Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (orig. US) to break windows, destroy appliances etc as part of a demonstration, a prison search, a robbery, etc; thus trasher n., a (political) vandal, trashing n., the action of political vandalism [coined by the radical Weatherman movement. Note the 1960s ‘underground’ revolutionary cartoon hero ‘Trashman’, created by Spain Rodriguez].

1970		letter to N.Y. Times 13 Oct. 44: Radical anarchists and mindless ‘trashers.’.
1970		Time 11 May 24: A Harvard senior argued that ‘one should just be here, not to trash or fight but to be on the right side.’.
1971		G. Hechinger Wall Street Journal 27 Oct. n.p.: ‘Trashing’ was invented as a non-destructive cover for window-breaking and other mayhem, often at the cost of thousands of dollars [R].
1989		C. Hiaasen Skin Tight 81: The high point of Chemo’s municipal career was his savvy trashing of local zoning laws.
1999		Guardian Guide 3–9 July 91: Authorities were soon trashing perfectly good homes and evicting their unfortunate tenants.

2. (orig. US) to beat up, to injure badly.

[1897		E.W. Townsend Chimmie Fadden 2: If you’ll trash de cur I’ll give you someting].
1977		C. McFadden Serial 107: Harvey threatened Spencer with grievous bodily harm. ‘Aw, man [...] whaddaya wanna trash me for?’.
1981		J. Ellroy Brown’s Requiem 121: I was ready to blow it all and trash the fat greasers right on the spot.
2002		D.H. Sterry Chicken (2003) 19: Find someone on the streets to take me in for the night, then bash my head and trash my ass.

3. (orig. US) to criticize (a work of art or similar creative effort) so as to undermine its validity, to malign.

1975		New Yorker 12 May 114/2: In Hollywood, the writer is an underling whose work is trashed, or, at best, he’s a respected collaborator without final control over how his work is used .
1989		H. Rawson Dict. of Invective (1991) 392: To trash [someone or something] is to destroy that person or thing figuratively through insult or other forms of deprecation.
1992		D. Jarman letter 4 Apr. Smiling in Slow Motion (2000) 112: That the Guardian, [...] should, when presented with serious issues, decide to trash them has made me more confused than usual.
2002		Simon & Burns ‘The Detail’ Wire ser. 1 ep. 2 [TV script] It’s bad protocolfor me to ask for help and then trash the help I’m given.
2004		Beastie Boys ‘Hey Fuck You’ 🎵 They were trashin’ your ass.

4. (US) to scavenge discarded goods, other people’s rubbish.

1986

Chapman NDAS.

5. (US) to go out to find casual sex.

1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 200: trash go out and be dirty; have sex with as many people as possible. Syn: go trashin’.
1978		A. Maupin Tales of the City (1984) 85: ‘Where are you going?’ ‘Here and there.’ ‘Trashing, huh? [...] Be careful, will you?’.

6. (orig. US) to vandalize, to destroy, to render a mess (with no political overtones); thus trashing n.

[1871		St Louis (MO) Republican April n.p.: What we admire most in Carl Schurz’s movement, is, that he comes out boldly and takes no pains to trash his trail. We admire plain dealings].
1971		Time 22 Mar. 26: Backstage at Comes a Day he got drunk and trashed his dressing room.
1987		Sun. Star (Auckland) 18 Oct. A6: Anger at high rents is mainly to blame for ‘house-trashing’ in this country, says the tenants Protection Association.
1992		J. Mowry Way Past Cool 227: ‘We could trash his ’partment.’ ‘An leave a dead rat in his bed,’ added Tunk.
2005		B. Hare Urban Grimshaw 64: Frank and Urban trashed every children’s home they were put in.
2013		D. Whish-Wilson Zero at the Bone [ebook] If the men who’d trashed the house hadn’t found what they were looking for, then Jennifer was in danger.
2020		S.A. Crosby Blacktop Wasteland 63: He had to trash the phone. [Ronnie] threw the phone on the ground and crushed it beneath his [...] boots.
2021		P. Papathanasiou Stoning 58: ‘Just don’t trash the joint and we’ll be sweet’.