Green’s Dictionary of Slang

move v.

1. to leave [SE from 15C–mid-18C].

W. Toldervy Hist. Two Orphans II 116: As I shall lay with a friend two miles off, ’tis high time to be moving .
[US]J. Jones From Here to Eternity (1998) 798: All right then, move it.
[UK]E. Bond Saved Scene x: I said move!
[US]R. Woodley Dealer 86: ‘Yeah, I got to move out. I got a dude that I used to do business with. Cat owes me some money, and like, man, he’s fucking me around.
[US]W.D. Myers Slam! 182: ‘I got to be moving now but the next time you play let me know’.

2. (also move in on) to pick up a member of the opposite sex [SE move, to stir, to excite].

[US]F. Exley Fan’s Notes 12: B. [...] was attempting to pick up a young, snub-nosed and attractive girl who frequented the place. He picked her up, too; and I had to admire the ease with which he did it [. . . .] [W]atching him so facilely ‘move’ the girl I wondered what that other girl was searching for, the one who had tossed him over.
[US]R.D. Pharr S.R.O. (1998) 57: ‘Who gave you permission to move in on that guy on West End Avenue?’.
[Ire]R. Doyle Commitments 64: You moved in on Joey, Nat’lie? he asked.
[Ire]D. Healy Bend for Home 197: Sheila doesn’t appear. So I moved Rose Reilly.

3. (orig. US) to dance or play music energetically or with a strong rhythm.

[UK]J. Cameron Vinnie Got Blown Away 112: You were black could get paid dancing start the evening, only white kids never got the offer, couldn’t move I reckon.
[US]‘Grandmaster Flash’ Adventures 6: Family and friends, grinding and freaking, moving and grooving. Every one of ’em in step with the beat.

4. (orig. US) to move fast, to be exciting or dynamic.

[UK]M. Peake Titus Groan 241: ‘We’ll be back within half an hour. I can move when I want to’.
[US]M. Braly Shake Him Till He Rattles (1964) 100: Looks like the place is going to move.
[US]H. Selby Jr. Last Exit to Brooklyn 295: [H]e told her he had a Cadillac, with whitewalls and would she like something to eat and when you with ol Abe you move.
R. Charles Brother Ray 36: [W]hen I walked around those towns, my pace wasn’t halting or even cautious. Man, I moved.
[US]G. Liddy Will 251: ‘For Christ’s sake, Jeb, there’s less than an hour till that press conference. You’ve got to get to Mitchell and get working on that statement. [...] Now move’.
D.H. Edwards The World Don’t Owe Me Nothing 206: I shot at him. I missed him but he dropped those components and moved!

5. (US drugs) to sell off or to dispose of merchandise, incl. contraband, drugs and stolen property [ext. of SE move, of merchandise, to sell or dispose of].

[UK]Fast Man n.d. 1/3: [I]t ain’t the first time your old man’s been locked up [...] What is it then—has he been moving anything?
R. Daley Only a Game 63: [H]e is an artist at moving bad tickets.
[US]G.V. Higgins Cogan’s Trade (1975) 117: I can move it [i.e. cocaine] to two guys and get twenny-five.
[NZ]G. Newbold Big Huey 16: He was moving a few sticks [of marijuana] on the side.
[US]‘Master Pimp’ Pimp’s Rap 109: I’m moving coke, weed and a little heroin.
[US]C. Stella Eddie’s World 90: I need to move something [...] Something hot [Ibid.] 93: Some ignorant crackhead nigger moving H for the west side Dominicans.
[Scot]G. Armstrong Young Team 124: As well as the soap bar, they’ve git three hundred swedgers.

In phrases

move in on (v.)

see sense 2 above.

move on (v.)

1. (US black/campus) to hit, to assault, usu. with a weapon.

[US]E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 247: move on (one) See fire (on one).
[US]E. Little Another Day in Paradise 182: Jewels won’t move on ya, Bobbie.
[US](con. 1975–6) E. Little Steel Toes 147: I want to move on him and Syd says you gotta OK it.

2. (US black) to assault in a group.

