Green’s Dictionary of Slang

score v.

also score for

1. to get hold of.

(a) to obtain, to get.

[UK] ‘Long Vacation’ in Farmer Merry Songs and Ballads (1897) IV 139: When Poets and Players / Were so damnably poor; / That a three-penny Ordinary, / They often would Score.
[Aus]Sun. Times (Perth) 27 Aug. 4/8: He popped the question. [...] Accepted him after some consideration. Scored a bonza diamond ring.
[Aus]Sport (Adelaide) 27 Feb. 6/3: Can’t you score single girls? What about Marrabel.
[US]‘A-No. 1’ From Coast to Coast with Jack London 97: There [...] we lay when we scored our exit by train from Fairfax.
[UK](con. WWI) E. Lynch Somme Mud 132: We scored a hot bath and clean underclothing.
[US]Ersine Und. and Prison Sl.
[US]‘William Lee’ Junkie (1966) 116: I got a letter from Tige saying he had scored for a three-week continuance.
[US]H. Selby Jr Last Exit to Brooklyn 16: I knowya scored for a few bucks last night.
[Aus]J. Holledge Great Aust. Gamble 69: He scored his biggest single race win when Zulu won the 1881 Melbourne Cup.
[UK]P. Theroux Family Arsenal 248: ‘Let’s score a drink,’ he said.
[US]Pileggi & Scorsese Goodfellas [film script] 11: Every day I was learning to score.
[UK]J. Mowry Way Past Cool 12: ‘We don’t score school lunch . . .’ ‘We don’t get nuthin all goddam day.’.
[Aus]J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 95: On the soggy Saturday which was 1 November that year he [Poseidon] scored the VRC Derby.
[UK]Indep. Rev. 29 Feb. 7: I just need 20p more so I can score a cheeseburger.
[US]D. Winslow Winter of Frankie Machine (2007) 121: They scored; they went out on scores. They scored merchandise off the backs of trucks, street tax from bookies, vig from shylock money, no-show jobs on construction sites.
[US]J. Díaz This Is How You Lose Her 96: [He] announced that he had scored himself a part-time job.
[Aus] A. Nette ‘Chasing Atlantis’ in Crime Factory: Hard Labour [ebook] Chance [...] wondered how the old bastard had scored a catch like her.
[US](con. 1962) J. Ellroy Enchanters 39: Nat and Robbie scored three surveillance trucks.

(b) to consume.

[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 28 Feb. 10/2: ‘By Jove, old man, you must have walked into the nectar divine pretty stiff last night! How much did you score on your own account?’ ‘Seven bottles.’.

(c) to obtain money.

[Aus]‘Dads Wayback’ in Sun. Times (Sydney) 28 Dec. 5/4: ‘[E]f so be ther wages is riz ter a bob an’ er scrum an hour, an’ rents goes up another five bob, I can't see [...] how them coves is goin' ter score’.
[US]Jackson & Hellyer Vocab. Criminal Sl. 74: score [...] to successfully negotiate; to ‘make a touch’... ‘We scored seven times in the same joint by ringing up,’ i.e., disguising.
[US] ‘Und. and Its Vernacular’ in Clues mag. 158–62: score Obtain.
[US]D. Clemmer Prison Community (1940) 335/1: score, vt. To succeed, to make good: ‘he scored for two grand.’.
[US]D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam News 18 May 13: All chicks are poor and seldom score.
[US]J. Scarne Complete Guide to Gambling 690: Score a big touch – to fleece a player or players for a large amount of money.
[US]N. Thornburg Cutter and Bone (2001) 163: ‘And will we score?’ ‘You tell me.’.
[UK]‘Derek Raymond’ He Died with His Eyes Open 55: The driver scores an the punter thinks, that firm Planet, they’ve got a bit of class.
[US] in J. Breslin Damon Runyon (1992) 120: The knock of opportunity sounds clear in the morning air, [...] the scale tips, and the thief is assured of scoring.
[UK]K. Sampson Outlaws (ms.) 134: I always think about my VAT when I’m off to score the settle.
[US]W. Keyser ‘Carny Lingo’ in http://goodmagic.com 🌐 Score — To separate a mark from a significant amount of cash.
[Aus]A. Nette Orphan Road 22: ‘[T]rying to keep Cornelius’s paws off me long enough to score the cash’.

