a Naked Lady 130: She was like, ‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’.
2012		J. Fagan Panopticon (2013) 93: He was flat out across his canoe and I’m like, fuck — I’ve killed Gaarwine.