Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to pass counterfeit money; thus smashing.

1801		Sporting Mag. Nov. XIX 88/1: Nadin now shewed him some forged Bank of England notes [...] he had smashed several, and had no doubt that he should smash a great many more.
1809		John Mackcoull Abuses of Justice 85: He had amassed a very considerable fortune by this fraudulent business, and particularly by negotiating stolen bills, called smashing thick paper.
1812		Vaux Memoirs in McLachlan (1964) 82: Lest the reader should be unprovided with a cant dictionary, I shall briefly explain in succession: viz., smashing [...] Uttering counterfeit money, or forged bank-notes.
1819		Observer 19 Sept. 2: The well known slang offence called smashing, i.e. passing counterfeit money.
1822		Life and Trial of James Mackcoull 85: Ha! little one, tip us your daddle, we’ve done the job, and cleanly too – all’s bob! – We’ve got a precious lot of dirty Scotch bank-notes [...] we’ll go into the country and smash ’em.
1830		Lytton Paul Clifford III 128: I say, has you heard as how Bill Fang [...] was stretched for smashing queer screens? (that is, hung for uttering forged notes).
1841		‘My Name Is Sam Dodger’ in Gentleman Steeple-Chaser 38: [I] sported my flash girl [...] We both went a smashing, and did it up brown too, / And lots of bad silver we us’d for to pass.
1846		Bell’s Life in Sydney 28 Feb. 3/2: SMASHING.—George Anderson, alias Jones, who had been discharged at the late Criminal Sessions on a charge of uttering base coin, was brought up before the sitting magistrate.
1848		G.W.M. Reynolds Mysteries of London II (2nd series) 362: These are all queer screens – and you went into the bank to smash some of them.
1858		A. Mayhew Paved with Gold 357: ‘Suppose they found out I had been smashing,’ Phil whispered.
1863		T. Taylor Ticket-Of-Leave Man Act I: Pottering about on the sneak, flimping or smashing a little when I get the chance.
1865		Sydney Morn. Herald 27 July 2/4: Crikey, Bob, science has shown that we were born criminals; and you know my father was hung for murder, and my uncle [...] was transported for smashing.
1877		Five Years’ Penal Servitude 240: There were a great number of men in for ‘smashing,’ and two or three actual coiners.
1883		J. Greenwood Tag, Rag & Co. 25: He resolved to go into the ‘smashing’ business himself.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 13 June 9/1: From his ‘mug,’ gait, and speech, it was easy to see that Redwood had more than a passing acquaintance with men who bought old lead from young larrikins, ‘smashed’ flash notes, and planned suburban burglaries.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 28 Oct. 4/8: ‘Smashing’ — that is the changing of the bad money — is generally done by females — of a superior class .
1898		Binstead & Wells Pink ’Un and Pelican 239: If the men and women who practice ‘smashing’ could obtain a living by any other means, they certainly would not engage in an illicit occupation.
1935		R.T. Hopkins Life and Death at the Old Bailey 115: He once forged a very pretty cheque [...] and sent the hotel porter to the bank to ‘smash it’.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 199/1: Smash. To convert into cash, as a check or other negotiable instrument. [...] Smash a stiff. To pass a forged or raised check.
1956		(con. 1905) R.T. Hopkins Banker Tells All 190: He had not received his proper proportion from the share-out of a forged cheque which Holmes had ‘smashed’.

2. (also smash up) to give or obtain change for a note; thus to launder the proceeds of a robbery; to sell stolen goods to a receiver (see cite 1851).

1845		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 16 Oct. 52/3: Parkinson, who was living unsuspected with his booty, had already smashed or changed a large portion of the money.
1847		G.W.M. Reynolds Mysteries of London III 85/1: A Stranger—looked like a crocus. To smash three double finnips .
1851		‘Greenhorn’ [G. Thompson] Bristol Bill 34/2: With such a ‘fence’ as Sam Drury [...] to ‘smash his plunder’ on, Bill had little else to look to than the skilful performance of the robberies themselves.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 65/2: Get on thau ‘togs’ and ‘namase’ as quick as thau can and ‘smash’ these ’ere ‘quids’ somewhere or another; I don’t care where — on’y ‘smash’ ’em.
1867		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 7 Sept. n.p.: Five ‘fly coppers’ who had more of the ‘queer’ bonds in this case than had Dr Shine. How they ‘smashed’ their bonds is known only to themselves.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 76: Can You Smash a Tick, can you change a sovereign.
1898		Binstead & Wells Pink ’Un and Pelican 229: The small tradesman, afraid to smash his notes at a bureau, had them still intact when the police called upon him.
1908		Bulletin (Sydney) 3 Sept. 39/2: ‘Got any silver?’ [...] ‘Not a bean – haven’t got anything. Smash up a quid!’.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 61/2: Can you smash a thick ’un? (Peoples’). Can you change a sovereign.
2013		T. Peacock More You Bet 62: Someone might say, ‘Smash (or break) that [large note] up for me, will ya?!’ meaning that he was [...] wanting a combination of smaller notes.