Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to have sexual intercourse; thus juggling n. and adj.

1560		Becon Displayeng of the Popish Masse in Worckes III 36v: Anityichristes broue of Rome [...] know that ye are beastes of that marke, that wyl neuer fayle Lady Venus nor none of her kynde kytlinges .
1592		Shakespeare Henry VI Pt 1 V iv: She and the Dauphin have been juggling.
1607		Tourneur Revenger’s Tragedy (1967) II ii: There’s juggling of all sides. Some that were maids E’en at sunset are now perhaps i’ the toll-book.
c.1616		Webster Devil’s Law-Case I ii: Strange jugling tricks ... conveyed to a woman In a pudding.
1621		Jonson Gypsies Metamorphosed 3: Justice Juggs daughter [...] she greate with Jugglinge.
1719		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy III 69: Something was lost, which none found out, And He that had it cou’d not shew’t, Sure ’tis a Jugling Trade.
c.1780		The only True LIST, of those celebrated SPORTING LADIES [broadsheet] There with be matching of Cocks, Boxing, Jugling, Humbugging &c.

2. to steal, to cheat.

1549		T. Chaloner (trans.) Erasmus Praise of Folie (1509) 22: [W]hat pastyme haue thei at Mercurius, with his theft, and juggling.
1607		in Estienne et al World of Wonders 47: Dixi hodie mane de lingua fraudulatoria, & credo quòd iugling Gipsies Anglice, portatores reliquiarum.
1694		Proc. Old Bailey 30 Aug. n.p.: I did not think that he was a Pickpocket, so I let him go away; but since that I find they did all juggle together to get my money.
1699		Proc. Old Bailey 13 Dec. 2/1: She showed him some Juggling Tricks, till she had Juggled away his Money [...] There was divers other People who said they had been Juggled out of their Money by her.
1771		R. King New London Spy 146: He has brought many a dark design to light, unravelled many a mystery in the science of juggling.
1824		Pierce Egan’s Life in London 21 Nov. 343/1: The underlings employed in these regions of darkness are all expert lads at legerdemain tricks—(taught by a notorious Greek, well known [...] at the ‘lower hells' for his juggling wits at all games of chance and cards).

3. (Aus./W.I./UK black, also jug) to do any form of illicit business; to cheat; thus juggling n.

1911		E. Dyson ‘At the Opera’ in Benno and Some of the Push 88: ‘Gor blime,’ he said bitterly, ‘[...] They’ve juggled us fer our beans, that’s what.’.
1929		Advertiser (Adelaide) 25 Oct. 32/8: The ‘gloak’ (beggar) [...] is enlightened by cryptic signs of the whereabouts of the nearest ‘dolly shop’ (illegal pawnbroker) where he can ‘jug’ (pawn) whatever portable property he may have gathered in his travels.
1929		D. Hammett Dain Curse 275: ‘Mr. Andrews [i.e. the executor of a decedent’s estate] thinks you suspect him’ ‘He’s right’ ‘Of what do you suspect him?’ ‘Juggling the estate’.
1995		Francis-Jackson Official Dancehall Dict. 28: Jugglin [...] hustling.
2011		G. Hayward Corruption Officer [ebk] cap. 10: ‘Could you look out and hook me up with some cigarettes, not for me to smoke but so that I can juggle them.’ ‘What the fuck is juggling?’ I asked. ‘Juggling is when the inmates trade the cigarettes between them for whatever’.

4. (US drugs) to sell drugs, esp. to support one’s own habit.

1969		implied in juggler n. (4a)
1997		C. Newland Scholar 76: Him juggle rocks fe me, over in dat fuck-up estate down the road from Greenside.
2001		(con. 1981) A. Wheatle East of Acre Lane 120: It [...] mek us relax for once widout worries of juggling de herb [...] From dis day I ain’t juggling no more.
2002		Mud Family [untitled freestyle lyrics] This lifestyle we lead / Tryin’ to make a little money / Sure, we’re jugglin’ weed.
2013		K. Koke ‘Cold Roads’ 🎵 In these cold roads life is a struggle / Being poor is forcing us to juggle fam.
2021		Central Cee ‘Gangbiz’ 🎵 Three little boys, we were struggling bad / Start juggling crack for the stuff we didn’t have.