(d) (US campus) to obtain something desirable, usu. sex.

[US]H. Rhodes Chosen Few (1966) 168: He made up his mind that if he did hear from her again he would score.
[US]N. Thornburg Cutter and Bone (2001) 17: Well, how’d we do these last few days? [...] Did we score big?
[UK]A. Payne ‘Minder on the Orient Express’ Minder [TV script] 69: You’ve scored there, Arthur. She’s definitely after your little body.
[Aus]J. Morrison Share House Blues 9: ‘He scores every night,’ says Neptune, awed.
[UK]Guardian 21 Jan. 32: Score what? Birds? Charlie? What?
[US](con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 194: He probably does thios to a dozen girls a year [...] Gets them up to his apartment like that. He probably scores with most of them, too.

2. to succeed, to do well.

[UK]Bristol Magpie 15 Feb. 12/1: The ‘Dumb Man of Manchester,’ in which Mr. Will White ‘scored’ on Saturday, is to be repeated on Friday.
[UK] ‘’Arry on Law and Order’ in Punch 26 Nov. 249/1: His Radical rot about ‘ransom’ won’t turn up agen; it don’t score.
[UK]Bird o’ Freedom 8 Jan. 5/4: For the first—and probably last—time in his life the Pote has scored in polite society.
[US]P. White West End 154: If to fancy yourself in love with a married woman ten years older than yourself is, in Archie’s language, to ‘score,’ he is right.
[UK]Magnet 27 Aug. 11: It’s a bit thick if Bunter is to score all along the line like this, after acting the goat in that way.
[Aus]C.J. Dennis ‘Jim’s Girl’ in Digger Smith 68: You ’ave a fly; yeh’re sure to score.
Macon Tel. (GA) 9 Oct. in Tosches (2001) n.p.: Miller scored a second time with Phil Pavey in a clever bit of patter and a tuneful number.
[US]A. Baer in Waterloo (IA) Daily Courier 19 Jan. 35/1: A sleeper is something that sneaks up on you and scores without publicity.
[US]B. Schulberg On the Waterfront (1964) 14: It’s an election year and the Governor wants to score.
[US]M. Braly Felony Tank (1962) 105: If we don’t score here, we’ll have time for something else.
[NZ]G. Newbold Big Huey 253: score (v) Succeed in achieving some desired objective.
[Aus]Tupper & Wortley Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Score. Succeed in achieving a result […].
[UK]M. Walters Echo 312: Means she’s scored, doesn’t it? Means she ain’t no pushover.
[US](con. 1986) G. Pelecanos Sweet Forever 14: He could score somehow — no immediate prospects, but you never knew.

3. (orig. US, also score on) to seduce, to have sexual intercourse (with).

