heave, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

heave v.

[SE heave, to lift and carry away]

1. to rob.

c.1561		implied in heave a bough
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn).
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew.
1748		Dyche & Pardon New General Eng. Dict. (5th edn) n.p.: Heave (v.)... in the Canting Language, it is to rob or steal from any person or thing .
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open.
1859		‘Scene in a London Flash-Panny’ Matsell Vocabulum 98: You mean Jumping Jack, who was done last week, for heaving a peter from a drag.
1859		Matsell Vocabulum 41: heave To rob. ‘To heave a crib,’ to rob a house [...] heaving Stealing; taking. ‘The cove was done for heaving a peter from a cart’ the fellow was convicted for stealing a trunk from a cart.

2. to vomit (also heave up) [the sensation in one’s stomach].

1862		‘Artemus Ward’ ‘Cruise of the Polly Ann’ Artemus Ward, His Book n.p.: Stickin my hed out of the cabin window, I hev.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 145/2: His stomach revolted against the unwelcome intruder, and now he was heaving like a sea-sick looby.
1876		St Louis Globe-Democrat 19 Jan. n.p.: The party are supposed to be ‘off on a tear,’ and should one of them, at this stage of the game, ‘get it up his nose,’ he is asked by his beloved associate if he has ‘got ’em,’ and is requested to ‘heave her up, old man’.
1906		J.W. Carr ‘Words from Northwest Arkansas’ in DN III:ii 140: heave, v. To vomit. ‘He was so sick, he was heavin’.’.
1916		G. Jennings Poached Eggs and Pearls (1917) 19: But this ’ere cocoa! [...] I can’t ’elp it, old man, it fairly makes me ’eave.
1929		K.S. Prichard Coonardoo 300: Monty said he heaved his heart out, first time he touched her.
1959		D. Hewett Bobbin Up (1961) 42: Ah, get away from me, you bloody bosses’ crawler. You make me heave.
1959		W. Brown Teen-Age Mafia 95: The skinny guy was trembling [...] and looked like he was ready to heave.
1966		C. Wood Fill the Stage With Happy Hours (1967) Act II: You’ve seen Albert pissed and heaving both ends a pool, on his knees, on the lino, in the hall.
1970		(con. 1950s) H. Junker ‘The Fifties’ in Eisen Age of Rock 2 (1970) 99: Heaving, tossing, blowing your lunch (cookies).
1981		S. Berkoff Decadence in Decadence and Other Plays (1985) 35: I want to be sick / I want to heave up.
1986		C. Bowles G’DAY 88: AARON. (offering him a glass·of warm beer) Wanna heart starter? SHANE. Jeez no. I'd heave.
1992		D. Burke Street Talk 2 19: I think I’m gonna heave!
2003		N. Griffiths Stump 13: Can’t even stand the fuckin smell of that stuff, me. Makes me fuckin heave.

3. to retch without expelling matter.

a.1949

N. Algren Little Lester’ in Entrapment (2009) 100: He wanted to be sick, and couldn’t. All he could do was heave.

4. attrib. use of sense 2.

1959

E. De Roo Go, Man, Go! 47: Soon after the second Paul felt the heave sign and went to the men’s room.

In phrases

heave a bough (v.) (also heave a booth) [SE bough, booth]

(UK Und.) to rob or rifle a booth or house; thus booth-heaver, one who performs such a robbery.

c.1561		Awdeley Fraternitye of Vacabondes in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 4: Hys chiefest trade is to rob Bowthes in a Faire, or to pilfer ware from staules, which they cal heauing of the Bowth.
c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 84: to heue abough to robbe or rifle a boeweth.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching n.p.: [as cit. c.1566].
1608		Dekker Belman of London D2: To rob Boothes at Fayres [...] they call Heauing of the Booth.
1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle V i: Ben mort, shall you and I heave a bough, mill a ken, or nip a bung.
1637		Dekker ‘Canting Song’ in Eng. Villainies (8th edn) O2: Weele heave a Booth, and Dock agen, and Tryning scape and all is well.
1648		Dekker ‘Canters Dict.’ Eng. Villainies (9th edn).
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 319: I met with an old comrade that had lately heav’d a Booth.
1674		‘The Beggars Curse’ Head Canting Academy (1674) 14: If we heave a booth we cly the Jerk.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn) 45: Gilts, Shoplifts, Files, Bulkers, Runners, Padders, Booth-heavers, Vouchers, and the like.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Heave a Bough, rob a Booth.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Heave c. to Rob. Heave a Bough, c. to Rob a House.
1707		J. Shirley Triumph of Wit.
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: booth a House, as, Heave a Booth; Rob a House.
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. 1725].
1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict. 115: To rob a House Heave a Booth.
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict. 19: To rob a House – Heave a Booth.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

heave a case (v.) [case n.³ (1)]

to rob a house.

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.

heave it into (v.)

(US) to persuade, to impose a story upon.

1899–1900

C.L. Cullen Tales of the Ex-Tanks 162: When you try to heave it into us that you found three thoroughbred fox-terrier pups [...] why, you’ll just excuse me, for one, if I —.

heave up (v.)

see sense 2 above.