Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US juv.) father, papa.

1722		J. Verney Letter 8 Aug. in Verney Letters (1930) II 133: Dear Papy, – I desire You to send for me home [...] for to see the Duke of Marlborough buried [OED].
1763		I. Bickerstaffe Love in Village in British Drama (1804) III 369/1: Come, be a dear good-natured pappy, / And I'll reward you with a kiss .
1900		C. Chesnutt House Behind The Cedars (1995) 125: This is Mary B’s cousin on her pappy’s side.
1914		A.P. Man Jr ‘Further Word-Lists – Virginia’ in DN IV:ii 160: pappy, n. Father. ‘Wheah’s yo’ pappy?’.
1929		E. Booth Stealing Through Life 31: He [...] informed me that my ‘pappy’ would have to pay for it.
1937		E. Anderson Thieves Like Us (1999) 15: He’s a friend of your pappy’s, honey.
1946		in Randolph & Legman Ozark Folksongs and Folklore (1992) I 152: All I need to make me happy / Is three little young-uns to call me Pappy.
1950		A.B. Guthrie Way West 53: His pappy had fought the British.
1961		V.S. Naipaul A House For Mr Biswas 385: Prakash say his pappy got more books than you.
1970		B. Jackson Get Your Ass in the Water (1974) 58: The day he was dropped from his mammy’s ass, / he slapped his pappy’s face / and said, ‘From now on, cocksucker, I’m running this place.’.
1979		Fantastic Four Annual 34: So how come he’s always callin’ you Pappy?

2. (US black) a male lover.

1928		C. McKay Home to Harlem 14: Baby honey, sure enough youse a pippin for your pappy.
1949		in Randolph & Legman Ozark Folksongs and Folklore (1992) I 397: All I want to make me happy, / Is to get that yaller girl off’n her pappy.

3. an old man.

1933		J. Gray ‘The Nudist Gym Death Riddle’ in Vice Squad Detective 🌐 When it comes to displaying my feminine charms to a bunch of potbellied pappies [...] I draw the G-string.
1940		D. Maurer Big Con 202: Who are all those bald-headed pappies?
1952		W.R. Burnett Little Men, Big World 11: ‘I was merely looking for my youth. You’ll all understand about things like that later. For Downy—twenty years later.’ ‘Okay, pappy.’.
1971		T. Thackrey Thief 223: Not much like eating cat in the disposal plant. Right, Pappy?

4. as a term of address.

1943

R.L. Bellem ‘Phoney Shakedown’ Dan Turner - Hollywood Detective Feb. 🌐 Come on, pappy. Let’s take a little trip down to the bastille.