[UK] ‘’Arry at a Radical Reception’ in Punch 12 May 219/1: It ain’t every sportsman, dear boy, as can chuck on the war-paint and score.
[UK]‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘A Polyglot Policeman’ Sporting Times 1 Apr. 1/4: That rozzer isn’t in it, and he hasn’t scored a chalk, / He’s fair gone on her, but cannot give it lung; / For, through having everlastingly to jabber foreign talk, / He’s forgotten how to speak his native tongue!
[Aus]Sport (Adelaide) 12 July 8/3: They Say [...] Teddy B. [...] reckons he can score Maggie W. any day.
[UK]C. Holme Lonely Plough (1931) 112: If he expected to score, he was disappointed.
[US]J. Weidman What’s In It For Me? 37: I was scoring on models and better when you were still boffing flat-heeled comics at City College.
[US]B. Schulberg Harder They Fall (1971) 22: I scored with that redhead from the Chez Paris last night.
[US]‘Hal Ellson’ Rock 73: Anyway, I’m still going to score on Ella.
[US]A. Zugsmith Beat Generation 24: When all I want is to score with you.
[UK]T. Keyes All Night Stand 33: It doesn’t really matter if I don’t score at this place.
[Aus]Lette & Carey Puberty Blues 90: Garry thought he could really score this time.
[Aus]B. Humphries Traveller’s Tool 99: I could have hit the odd one between the legs like a plate of porridge too, but I’ve never scored with one.
[UK]N. Cohn Yes We have No 121: Macca? He couldn’t score with a two-quid hooer.
[US]T. Dorsey Stingray Shuffle 339: That one character you have who can never seem to score – he’s overstayed his welcome.
‘Chelsea G. Summers’ in Hazlitt.net 8 Jan. 🌐 We don’t have sexual intercourse—we ‘get busy,’ ‘hit it,’ ‘do the nasty,’ ‘get some,’ ‘score,’ and perform countless other acts that we refer to by adorable, horrifying, and illuminating turns of phrase.
[Ire]L. McInerney Blood Miracles : He could lift her in his ams and score her back on thiis wall.
[US](con. 1991-94) W. Boyle City of Margins 14: A kid like this, he’s scoring with little Antonina?

4. to commit a robbery, to make a dishonest gain, to filch something from a counter or stall.

[US]J. Black You Can’t Win (2000) 157: When [a thief] gets money he immediately makes tracks for some hangout where he throws a few dollars on the bar just to ‘give the house a tumble’ and let them guss where he ‘scored’ and how much he got.
[US]T. Runyon In For Life 25: We had scored for about $1700 cash each.
[UK]Oz 8 2: Kate and I scored his Travellers Cheques and passport.
[UK]P. Theroux Family Arsenal 47: You wouldn’t think it was such a big deal to score an old master.

5. (also score (for) a connection, score one’s connection) to buy drugs.

[US]A.J. Pollock Und. Speaks n.p.: Scored, made a purchase of dope.
[US]D. Maurer ‘Argot of the Und. Narcotic Addict’ Pt 1 in AS XI:2 125/2: score or score a connection or score for a connection.To purchase narcotics from a peddler.
[US]N. Algren Man with the Golden Arm 291: He was going to have to score for M.
[US]‘William Lee’ Junkie (1966) 11: I drifted along taking shots when I could score.
[US]Murtagh & Harris Who Live In Shadow (1960) 18: Listen, man, I ain’t scored my connection.
[US]J. Mills Panic in Needle Park (1971) 33: I couldn’t score, see, ’cause of the panic. I couldn’t find nobody.
[UK]‘Hassan-i-Sabbah’ Leaves of Grass 21: A Quid Deal, if you must score, should be purchased from someone you know.
[Aus]V. Viidikas ‘Island of Gems’ in India Ink (1984) 42: ‘Things are very bad,’ he says, ‘for scoring. The Indonesian Goovernment burnt all the ganja’.
[Aus]Tupper & Wortley Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Score. Succeed in achieving a result. Often used in the sense ‘I scored’ meaning success was achieved in purchasing drugs.
[UK]G. Burn Happy Like Murderers 151: You could crash there and you could score [...] Decent five-pound deals.
[UK]M. Amis Experience 52: You could always tell when Mum had scored.
[Aus]L. Redhead Peepshow [ebook] Betty scored some Es.
[US]J. Ellroy Hilliker Curse 30: I smoked weed and scored uppers.
[Aus]Sydney Morn. Herald 10 July 🌐 Many a night he’d perform on stage, head out to do some ‘burgs’ and then score.
[US]D. Winslow Border [ebook] ‘We have to go score’ [...] He can see they’re both jonesing.
[US]Rayman & Blau Riker’s 392: Someone who has a drug addiction, who’s just scored some heroin.
[UK]J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 323: He knew he was scoring a big big bump of carlos.

