Green’s Dictionary of Slang

pay off v.

[payoff n.]

1. to take revenge upon.

[US]Spectator No. 174 23: Sir Roger, who, I see, thinks he has paid me off, and been very severe on the merchant .
[UK]London Eve. Standard 13 Dec. 3/2: A bus driver in altercation with his conductor, who threatened him with ‘paying off’ soon.
[UK]Five Years’ Penal Servitude 234: It was the work of someone he had angered by his usual brutal conduct, who had paid him off.
[US]J. London People of the Abyss 141: From that day he was a marked man, and every day, for ten years and more, he was ‘paid off’ for what he had done.
[US]J. Thompson ‘The Cellini Chalice’ in Fireworks (1988) 87: You paid me off for that whiskey deal. We’re all square now.

2. (orig. US) to recompense, to pay one’s debts; also fig. use.

C. Fowler letter 16 Aug. in Tomlinson Rocky Mountain Sailor (1998) 252: The man whom they wanted for the position [...] would stand to lose by the change unless he remained out here for six months or a year, at least, and he will be ‘paid off’ within about two months, as it is .
[US]C. McKay Home to Harlem 10: Jake was paid off.
[US]F.C. Painton ‘The Devil Must Pay’ in Goodstone Pulps (1970) 18/1: If you can buy a drink, you can pay off [...] How much money have you got?
[US]I. Shulman Amboy Dukes 151: You gave Crazy a raw deal and now you’re gonna pay off.
[US]L. Hughes Laughing to Keep from Crying 42: Sonny answered the racketeers. ‘We’re paying off, ain’t we – you and the police, both? So what’s wrong?’.
[US](con. 1940s) M. Dibner Admiral (1968) 253: Maude pointed the jagged edge of the bottle toward him. ‘Step up, you crummy bastard,’ she said. ‘I’m paying off.’.
[US]J. Ellroy Brown’s Requiem 55: Since it was an open and shut case, the cops nabbing the bombers so quick, we paid off fast.
[UK]Indep. on Sun. 27 June 3: Festival regulars who had packed their raincoats [...] saw their experience pay off just before 6pm when the predicted thundery showers began.

3. (orig. US) to bribe.

[US]J. Spenser Limey 264: The boss of the shop was ‘paid off’.
[US]N. Algren Man with the Golden Arm 319: You can’t keep payin’ him off all your life.
[US]‘William Lee’ Junkie (1966) 121: Lupita pays off to operate wide open.
[US]‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 225: A dozen other times I paid off on the street.
[US]E. Bunker No Beast So Fierce 215: A sensible idea would be like going back east and buying a bar, pay somebody off to keep from being extradited.
[UK]K. Lette Llama Parlour 184: Abe paid off everyone imaginable to keep Pierce’s ‘wobbly’ out of the papers.

4. (US) to get one’s deserts.

[US]I. Shulman Cry Tough! 12: Kitty had given Crazy a fast deal. That was why she had to pay off, and it served her right for having made Crazy a butt and a fool.
[US]Goldin et al. DAUL 153/2: Pay off, v. [...] 4. To assault or kill in retribution.

In compounds

In phrases

pay off in gold (v.) [i.e. he displays his gold badge as identification]

(US drugs) for a Federal agent to arrest an addict.

[US]D. Maurer ‘Argot of the Und. Narcotic Addict’ Pt 1 in AS XI:2 124/2: paid off in gold. Arrested by a Federal agent who has persuaded an addict or peddler to sell him some dope. Once the dope has changed hands and the agent has flashed his badge, he is said to have paid him off in gold.
[US]J.E. Schmidt Narcotics Lingo and Lore.