Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. one who ‘makes a mess’, a bungler.

1884		Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday 8 May 6/1: They mean well, but they are messers.
1894		Truth (Sydney) 14 Jan. 4/6: No, by gosh, we have no more coin to lose on a messer like you.
1900		Marvel XIV:344 June 6: A wooden-’eaded messer.
1903		A. Binstead Pitcher in Paradise 184: I’d rather drop a few thousands to Bob Sinclair than I’d get it off of some of the [...] messers that passes for workmen nowadays.
1919		Wodehouse Damsel in Distress (1961) 211: Of all the worthless, idle little messers it’s ever been my misfortune to have dealings with, you are the champion.
1991		R. Doyle Van (1998) 571: I don’t know what you two messers are up to —.
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 65: In this end of town it’s all young babes with tit-jobs, messers, chancers and hustlers.

2. (Aus./Irish) a trouble-maker.

1889		Dead Bird (Sydney) 20 July 3/3: But the Dead Bird knows a secret, and it perhaps may let it out, / If these messers try to kill the little total.
1996		P. Howard The Joy (2015) [ebook] Squirrel was a messer who was guaranteed to get you into trouble if you went anywhere near him.

3. an ‘amateur prostitute’, one who while not actively swapping sex for cash, will take ‘presents’ from her admirers.

1966		Trimble 5000 Adult Sex Words and Phrases.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 159: messer (fr pros sl) a girl who is new to prostitution; an unskilled whore. Syn: amateur.
1984		Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 734: from ca. 1916.

4. (US Und.) a professional thug.

1935

(ref. to a.1910) D. Maurer ‘Lingo of Good-People’ AS X:1 18/1: messer. a strong-arm man; a professional bully; a bouncer.

5. (Irish) an extremely incapable or irresponsible person.

1973		H. Leonard Da (1981) Act I: Messer!
1987		V. Caprani Vulgar Verse and Variations n.p.: Such ‘messers’ and insufferable triflers were the curse of any decent pub [BS].
1991		R. Doyle Van (1998) 377: Anyone – not messers now, or drug pushers or annyone like tha’ – annyone tha’ behaves themselves an’ likes their pint should be allowed in.