6. in context of commercial sex.

(a) to procure sex for a third party.

[US](con. 1964–8) J. Ellroy Cold Six Thousand 90: Pop relived his salad days as a pimp. I ran trim [...] I scored for the late JFK.

(b) (US gay) for a male prostitute to secure a client.

[US]Guild Dict. Homosexual Terms 40: score (v.): To find a paying customer. (Hustler slang.).
[US]B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 177: score 1. to locate a paying customer.
[US]H. Max Gay (S)language.

7. (S.Afr.) to give, to pass over.

[SA]B. Simon ‘Score Me the Ages’ Born in the RSA (1997) 134: lennie: Score me that Chestie. boykie: Sure (gives him cigarette).

8. (US police) for a corrupt policeman to extort an ad hoc payment from a violator so as to remit a threatened arrest.

[US]Knapp Commission Report Dec. 66: A ‘score’ is a one-time payment that an officer might solicit from, for example, a motorist or a narcotics violator. The term is also used as a verb, as in ‘I scored him for $1,500’.
[US]Knapp Commission Report Dec. 83: When police decided to score gamblers, they would most often flake people with gambling slips, then demand $25 or $50 for not arresting them. Other times, they would simply threaten a flake and demand money.

9. (UK black/gang) to kill or injure a rival.

[UK]T. Thorne (ed.) ‘Drill Slang Glossary’ at Forensic Linguistic Databank 🌐 Score - kill or injure an enemy.

In phrases

score between the posts (v.) [football imagery]

(Aus.) of a man, to have sexual intercourse, to seduce a woman.

[Aus]A. Buzo Rooted III iii: Gunna score between the posts, are you? Haw! Haw!

SE in slang uses

In phrases

score off someone (v.)

to make a point at another’s expense.

St James’s Gaz. (London) 2 July 5/1: The Judges of Appeal have scored off Mr Justice Stirling [who] has scored off the Judges of Appeal; nobody has scored off the House of Lords, and the House of Lords has scored off everybody.
[UK]E.W. Hornung Black Mask (1992) 198: He meant catching me before he’d done, and scoring off me in exactly the same way that I scored off him, only going one better of course.
[UK]Marvel 12 Nov. 2: Some of his personal belongings were packed among the stolen property, and he scored off Scotland Yard.
[Scot]‘Ian Hay’ Lighter Side of School Life 52: I always remember the time [...] when he scored off me for roller-skating on a Sunday.
[UK]Wodehouse Inimitable Jeeves 47: The tighter the corner [...] the more juicily I should score off Jeeves.
[UK]Wodehouse Right Ho, Jeeves 78: It isn’t often that I score off Jeeves in the devastating fashion just described.
[Aus]‘Banjo’ Paterson Shearer’s Colt 16: He knew that it would add lustre to his name if he could in some way score off this green-horn policeman.
[Aus]D. Stivens Courtship of Uncle Henry 72: Nobody was going to score off Jacky Seale.
[UK]J. Osborne Epitaph for George Dillon Act II: They’re very easy people to score off.
[UK]Wodehouse Jeeves in the Offing 161: You’d be worked up if you had just been scored off by Aubrey Upjohn.
[UK]P. Fordham Inside the Und. 160: The Law was completely scored off.
score on (v.)

(Aus. Und.) to inform against.

[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 15 Dec. 38/2: ‘Th’ Face scored on him,’ muttered Ginger, vindictively. [...] ‘It was him that copped you, wasn’t it, Ginger?’.
score someone the ages (v.)

(S.Afr.) to tell someone the time.

[SA]B. Simon ‘Score Me the Ages’ Born in the RSA (1997) 133: lennie: Score me the ages? [...] boykie: It’s nine-thirty.