Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. in fig. use, to approach aggressively, to concentrate on.

1838		T. Haliburton Clockmaker II 94: Walk into the niggers, says I, they’ll help you to walk into the whites, and they’ll make you walk into parliament.
1846		Bell’s Life in Sydney 10 Oct. 3/2: He boldy walked into Tracey, and as boldly accused him of having eased him of his money.
1852		Yankee Notions Jan. 1: [pic. caption] I’ll wait on our Jemimer to kinder riz my dander a leetle. Then if I don’t walk into them are fellers, dang my carcass.
1874		‘Old Calabar’ Won in a Canter II 109: ‘So that damned Rasper and Downey have been talking, have they? [...] well, l’ll walk into them the first time I meet them’.
1919		Power vol. 49 9: That’s the language hectorspeaks when he faces [...] eight miles of scale-clogged boiler tubes [and]he walks into the scale like it was money from home!
1945		C. Himes If He Hollers 151: I just couldn’t walk into this woman with so much white inside her.
1984		W.D. Myers Motown and Didi 23: He didn’t let anything slide, and when there was more territory to walk into, the downtown people always knew who could handle it.
2012		R.A. Dickey Wherever I Wind Up 234: This kind of shame and pain no one can out run [sic] [...] I have nothing left to do but walk into the pain, take it on.

2. to be indebted to, e.g. a tradesman.

1832		Albany Microscope (NY) 2 June n.p.: This puppy [...] has ‘walk’d into’ us to the sum of 1.25.
1838		R.S. Surtees Jorrocks Jaunts (1874) 48: Nosey had managed to walk into his books for groceries and kitchen-stuff to the tune of fourteen pounds.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.

3. to defeat in a game of chance; to win money from.

1853

G.J. Whyte-Melville Digby Grand (1890) 31: With the advantage of superior play on our side, we ‘walked into’ our adversaries’ stakes. [Ibid.] 47: By Jove, Grand, if it only comes off, we shall walk into these Yankees ‘pretty considerable handsome, I estimate.’.

4. to spend money freely.

1859

H. Kingsley Recollections of G. Hamlyn (1891) 123: ‘Are you married?’ she asked. ‘Ay; a month since.’ ‘And you’ve got her money?’ ‘Yes,’ he said; ‘but I’ve been walking into it.’.

5. (US Und.) to cheat, to defraud.

1838

N.Y. Daily Express 24 Jan. 2/5: Henry Childs, black, and Henry McGrath, a couple of market swells, were brought up yesterday, charged with walking into a Down-easter to the amount of $20.

6. to scold, to reprimand; occas. as n.

1843		Illus. London News 8 July 6/3: The Times on Thursday turned point blank against Ministers: the thunderer came out with a flash of lightning, and struck Peel all of a heap. It was, in slang terms, a great walk into the minister.
1849		Thackeray Pendennis I 30: ‘By gad, sir, I sometimes dream, now, that the Doctor’s walking into me,’ Foker continued.
1857		Bell’s Life in Sydney 14 Mar. 3/3: Mr Roberts proceeded to ‘walk into’ Jack in a speech of telling sarcasm.
1861		T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxford (1880) 91: It makes Miller so savage. He walks into us all as if it were our faults.
1899		Kipling ‘Slaves of the Lamp — Part II’ in Complete Stalky & Co. (1987) 295: He walked into Stalky for one hour — Stalky at attention in the middle of the floor.
1901		Bulletin (Sydney) 27 July 31/2: ‘[M]e mother’ll ’ave somethink to say to yer for that,’ I sez, an’ hoff I goes an’ brings me mother down. My heye, didn’t she jist walk inter ’er!

7. to attack, to overcome, to demolish.

1794		Lord Hood 14 July in Nicolas Dispatches and Letters of Nelson (1845) I 438: note, From your rapid firing last night I flattered myself it was intended to walk into the Mozelle as this night.
1838		T. Haliburton Clockmaker II 20: If he war as big as all out-doors, I’d walk into him.
1840		T. Haliburton Clockmaker III 73: How I would like to walk into him!
1858		N.Y. Herald 16 Sept. n.p.: The way in which the Courier and Enquirer walk into the character and reputations of some of their old associates in the Clay movement is a caution to respectable blackguards [F&H].
1856		Bell’s Life in Sydney 26 July 3/3: He felt an irresistabble desire to pitch into somebody, and had ‘walked into’ the first parties he happened to come near.
1867		Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 28 Sept. n.p.: [I]nto her she walked in such a way that speedily laid the light-weight very low.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1889–90		Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 92: Walk into, to overcome, to demolish, to break trust, etc.
1900		Sporting Times 3 Mar. 2/2: The bloomin’ old Frenchman ’as wocked in, / The Sham ’un has swallered the lot!

8. to eat or drink to excess.

1836–7		Dickens Pickwick Papers (1999) 291: I wish you could ha’ seen the shepherd walkin’ into the ham and muffins. I never see such a chap to eat and drink — never.
1840		T. Haliburton Clockmaker III 40: Let us walk into half a bushel of these iseters; they are rael salts [...] He walked ’em into him as a duck does a June bug.
a.1848		Hiram Bigelow’s Letters in Family Companion in Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (1848) 375: I went into the dining room, and sot down afore a plate that had my name writ on a card onto it, and I did walk into the beef, and taters, and things, about east.
1854		‘Cuthbert Bede’ Adventures of Mr Verdant Green (1982) II 156: Now, Pet, my beauty! [...] just you walk into the liquors, because you’ve got some toughish work before you.
1874		‘Old Calabar’ Won in a Canter II 276: [He] walked into some October ale.
1881-2		T.B. Reed Fifth Form at St Dominic’s (1890) 123: ‘That’s the style,’ said Mr. Cripps, producing a bottle [of gingerbeer]. ‘Walk into that while I go and get the paper’.
1885		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.’.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 92: ‘[H]e walked into the bottle,’ drank it.
1929		J.B. Priestley Good Companions 14: An’ when I see the way they’d both walked into that salmon, you could ’a’ knocked me down wi’ t’same feather.