[US]C. Fuller Jr ‘Love Song for Wing’ in King Black Short Story Anthol. (1972) 147: Y’all betta make it! Ain’t nobody gonna’ move on nobody today, yah dig? Nothin’!
[US]E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 106: Another strategy is to gang up on a person [...] jack up, jam, double punch, crowd, and move on someone carry this meaning.

3. to approach sexually.

[UK]G. Malkani Londonstani (2007) 146: Find out how he plannin on movin on desi sistas.
A. Kirzman quoting D. Trump in Wash. Post 7 Oct. Giuliani 273: ‘[‘]I moved on her, actually. [...] I moved on her, and I failed. I’ll admit it. [...] I did try and fuck her. [...] I moved on her like a bitch. But I couldn’t get there’.
move (one’s) ass (v.) (also move one’s arse, shift..., move one’s butt, ...one’s hump)

(orig. US) to hurry up, to get a move on; often as imper.

[US]D. Jenkins Semi-Tough 12: If there’s anybody around here who doesn’t want to do that, then he can move his ass down the road.
[UK]J. McClure Spike Island (1981) 72: Hey, on yer bloody way! Move yer arse now!
[UK]A. Payne ‘Minder on the Orient Express’ Minder [TV script] 50: Move your butt.
[UK]J. Osborne Déjàvu Act I: I wish he’d shift his comfortable big arse down to the cellar for me.
[UK]K. Lette Llama Parlour 40: ‘Move ass,’ Tash hissed at me, heading for the car park.
[US](con. 1960s) G. Washington Blood Brothers 52: ‘They must have heard that also, so let’s move ass,’ shouted Charlie.
[US]S. King Dreamcatcher 486: Move your humps.
move one’s carcase/carcass (v.) (also shift one’s carcase/carcass!)

to get out of the way, usu. as imper., move!

[UK]Marvel 15 May 7: Oh, don’t begin to shift your blooming carcass; I’m not going to shoot.
[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney)‘31 Aug. 36/2: ‘The Law,’ who is out for the day, takes up a good position between the champion and the public, much to the rage of the short people, who shriek at him to ‘shift his carcase.’.
[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 12 Dec. Red Page/4: Fellers of Australier, / Blokes an’ coves an’ coots, / Shift yer — carcases, / Move yer — boots. / Gird yer — loins up, / Get yer — gun, / Set the — enermy / An’ watch the — run.
[NZ]McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 100/2: shift/move your carcass get out of the way.
[NZ]McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].
move the crowd (v.)

(US black) to leave.

[US]R.C. Cruz Straight Outta Compton 58: ‘Kep looking, baby,’ said Clive, ‘cause I’m moving the crowd’ [...] Then he disappeared between the trees.
move the laundry (v.) [stereotypical image of Chinese running laundries]

(US Und.) to smuggle illegal Chinese immigrants.

[US]Eve. Sun (Baltimore, MD) 9 Dec. 31/5: Moving the laundry — smuggling Chinamen.
[US]Goldin et al. DAUL 122/1: Laundry, the. Chinese aliens. Used only in the following idiom: To move the laundry — to smuggle alien Chinese into the country.
move to (v.)

1. to bow to.

[US]Matsell Vocabulum 57: Moved bowed to. ‘The swell moved to the Moll as they crossed,’ the gentleman bowed to the girl as they passed each other.

2. (UK black teen) to take notice of; to reprimand.

[UK]J. Cornish Attack the Block [film script] 17: DENNIS Tia’s movin’ to you Moses. PEST She’s on your balls cuz!

3. (UK black) to attack, assault.

[UK]G. Krauze What They Was 144: Someone says rah, myman got moved to.
move with (v.)

to associate with, to spend time with.

[UK]C. Newland Scholar 15: Your cousin should watch himself with dem brers he’s movin’ with, y’know.

In exclamations

move out!

(UK black) leave me alone! go away!

theculturetrip.com ‘Guide to London Slang 10 Jan. 🌐 Move out/from me – telling someone to get away from you and your personal space.