Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also bottle) to hold back, to keep [SE post-1900].

1622		T. Scott Belgicke Pismire 53: Vapours... botteled up in cloudes [F&H].
1863		H. Kingsley Austin Elliot I 129: Austin played very bad, [...] led out strong suits of trumps without any suit to follow, bottled them when his partner led them first time round.
1873		Vanity Fair (UK) Oct. 310/2: Since Dr. Mackay’s book was published, the slang phrases and peculiar expressions of this country have multiplied, many of which became popular during the war – we need mention only three or four of these [...] bottle up (surround), gobble (to take prisoners), secesh, etc.
1898		Daily Tel. 17 June in Ware (1909) 44/2: The old story of Spanish lack of preparation was repeated; vessels were foul from long absence from dock, coal was deficient, ammunition ran short, and instead of commanding a fleet ‘in being’, Admiral Cervara was glad to bottle himself up in the harbour of Santiago.

2. (also bottle) to restrain, to exercise control, esp. of one’s emotions.

1835		Metropolitan Mag. Sept. 19: Like all elderly gentlemen who have so long bottled up their affections, he became most desperately enamoured .
1840		T. Hood Up the Rhine 45: He eagerly pounced upon me as one with whom he could pour out his bottled-up grievances.
1846		Swell’s Night Guide 76: She felt inclined to mug her rival, only she thought it would be no bottle, cos her rival could go in a buster at a slog. [...] So she bottled up her feelings till she could stand it no longer. Out flew the cork.
1871		Cincinnati Commercial Apr. 637: He will bottle up his wrath, having had some experience in the line of bottling up during the war, and pour out his vials upon General Farnsworth’s head, whenever the occasion offers [F&H].
1886		New Ulm Wkly Rev. (MN) 3 Feb. 6/2: ‘Now bottle that,’ angrily interrupted the other with a fierce oath.
1911		G. Bronson-Howard Enemy to Society 253: For the first few seconds of Van Tromp’s presence in the room, Axtell was too amazed to burst into the violent tirade he had been bottling up until his butt should enter.
1930		J. Lait Gangster Girl 26: Oh, bottle that in your good-lookin’ mush.
1962		R. Hauser Homosexual Society 112: When they found out about the boys playing girls and that we couldn’t bottle it up there was a horrible fuss.
1968		T. Thackrey Gambling Secrets of Nick The Greek 205: You’ve a choice either of bottling up your own resentment and leaving the game, or of exposing the cheat.

3. to abandon an argument, to agree to end a dispute by accepting that both sides are evenly matched.

1880		A.A. Hayes New Colorado 70: If I had to live here, I’d just bottle up and die!
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.
1947		M.H. Boulware Jive and Sl.

4. to defeat.

1884		Dundee Courier 13 June 7/5: I’ll lay my basket of swag [...] as I bottles him up in three rounds.
1884		Leicester Chron. 5 July 12/4: He fought ina way that showed he expected to ‘bottle up the little ’un in no time’.
1945		Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN) 30 Nov. 14/1: They have something else up their sleeve, and that is to ‘bottle up’ Buster Stephens.