Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also burn it out) to ride or drive fast on a motorcycle, car, or other machine.

1923		H.C. Witwer Fighting Blood 11: He had an elegant racing car, and we burn up the State road to Trenton.
1932		‘Paul Cain’ ‘Black’ in Omnibus (2006) 219: I waited till we had burned through the gate and were halfway up the block.
1939		A. Bessie Men in Battle 120: We used to burn up the roads something fierce.
1941		G. Kersh They Die with Their Boots Clean 184: This gentleman borrows the motor-bike [...] and, so help me God, he burns up the distance between Brighton and London.
1952		W.R. Burnett Vanity Row 96: ‘Come on, Tarawa. Let’s burn it up.’ They [...] jumped into Wesson’s car and were off with a loud banging in a dense cloud of oil-smoke.
1963		N. Dunn Up the Junction 3: The three of us climb onto the bikes [...] We burn up Tooting Bec and streak round a corner.
1965		W. Dick Bunch of Ratbags 169: I put me foot down and burnt off.
1972		C.E. Palmer Wooing of Beppo Tate 120: And did I ever go! Did I ever burn up that turf!
1972		D. Claerbut Black Jargon in White America 59: burn v. […] 2. to drive an automobile fast.
1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 23/2: burn drive a vehicle fast, phr. go for a burn, originally a bikie’s burnup; a burn off to drive so fast you leave the competition behind.
1991		C. Hiaasen Native Tongue 16: I burned up the interstate getting down here.
1998		G. Burn Happy Like Murderers 113: She would run for it and come to him and he would burn it out for her.
1999		Indep. The Information 9–15 Oct. 66: Players are given the opportunity to burn up the slopes on Snowmobiles.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].

2. (also burn off, burn one’s soles) to leave (fast).

1937		C. Odets Golden Boy II iii: It has to end [...] I oughta burn. I’m leaving you...
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 37/2: Burn up the pavement. To take sudden flight.
1972		D. Claerbut Black Jargon in White America 59: burn v. […] 3. to run fast.
1982		(con. 1970) J.M. Del Vecchio 13th Valley (1983) An ol’ cat leaps off in front of ol’ dog and burns down the block.
1999		(con. 1979–80) A. Wheatle Brixton Rock (2004) 101: He [...] burned his soles away from the scene of crime, with his accomplice in his slipstream.
2016		N. Cummins Adventures of the Honey Badger [ebook] We burned off to our selected huts to drop off our gear.

3. to outrun by fast driving.

1970

G. Scott-Heron Vulture (1996) 31: I heard about one narrow escape he made from the Man because Junior Jones burned up the patrol car.