Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a loose overcoat or greatcoat, worn mainly in the 18C.

1712		J. Gay Trivia (1730) 8: That garment best the winter’s rage defends / [...] / By* various names in various counties know [note] * A Joseph, a Wrap-Rascal, &c.
1738		London Eve. Post n.p.: Some of them had that loose kind of great-coats on, which I have heard called wrap-rascals.
1753		Adventurer 101: Some of them had those loose kind of great-coats on, which I have heard called wrap-rascals [F&H].
1824		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 3 Oct. 6/2: She had wept — until her eyes and once-fair nose were as red as Zamiel’s [a character in the then hit opera Der Freischüttz, The Marksman] wrap-rascal.
1828		G. Smeeton Doings in London 52: Some of them had that loose kind of great-coats on, which I heard called wrap-rascals.
1837		‘The Devil and Johnny Dixon’ in Bentley’s Misc. Mar. 254: Come, Tom [...] on with your wrap-rascal.
1842		Nichols’ Wkly Arena (NY) 4 June n.p.: [He] quietly commenced divesting himself of his wrap-rascal.
1843		R.S. Surtees Handley Cross (1854) 42: He proceeds to divest himself of his elegant ‘wraprascal’.
1853		G.J. Whyte-Melville Digby Grand (1890) 281: Cram on a wrap-rascal and a shawl ‘choaker.’.
1857		Bell’s Life in Sydney 1 Aug. 3/3: He was indignant that his favorite ‘upper Benjamin’ should have been converted into a ‘wrap rascal’ .
1859		G.A. Sala Gaslight and Daylight 59: We have [...] Pilot wrappers, Wrap-rascals, Bisuniques, and a host of other garments, more or less answering the purpose of an over-coat.
1860–3		Thackeray Roundabout Papers xviii n.p.: There is the cozy wrap-rascal, self-indulgence, how easy it is [F&H].
1882		G.A. Sala in Living London (1883) Mar. 73: A delicious ‘Upper Benjamin’ – a most elegant ‘wrap rascal!’.
1899		R. Whiteing No. 5 John Street 246: The humble individual in slouched felt and threadbare wrap-rascal.

2. a red great-coat.

c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Wrap Rascal. A Red Cloak, called also a Roquelaire.
1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd, 3rd edn) n.p.:
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

(orig. US) to crash one’s car.

1951		M. Spillane Long Wait (1954) 112: He wrapped his car up.
1962		S. Sullivan Shortest, Gladdest Years (1963) 149: It wrapped itself around a tree near Conn College [...] He emerged without injuries and hitchhiked home.
1967		(con. 1951) McAleer & Dickson Unit Pride (1981) 14: We’d probably get it fallin’ off the curb or wrappin’ a jalopy round a telephone pole.

1. to bring to an end, to conclude, to stop doing something; esp. as imper. wrap it up!, stop!

1935		Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks 12: Wrap a case: To induce the prosecutor not to take further action [...] Wrapped up: To take no further action.
1938		R. Chandler ‘The King in Yellow’ in Spanish Blood (1946) 49: ‘Wrap it up!’ he snapped. ‘Can it. Put it on ice. Take it away and bury it. The show’s out. Scram, now — scram!’.
1949		W.R. Burnett Asphalt Jungle in Four Novels (1984) 281: You can tell him tomorrow that the case is wrapped up.
1956		J. Osborne Look Back in Anger Act I: Wrap it up, will you? Stop ringing those bells!
1959		W. Hall Long and the Short and the Tall Act I: Wrap up, boy!
1963		A.E. Farrell Vengeance 86: So long, partner. You c’n wrap up our partnership for yourself.
1971		A. Buzo The Roy Murphy Show (1973) 129: That just about wraps up our Rugby League segment for today.
1981		J. Wambaugh Glitter Dome (1982) 309: Here we are, big-shot detectives, wrapping up the year’s hottest homicide.
1986		C. Stroud Close Pursuit (1988) 135: Soon as we wrap here, me and Frank’ll bop over and bag ’em.
1998		D. Hecht Skull Session 449: Time to wrap this fucker up.
1999		Indep. on Sun. Rev. 25 July 7: Given only a few minutes to wrap things up.
2005		P. Howard Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightdress 57: Sorry, Ross, under orders to wrap it up this end.
2006		B. Matthews Intractable [ebook] ‘We’ve got to go, Bernie. You’ll have to wrap it up.’ I gently pushed Francis away. ‘I’ve got to go, sis’.

2. (N.Z./US Und.) to win.

1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 239/2: Wrap up. [...] 4. To win domination over; to control.
1959		G. Slatter Gun in My Hand 61: Wairarapa will wrap it up!

(orig. US) to eat and drink; often as imper. wrap yourself around that.

1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 28 Feb. 13/4: That furnishes us with a key to the Lara-like gloom which overshadows the proprietor of a free-lunch bar, when a Knuze scribe cheerily remarks, ‘put that glass o’ rum down to me,’ and then proceeds to wrap himself round the corned-beef sandwiches.
1911		T.A. Dorgan Silk Hat Harry’s Divorce Suit 14 July [synd. cartoon strip] Wrap yourself around the pie.
1926		M. West Sex (1997) I ii: Wrap yourself around this. Atta girl.
1933		C.G. Booth ‘Stag Party’ in Penzler Pulp Fiction (2006) 117: Wrap yourself around that food and I’ll give you a bell tonight.
1943		W. Guthrie Bound for Glory (1969) 298: I was wrapping myself around a big chicken dinner.
1959		D. Niland Big Smoke 219: I haven’t eaten yet. Feel like wrapping yourself around something, for company’s sake?
1969		G. Wyatt Saltwater Saints 28: Let’s get inside and wrap ourselves around these. I could eat the meat off a horse.
1977		S. Stallone Paradise Alley (1978) 73: ‘Where’s Lenny’ [...] ‘Wrappin’ his teeth around some lunch.’.
1980		L. Mantell Murder and Chips 92: Get yourself around that steak and stop talking shop.

(UK black) to kidnap, to hold to ransom.

2020

G. Krauze What They Was 22: Man are getting wrapped up and rnsomed to their older brothers [...] top shotters .

said of one who has notable success with women.

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

drunk on spirits, esp. gin.

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

1. to stop talking, esp. as imper. wrap up!

1943		Hunt & Pringle Service Sl.
1959		W. Hall Long and the Short and the Tall Act I: Why don’t you wrap up, Bamforth.
1965		E. Bond Saved Scene vii: Wrap up!
1971		N. Armfelt Catching Up 148: Shouts of ‘Wrap up!’.
1983		J. Sullivan ‘Thicker than Water’ Only Fools and Horses [TV script] Can’t you wrap up for five minutes!

2. see wrap around