Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US Und.) a large amount of plunder.

1859

Matsell Vocabulum.

2. anything important, noteworthy; often in the negative phr. no (big) thing; thus a big thing on, obsessive about.

1843		W.T. Thompson Major Jones’s Courtship (1872) 72: If they’s so monstrous well off, and sich big things whar they come from, what’s the reason they don’t stay thar.
1846		Lives of the Felons 15: Harry White [...] had informed him shortly after his arrival from new York, that a ‘big thing’ was coming off shortly.
1856		C. Abbey diary 14 Sept. in Gosnell Before the Mast (1989) 73: Sam said that we could have [...] all our meals on board the boat. Thinking this was a ‘big thing’ we told him to provide for us at once.
1858		C. Abbey diary 1 Aug. in Gosnell Before the Mast (1989) 131: India Rubber boots are a ‘big thing’ (to use a shipmates expression of anything good & of importance).
1862		‘Artemus Ward’ Artemus Ward, His Book 209: I’m a Union man. I luv the Union – it is a Big thing.
1865		G.A. Sala My Diary in America II 261: Sarytogy’s a big thing on dust, and that’s a fact.
1872		G.P. Burnham Memoirs of the US Secret Service 98: It was a ‘big thing,’ and a hellabulloo followed, next morning.
1884		E. Nye Baled Hay 65: If it could be arranged [...] it would be a big thing for humanity.
1894		C.H. Hoyt A Milk White Flag Act I: Oh, it’s a big thing to be a soldier!
1910		Wodehouse Psmith in the City (1993) 71: There was no denying that it was a big thing for the bank.
1923		Wodehouse Inimitable Jeeves 171: It’s a big thing, you know, this Christmas.
1934		Wodehouse Right Ho, Jeeves 65: It would be the fine, big thing, old egg.
1943		W.F. Whyte Street Corner Society (1955) 45: Of course, a Buick is a big thing.
1958		R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 34: This is the first really big thing I’ve had a chance at – putting my own time in on it.
1965		H. Rhodes Chosen Few (1966) 214: It ain’t no big thang.
1966		(con. 1947) L. Bennett ‘Big Tings’ in Jamaica Labrish 150: Big tings dah-happen a Council.
1974		D. Goines Daddy Cool (1997) 29: So what? It ain’t no big thing for her to catch a cab, is it?
1982		P. Theroux London Embassy 15: Being bisexual is a big thing in Europe these days. Everyone’s gay.
1985		N. Pileggi Wiseguy (2001) 26: In those days it was no big thing having a suspended sentence on your record.
1997		L. Pettiway Workin’ It 128: It was no big thing.
1999		A. O’Hagan Our Fathers 24: A drunkard was no big thing. Kids just had them at home.
2000		F. Mac Anna Cartoon City 83: He just felt like catching a glimpse of her. No big thing.
2001		J. Stahl Plainclothes Naked (2002) 282: I probably rubbed my face or something, then held my doggy when I went to the bathroom. It’s no thing.
2015		J.W. Davidson Little History of US 223: Sadly, this ‘Great War’ turned out to be the Next Big Thing.

3. (US black) a socially important individual.

1971

R.D. Pharr S.R.O. (1998) 48: ‘This john thinks he’s a big thing [...] Like he’s in society even’.

4. (US drugs) a kilo of cocaine.

1989

(con. 1982–6) T. Williams Cocaine Kids (1990) 37: He promised me he was going to get the big thing [a kilo] and I told Kitty to tell him I’d be waiting. I told him I didn’t have no front, and he said it was OK.