Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a friend, an accomplice.

1760		‘Come All You Buffers Gay’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 53: Let your pal that follows behind, / Tip your bulk pretty soon.
1789		G. Parker Life’s Painter 136: Here’s an old pall of mine.
c.1800		‘Teddy Blink and Bandy Jack’ No. 26 Papers of Francis Place (1819) n.p.: He dings it to his nearest pal.
1810		Morn. Post (London) 31 July 3/3: When Bill Soames heard that Sir Francis Slygo sneaked off from the Tower in a swimmer, he observed he was a shycock and that all his pals ought to turn him up.
1819		‘One of the Fancy’ Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 40: Yet, now, such loving pals are they, / That GEORGY [...] Is proud to be his bottle-holder!
1819		T. Moore ‘The Milling Match’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 86: His pall, well-known through many a lark and spree.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 610: Some of their pedestrian palls† were following close in the rear. [† Palls—Partners, accomplices, or colleagues].
1821		J. Burrowes Life in St George’s Fields 13: Dick was now obliged to give his pal the wink.
1822		Life and Trial of James Mackcoull 23: You who have not only fought shy, and bucketed your pells for many a good thing you did, but who, contrary to all rules of honour among family-men, left your friend on French leave.
1832		Egan Bk of Sports 231: Shelton, in company with a staunch pal [...], had determined on a day’s spree in the country.
1838		‘Hurrah For The Girls’ in Rambler’s Flash Songster 16: Next morning we rise and missing out blunt, / We curse both them and our palls.
1841		Flash (NY) 3 Oct. n.p.: Casting about for a pal — for thieves seldom rob without engaging a friend.
1848		‘Ned Buntline’ Mysteries and Miseries of N.Y. I 60: Little Charley Cooper and his pal, Big Lize, were there.
1849		Leamington Spa Courier 4 Aug. 4/5: A Boy that does sport his flimsies in equal shares among his palls.
1850		Life in Boston & N.Y. (Boston, MA) 6 Apr. n.p.: One or more trusty companions, whom he terms his ‘pals’.
1852		Kendal Mercury 24 Jan. 6/1: The baptized nergo [...] pretended to speak in his native language which his pall learnedly interpreted.
1859		W. Burrows Adventures of a Mounted Trooper 54: [They are] discussing together the case of their ‘pal’.
1861		(con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 67/2: A pal of mine, of the name of Smith. [Ibid.] IV 309/2: Certain beershops and public-houses, kept possibly by some old ‘pals’ or connexions of the felon class.
1863		Mercury (Hobart, Tas.) 30 Apr. 3/6: An impression is abroad that these prisoners were, to use a slang word — ‘pals’.
1866		Night Side of N.Y. 37: The comrades, or ‘pals,’ selected by him are usually young and somewhat inexperienced hands.
1877		Five Years’ Penal Servitude 120: The ‘pals’ or friends of a man in trouble soon find out where he is.
1884		A. Griffiths Chronicles of Newgate 514: The return from transportation of an old ‘pal’ and confederate, who brought with him some bills of exchange.
1895		C. Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 55: Palling In, the union of male and female thief, to steal and live together.
1899		C. Rook Hooligan Nights 7: ’Ere’s where me and my pal was.
1902		‘The Wasp’ ‘Tales of the Penance Track’ in Bulletin (Sydney) 31 May 31/1: ‘Me and my pal had a little cane stick which unscrewed at the top and bottom, just leaving space enough to plant a quid’.
1907		J. London Road 87: My pal had told me to follow his lead.
1914		Chuckles 10 Jan. 1: Our pals got their belongings all right.
1924		‘Sapper’ Third Round 594: Your diamond pal Blantyre knew the old German.
1928		C. McKay Home to Harlem 321: Can’t find a pal that’s constant, can’t find a gal that’s true.
1930		(con. 1900s–10s) Dos Passos 42nd Parallel in USA (1966) 75: Maybe you and your pal’ll come and see us at our apartment.
1941		G. Kersh They Die with Their Boots Clean 83: Work willingly and do your best, and I’m your pal.
1949		N. Algren Man with the Golden Arm 51: I want you to meet the best pal a Polak ever had.
1957		Kerouac On The Road (1972) 41: Major and I were great pals.
1959		F. Norman Fings I i: Fred, ain’t I always been your best pal?
1962		K. Amis letter 20 June in Leader (2000) 602: What more natural than that I should be sendin a Leter to my Old yank Pall roo-kaiser what a Swel kidd he is and no Eror.
1969		‘Iceberg Slim’ Pimp 32: He was likeable and I was hungry for a pal.
1972		P. Fordham Inside the Und. 29: Getting a pal into the job of a faithful butler.
1979		‘Iceberg Slim’ Airtight Willie and Me 29: Accessories an old pal junkie ’ho had boosted.
1989		C. Hiaasen Skin Tight 187: I was seriously gypped by your doctor pal.
1989		M. Walker How to Kiss a Crocodile 87: ‘Can you help mate?’ ‘Anything for a pal’.
1998		C. Fleming High Concept 108: Shew flew [...] to Aspen with Simpson’s plastic surgeon pal.
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 12: Soon I’ve got five or six good pals working for me.

2. (also pallie, pal-pal) a term of familiar, usu. affectionate address.

1838		Comic Almanack Apr. 132: Come Bet, my pet, and Sal, my pal, a buss and then farewell.
1879		G.R. Sims Dagonet Ballads 69: Jack, old pal, is it you over there?
1904		G.M. Hewett Rat 190: I tell you, old pal, and I believe you will agree with me.
1910		H. Hapgood Types from City Streets 316: ‘Why pal,’ he said, ‘I met you [...] at the Chatham.’.
1915		Wodehouse Psmith Journalist (1993) 296: ‘Say, pal,’ he remarked to Psmith.
1932		V.F. Nelson Prison Days and Nights 25: You said it, pal.
1941		A. Gurney Bluey & Curley 25 Feb. [synd. cartoon strip] Slide it [i.e. a message] under the tent will yer pal!!
1949		W.R. Burnett Asphalt Jungle in Four Novels (1984) 128: You better be legit, pal.
1958		R. Prather Scrambled Yeggs 53: Okay, pal. But you just made a mistake. We’ll get together again.
1960		(con. 1940s) D. MacCuish Do Not Go Gentle (1962) 346: Isn’t that right, ole pal-pal?
1963		J. Rechy City of Night 26: Thats what I am, pal, and I aint ashamed of it.
1977		E. Bunker Animal Factory 21: ‘Okay, pal,’ Earl said, turning away before he got into trouble.
1981		J. Sullivan ‘Big Brother’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] By the way Dougie, old pal, what were you selling them for?
1997		E. Little Another Day in Paradise 199: Don’t call me pal, or ace, and don’t even think about buddy.
2000		Guardian Guide 29 Jan.–4 Feb. 52: Speak for yourself, pal.
2010		A. Steinberg Running the Books 11: You okay, pal? You don’t look too good.
2016		V. McDermid Out of Bounds (2017) 20: ‘Are you all right, pal?’ he called.
2017		T. Pluck Bad Boy Boogie [ebook] ‘Don’t Hulk out on me, pallie’.
2021		Breen & Conlon Hitmen 220: ‘Right, pal, fucking sit here, we’re going to do a bit of work’.