Green’s Dictionary of Slang

top v.3

1. (also top off) to execute by hanging.

[UK]C. Hitchin Conduct of Receivers and Thief-Takers 16: He being known as an old Practitioner, will certainly be cast and top’d, alias hang’d.
[UK]J. Dalton Narrative of Street-Robberies 28: He [...] delighted to see the Whores now and then put to their Shifts, that they might learn to live, when the Finisher of the Law had topp’d all their Cullies.
[UK]Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict. 118: To be hang’d To be Topt.
[UK](con. 1710–25) Tyburn Chronicle II in Groom (1999) xxix: To be Topp’d or Scragg’d To be Hang’d.
[US] ‘Flash Lang.’ in Confessions of Thomas Mount 19: Ready to be topped, going to be hanged.
[US]H. Tufts Autobiog. (1930) 292: Topt signifies hanged.
[UK]Lex. Balatronicum.
[Aus]Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang.
[Ire]Tom and Jerry; A Musical Extravaganza I vi: You can hang yourself with it as elegantly as if Jack Ketch topped you at Tyburn.
[UK]Times 30 June 5/5: The prisoner [...] said that he not care if he was topped (hanged); and Jones said that [...] he did not care if he was lagged (transported).
[UK]‘Poll Tomkinson’ in Convivialist in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 15: So at eight one morn, Bill Gubbins got topp’d, So he croak’d like a cock for Poll Tomkinson.
[UK]J. Lindridge Sixteen-String Jack 128: There never vos anything half so pretty, since the crack for vich Dick vas topped at Tyburn.
[Aus]Bell’s Life in Sydney 26 Feb. 1/4: Me? me a square un, vy I’d be topped first.
[Ire]Cork Examiner 6 Feb. 4/4: Thirty-six were cast for death, and only one was topped (hanged).
[UK]Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
[UK]Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 97/1: He shook like a ‘bloke’ that was on the point of being ‘topped.’.
[UK] ‘Six Years in the Prisons of England’ in Temple Bar Mag. Jan. 216: I would rather be ‘topt’ at once, and be out of my misery, than remain in prison all my days.
[Aus]Australasian (Melbourne) 17 July 8/5: [T]o to be hanged is to be topped, tucked up, turned up, stretched.
[Aus]M. Clarke Term of His Natural Life (1897) 137: Fergusson was topped at Hobart Town.
[Aus]Sydney Sl. Dict. (2 edn) 3: Cropped - Hanged. Sometimes, topped.
[UK]M. Davitt Leaves from a Prison Diary I 17: They [i.e. pimps] have too wholesome a dread of being ‘topped’ (hanged) to add murder to their list of other accomplishments.
[UK]Times 14 Sept. n.p.: ‘Capital Punishment.’ Jack, my dear fellow, they top a lag out here (W. Aust.) for slogging a screw [F&H].
[Aus]‘Price Warung’ Tales of the Old Regime 213: Until you fellers are topped off we’ve got to stay here.
[UK]Lloyd’s Wkly Newspaper 27 Nov. 1/3: Thomas Daley [...] under sentence of death [said] he would rather be ‘topped’ [...] than be sentenced to penal servitude for life.
[US]D. Lowrie My Life in Prison 248: I don’t believe in topping a guy.
[UK]S. Scott Human Side of Crook and Convict Life 24: What’s the rope, anyway? Nuffink! Me bruvver was topped; me cousin was sent to the chair in the States.
[US]E. Booth Stealing Through Life 256: Remember his caper? Slugged two coppers; his partner was topped.
[US]D. Lamson We Who Are About to Die 249: If they top him, you can cancel it, can’t you?
[UK]J. Curtis Gilt Kid 61: He’d get topped for that.
[UK]V. Davis Phenomena in Crime 113: Dreamt I was topped again, last night.
[Ire]J. Phelan Letters from the Big House 30: The story of the time he was near being topped.
[UK]P. Hoskins No Hiding Place! 192/2: Topped. Hanged.
[Ire]B. Behan Scarperer (1966) 151: They’ll have to carry you out if you’re topped.
[US]T. Runyon In For Life 139: Those who were waiting to be ‘topped’ went to the movies with the rest of us.
[UK](con. 1920s) J. Sparks Burglar to the Nobility 92: If any crazed lag killed one of the screws [...] we’d all be topped.
[US] ‘Sl. of Watts’ in Current Sl. III:2 48: Top, v. To receive capital punishment.
[UK]F. Norman Norman’s London 23: He [...] wouldn’t show no mental agitation even if he was going to get topped in the morning.
[US](con. 1940s) J. Brown Monkey Off My Back (1972) 98: They’re gonna top me, soon.
[UK](con. c.1910) A. Harding in Samuel East End Und. 131: I was sure I’d get topped [...] I used to imagine a line where the trap was and practice stepping into the trap.
[UK](con. 1950s–60s) in G. Tremlett Little Legs 35: He was reprived when they decided to stop topping people.
[US]E. Bunker Mr Blue 50: I don’t think they’ll top him. He’ll get a reversal or a commutation or something. [Ibid.] 337: Ninety-one men were topped on Folsom’s gallows until California went to the gas chamber.

