Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to lose one’s sanity.

1928		R.J. Tasker Grimhaven 28: Unless you say ‘blew his top’ or ‘blow his topper’; then it means to go crazy.
1931		D. Runyon ‘Romance in the Roaring Forties’ in Runyon on Broadway (1954) 36: Finally he blows his topper.
1939		Louis Jordan ‘But I’ll be Back’ 🎵 Gonna make you give me back my love / Before I blow my top!
1946		Mezzrow & Wolfe Really the Blues 4I: I saw my first race riot there [...] It left me so shaky I almost blew my top.
1955		‘Blackie’ Audett Rap Sheet 175: I seen as many as three guys a night flop off – blow their tops – and try to commit suicide.
1956		‘Raymond Thorp’ Viper 116: The cats nearly blew their top and as soon as they could get otuside they rushed for the drug again.
1967		P. Thomas Down These Mean Streets (1970) 300: Can’t you see? I’m flipping, I’m blowing my top.
1973		H. Armstrong in Heller In This Corner (1974) 194: They said ‘This man’s gone crazy. He’s blowing his top.’.

2. (US black) to get drunk.

1936		‘Hectic Harlem’ in N.Y. Amsterdam News 8 Feb, sect. 2: BLOW YOUR TOP. – To get drunk.
1940		‘Digg Mee’ ‘Observation Post’ in N.Y. Age 30 Nov. 10/5: They [i.e. Harlem women] smoke their ’tea’...they blow their top and sniff their ‘gauge’.

3. (US tramp) to commit suicide, esp. by shooting.

1931

Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 31: blow one’s top.–To commit suicide, correctly, by shooting, although sometimes extended to include any means of self-destruction.

4. (also blow gaff) to lose one’s temper, to become violent [gaff n.² (5)].

1933		Ersine Und. and Prison Sl.
1940		W.R. Burnett High Sierra in Four Novels (1984) 342: When I got tipped off she was going to get a divorce [...] If it hadn’t been for Barmy I’d have blowed my topper sure.
1944		C. Himes ‘A Penny for Your Thoughts’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 63: That Nazi pilot must be blowing his top.
1945		R.S. Close Love me Sailor 151: The old man wasn’t letting Christianson blow any more gaff.
1949		(con. 1943–5) A. Murphy To Hell and Back (1950) 109: A hog should have known better [...] but not men, when they blow their toppers.
1952		W.R. Burnett Little Men, Big World 170: Lola’ll look after him till she drops or I blow my topper.
1952		L. Lariar Day I Died 115: You don’t want to blow your top.
1954		Wodehouse Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit 105: Uncle Tom [...] will blow his top.
1956		‘Ed Lacy’ Men from the Boys (1967) 62: I let go of him. ‘All right. Sorry I blew my cap, buddy.’.
1963		H.S. Thompson letter 23 Aug. in Proud Highway (1997) 390: A Grace Company official blew his top during a visit by Teodoro Moscoso.
1970		‘Red’ Rudensky Gonif 134: Please, God, don’t let me blow my top again.
1982		N. Keesing Lily on the Dustbin 46: The baby’s mother ‘took a peep’ at the card he was filling in and nearly ‘blew her top’.
1992		M. Frayn Now You Know 82: It’s Jacqui blowing her top. Jacqui’s having a great go about something.
2000		Guardian G2 26 Jan. 9: I know I mustn’t blow my top.

5. to express intense emotion; to become very excited.

c.1938		Bob Howard & His Boys ‘If You’re a Viper’ 🎵 Truck on down to the candy store / Blow your top on peppermint candy.
1944		Cab Calloway New Hepsters Dict. in Calloway (1976) 253: blow the top (v.): to be overcome with emotion (delight). Ex., ‘You’ll blow your top when you hear this one’.
1945		C. Himes ‘Make with the Shape’ in Coll. Stories (1990) 110: Well now, what honorably discharged Sergeant Johnny Jones was really blowing his lucky top about [...] was Jessie May’s fine, round gams.
1949		‘Hal Ellson’ Duke 3: That’s the way I dig it. I do it nice. Play it cool. I don’t blow my top like other cats and go out and rob to get stuff.
1951		Kerouac On the Road (The Orig. Scroll) (2007) 215: Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray blowing their tops before a screaming audience.
1957		Kerouac On The Road (1972) 127: Listen will you to this old tenorman blow his top.
1965		D. Pearce Cool Hand Luke (1967) 57: We let off steam. We blew our tops.
1978		H. Selby Jr Requiem for a Dream (1987) 59: So dont blow your top. Relax.

6. (US black/drugs) to smoke marijuana.

1941

‘Digg Mee’ ‘Observation Post’ in N.Y. Age 26 Apr. 9/7: Like Harlem’s ‘vipers,’ I’m gonna blow my top.

7. to talk too much.

1947		M.H. Boulware Jive and Sl. n.p.: Blowing your top ... Worthless chatter.
1957		C. MacInnes City of Spades (1964) 32: You blow your top too much, Mr Stranger.