Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) an easy opportunity, also attrib.

1994		Mollen Report 87: [T]he simple, easy-to-solve ‘ground ball’ cases that did not require much investigative effort.
2005		R. Cea No Lights, No Sirens 224: I figured if I pulled the trigger at that moment, this would be a ground ball for all the parties involved to close out the case on me.

(US prison) on the streets, free.

1992

Bentley & Corbett Prison Sl. 108: When an inmate is released from prison it is said he is on the ground or back on the ground.

(US black) a pretty young woman.

1942

Z.N. Hurston ‘Story in Harlem Sl.’ in Novels and Stories (1995) 1005: I’d walk clear to Diddy-Wah-Diddy to get a chance to speak to a pretty lil’ ground-angel like that.

(US) a brick or stone when used as a missile.

1946

D. Runyon 14 Sept. [synd. col.] A fellow’s blonde usually stepped in [...] and slugged the other gee with an alley apple or a ground biscuit, meaning a rock done up in a stocking [W&F].

(drugs) a guide or caretaker during a hallucinogenic experience; such a person is either not taking the drug or is a veteran user.

1969		R.R. Lingeman Drugs from A to Z (1970) 105: ground man ground control.
1971		Illinois Legislative Investigating Committee Drug Crisis in Spears (1986).
1982		AS LVII:4 289: A guide does not use drugs during parties but serves as a controller, known variously as groundman, babysitter, tour guide, co-pilot, ground control, guru, travel agent, or just sitter.
2001		ONDCP Street Terms 11: Ground control — The guide or caretaker during a hallucinogenic experience.

(US black) shoes, esp. new ones.

1915		T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 42: {Arrow pointing at large shoes:} Ground grippers of some size.
1944		Cab Calloway New Hepsters Dict. in Calloway (1976) 256: ground grippers (n.): new shoes.
1944		D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam News 13 May 6B: His groundgrabbers, ole man, rocked like Count Basie’s ‘One O’Clock Jump’.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 165: I heard his ground grippers skid against the floor.

see separate entries.

see separate entry.

(Aus.) a small farmer.

1903

Bulletin (Sydney) 22 Oct. 17/1: Struck a ground-parrot’s place on the Darling.

1. (US) an infantry soldier.

1942		in Yank 5 Aug. 15: The ground pounders [...] the infantry [HDAS].
1945		Air Words 20: Ground hog. One who doesn’t fly, especially one who is afraid to fly. See paddlefoot, ground gripper, dust eater, ground pounder, penguin.
1954		A.G. Thompson Greatest Airlift 20: Most of the reporters were concentrating on covering the ground-pounder’s view of the war.
1967		Current Sl. II:2 16: Ground pounder, n. A non-rated USAF officer; any Army man (Air Force Academy).
1969		J. Crumley One to Count Cadence (1987) 159: Fuckin’ ground-pounders hidin’ in the dark like a bunch a fuckin’ niggers.
1989		Hackworth & Sherman About Face (1991) 37: I’m a recon man [...] I’m no dumb groundpounder.
1993		T. Jones Pugilist at Rest 11: I told the colonel, ‘Hell no, sir. I want to go 003 – infantry. I want to be a ground-pounder’.
2004		D. Zucchino Thunder Run 234: Hubbard had been a marine machine gunner in the Gulf War, a ground pounder.

2. attrib. use of sense 1.

1989

Hackworth & Sherman About Face (1991) 38: The I&R Platoon was a groundpounder unit.

(US black) sexual intercourse (cf. under rations n.).

1942		Z.N. Hurston ‘Story in Harlem Sl.’ in Novels and Stories (1995) 1009: Ground rations: sex, also under rations.
1966		Trimble 5000 Adult Sex Words and Phrases.
1996		Eble Sl. and Sociability 83: Matters of sex and women account for 43 terms, for example [...] ground rations ‘copulation’.

(US und.) a criminal land agent.

1882

A. Trumble Crooked Life in Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 22 July 6/1: The swindling land agent is another of the emigrant’s deadly foes [...] through him the unfortunate foreigner buys lots in places which do not exist and wastes his substance on paper farms greatly to the profit of these ‘ground sharks’.

(US black) feet; also shoes.

1953

L. Durst Jives of Dr. Hepcat (1989) 1: A group of fellows see a particular good dancer and are discussing him. ‘Jimson, you can believe that cat’s wings are not clipped because he is naturally buzzing cuzin. You better believe that he can work his ground smashers overtime.’.

a grave; thus as v. or take a ground-sweat, to be buried.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Grownd-Sweat a Grave.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
c.1816		‘The Night Before Larry Was Stretched’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 81: Then at darkey we waked him in clover, / And sent him to take a ground-sweat.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict. 16: Ground sweat – to be buried.
1838		Sheffield Indep. 11 Aug. 8/3: He was very nervous. He often said he should never be right until he got a ‘ground sweat’.
1841		‘Night Before Larry Was Stretched’ in Dublin Comic Songster 187: Soon after the noose was untied, / And at dark we waked him in clover, / And sent him to take a ground sweat.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open [as cit. 1835].
1857		Manchester Courier 28 Feb. 4/2: He was a nasty, worthless mass of corruption, and nothing could cure him but a ground sweat, and [...] if she had her way he should soon have it.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum.
1881		Trumble Sl. Dict. (1890).

as required, satisfactory.

1890

London Dly News 1 Feb. 4/7: When we are tired of crying ’A1’ we may say ‘the cheese’ or ‘all there’ or ‘up to the knocker’ or ‘down to the ground’.

1. (US) of a person, sturdy.

1887		Lantern (N.O.) 15 Oct. 5: Andy Bohne is a well-knit and spunky litle chap, and built from the ground up.
1938		D. Runyon ‘The Big Umbrella’ in Runyon on Broadway (1954) 560: Anybody can see that he is built from the ground up.

2. (orig. US) from the very beginning, from first principles, in essence.

1907		W.M. Raine Bucky O’Connor (1910) 52: Fact is, we suited each other from the ground up.
1999		Guardian 13 July 18: It is fine work that [...] tells the truth from the ground up.