Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to disappear quickly, to walk.

a.1790		H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795).
1809		G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
1821		W.T. Moncrieff Tom and Jerry I iv: That will do – now then Dicky, mizzle! – be scarce! – broom!
1827		Commercial Advertiser (N.Y.) 1 Feb. 2/3: After roystering at the Theatre, they broomed to a neighboring bousing ken.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.
1855		‘The Groggy Horse’ in Diprose’s Comic Song Book 7: He mopp’d and broom’d it jollily [...] Till he at least ‘the bucket kick’d’, / And died extremely drunk.
1934		J. Louis Kuetne ‘Prison Parlance’ in AS IX:1 26: broom. To flee from danger, to leave. Get your broom, i.e., Get out.
1940		D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam News 15 Feb. 13: We’d broom into the King’s Row.
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 164: All our buddies broomed off to Tin-Pan-Alleyland.
1958		E. Gilbert Vice Trap 79: Man, broom off. Can’t you see I’m pre-occupied.
1960, 1975		Wentworth & Flexner DAS.
1979		‘Iceberg Slim’ Airtight Willie and Me 125: ‘We closed, man!’ he hollered before he broomed away.
2021		J. Ellroy Widespread Panic 192: [I] broomed back to my sled.

2. to get rid of, dispose of.

2000

Lehr & O’Neill Black Mass 178: Bulger, wrote Connolly, had formerly associated with Lepere but more recently had ‘broomed him due to his involvement in the marijuana business.’.