2. to kill, to murder.

[Aus]Age (Melbourne) 5 Apr. 7/4: Assault and Robbery [...] He pulled her away again, and she and the other cabman called out to the prisoner some slang expression which he thought was, ‘top him, Jack’.
[UK]J. Curtis They Drive by Night 13: Pompey or being topped like that poor bastard Allen.
[UK]J. Curtis Look Long Upon a Monkey 30: Don’t care if I do get topped.
[UK]R. Cook Crust on its Uppers 41: He nearly topped a screw [...] with a mailbag needle.
[US]T. Thackrey Thief 228: Well if you ain’t topped – who the hell was it got creamed in that Caddy?
[UK]G.F. Newman Villain’s Tale 140: ‘They won’t put you away. They can’t’ [...] ‘They’ll be a lot of aggro they do. I tell you, I’ll wind up topping someone. . .’.
[UK](con. c.1910) A. Harding in Samuel East End Und. 122: Bleeding murder will be done here if we’re not careful. Somebody will get topped.
[Aus]B. Ellem Doing Time 198: top: to kill. He ‘topped himself’ means he committed suicide.
[UK]‘Derek Raymond’ He Died with His Eyes Open 14: They topped him in one place and dumped him here.
[Aus](con. 1964-65) B. Thorpe Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 279: ‘He’s gonna to top you if you don’t do something’.
[Ire]P. McCabe Breakfast on Pluto 45: I think what put the tin hat on it was when they decided to top young Laurence Feely.
[UK]Guardian Rev. 28 Jan. 5: She can’t be tried a second time for topping him.
[Aus]P. Temple Dead Point (2008) [ebook] People say I topped Marco. Bullshit. Wouldn’t fucken waste my time.
[Aus]P. Temple Broken Shore (2007) [ebook] How did we get to over? [...] Because Donny tops himself?
[Scot]L. McIlvanney All the Colours 123: The Provies topped a judge.
[Aus]C. Hammer Scrublands [ebook] ‘[M]y article this morning all but convicting Swift of topping the girls’.
[UK]J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 653: ‘I hope you’re not dreaming of topping yourself today Love’.

In compounds

topman (n.)

a hangman.

[UK]W.N. Barley-Breake Divb: A nimble Ape his topman strait will be / And hangs vp Streton, whilst a Monkie did scoffe .
topsman (n.)

a hangman.

(ref. to 1739) Retrospective Rev. (London) 7:1 283: [Dick Turpin] was carried in a cart to the place of execution on Saturday April 7 1739 [...] and after speaking near half an hour to the topsman, threw himself off the ladder, and expired directly.
[UK]H.M. Milner Turpin’s Ride to York I iii: I shall never come to the scragging-post, unless you turn topsman.
[UK](con. 1703) W.H. Ainsworth Jack Sheppard (1917) 34: As the topsman remarked to poor Tom Sheppard afore he turned him off.

In phrases

top oneself (v.)

to commit suicide.

[UK] ‘English Und. Sl.’ in Variety 8 Apr. n.p.: Topping one’s self — Committing suicide.
[UK]G.F. Newman Prisoner’s Tale 166: Topped himself last night, he did. Hung himself in his cell ...
[UK]T. Wilkinson Down and Out 159: Not to top herself, surely?
[UK]K. Lette Llama Parlour 187: If I really had meant to top myself, wouldn’t I have left a goddamned note?
[UK]Guardian G2 16 Aug. 8: If you think I’m going to top myself [...] you’re mad!
[Aus]T. Winton Turning (2005) 146: She wondered if one day she’d ever work up the guts to top herself.
[SA]IOL News 2 Oct. 🌐 ‘If it was their editor I’d want to top myself,’ he crowed, using British slang for ‘suicide’.
[Scot]I. Welsh Decent Ride 76: The jumpers are usually gadges: very seldom dae ye git fanny tryin tae top itsel that wey.
[Ire]L. McInerney Glorious Heresies 346: Poor Ryan, poor poor Ryan, don’t you know he tried to top himself? Para-fucking-cetamol, like an amateur.
[US]S.M. Jones August Snow [ebook] ‘Remember the gun her husband used to top himself and the girl?’.
[Aus]C. Hammer Scrublands [ebook] ‘He’s dead. Topped himself [...] Blew his brains out with a shotty’.
[Scot]A. Parks Bobby March Will Live Forever 313: ‘[N]ot because I care if he tops himself or if May dies of a broken heart. I’m going to find him because he’s guilty’.

In exclamations

go and get topped!

(Aus.) dismissive excl., var. on go to hell!

[Aus]Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 10 Oct. 1/1: Ten invites to-fight, 10 invites to go and get topped, and 500 invites to have drink has been part of the programme since the first issue.
top me!

an excl. or mild oath.

[UK]Sporting Times (London) 15 Feb. 3/2: ‘I’ll go down on my bloomin’ benders [...] an’ swear as what I’ve said’s the truth [...] top me if it ain’t’.
[UK]E. Pugh Cockney At Home 185: Why, lumme, top me!