Green’s Dictionary of Slang

wear and tear, stress and strain; thus can’t stand the batter, not up to the stress.

c.1790		‘Swaggering Jack’ in Luke Caffrey’s Gost 3: His back had often felt the smart, / Of Tyburn strings at the tail of a cart; / He stood the batter but that’s no matter.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict. 71: BATTER, wear and tear; can’t stand the batter, not equal to the task.
1882		Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 1: Batter - Wear and tear.
1900–10		Stephens & O’Brien Materials for a Dict. of Aus. Sl. [unpub. ms.] 11: ‘Can’t stand the batter,’ i.e. not equal to the task.