Green’s Dictionary of Slang

lift n.

1. (UK Und.) a thief of parcels or packages; ‘he that stealeth or prowleth any plate, jewels, bolts of satin, velvet or such parcels from any place ...’ (Greene, 2nd part of Coney-Catching, 1591); a shoplifter or pickpocket.

[UK]Greene Second Part of Conny-Catching in Grosart (1881–3) X 118: The Lift is he that stealeth or prowleth any Plate, Juells, bolts of Satten, Veluet or such parcels from any place, by a fluight conueyance vnder his cloke, or so secretly that it may not be espyed.
[UK]Dekker Belman of London G3: He that first stealeth the parcell, is called The Lift.
[UK]Rowlands Martin Mark-all 53: He likewise ordered that all high lawyers, padders, Lifts, Foists, Cheaters or Cony-catchers, shal not presume to purchase any landes or reuenues.
[UK]J. Melton Astrologaster 10: Leauing not a Pick-pockets, Gilts, Lifts, Decoyes, or Dyvers Hose vnsurueyed.
[UK]J. Taylor ‘Travels of Twelve-pence’ in Works (1869) I 71: To Sharkes, Stales, Nims, Lifts, Foysts, Cheats, Stands, Decoyes / T’a Cut-purse, and a pocket picking Hound.
[Ire]Head Canting Academy (2nd edn) 28: A whole gang of rogues, distinguished by Files, Lifts, Gilts, Budges, Runners, Heavers, &c.
[UK]C. Hitchin Regulator 19: A Lift, alias Shop-Lifter.
[UK]J. Poulter Discoveries (1774) 29: To caution all Shopkeepers and Salesmen against Shoplifters of both Sexes [...] There shall be generally three Persons together, called in Cant Prigger Lifts or Files.
[UK](con. 1710–25) Tyburn Chronicle II in Groom (1999) xxvii: A Lift A Shop-lifter, one that steals Goods in a Shop under Pretence of buying them.
[UK]J. Fielding Thieving Detected 49: It is customary for a good Lift to get in the course of four or five hours, half a dozen cards of lace, two or three whole pieces of linen, cambrick or muslin, ten or twelve roles of ribbon, jewellery goods a great number.
[UK]Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
[UK]Lex. Balatronicum.
[UK]Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
[US]Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).

2. theft, burglary, shop lifting.

[UK]Greene Quip for an Upstart Courtier in Hindley Old Book Collector’s Misc. (1871) 28: Such young youths [...] fall then to privy lifts and cozenages.
[UK]Jonson Bartholomew Fair IV iv: Whit, bid Val Cutting continue the vapours for a lift, Whit, for a lift.
[UK]Jonson Gypsies Metamorphosed 10: For the Linnens we still vsd the lifte and with the hedge (our Trades increase) made shifte.
[UK]J. Shirley Triumph of Wit 182: The Upright Man, who being chosen for his Strength, Archness, and Policy in bringing them off at a dead Lift, is stiled their Chief.
[UK]J. Fielding Thieving Detected 48: The Lift or Hoist. Shoplifting, of all the other branches of thieving, is he most pernicious and destructive to tradesmen.
[UK]H.T. Potter New Dict. Cant (1795) n.p.: lift, or hoist shop-lifting, or robbing a shop.
[UK] ‘Tom the Drover’ No. 30 Papers of Francis Place (1819) n.p.: Suk’ May, she’s a saucy blowen, [...] / At the knuckle, or the lift none so clever.
[UK]G. Andrewes Dict. Sl. and Cant.
[UK]Flash Dict.
[UK]G. Kent Modern Flash Dict.
[US]‘Ned Buntline’ Mysteries and Miseries of N.Y. I 40: When I hear of the boys making a large lift, I always envy them.
[US]R.G. Porter ‘The Snapping Turtle’ in Southern Journal Monticelo, Missip. 13 Mar. 1: Whenever a sly attempt was made to give the book a lift.
Greenock Advertiser 28 June 4/2: When a ‘bludjeter’ and the ‘picking-up Moll’ have succeeded in making a good ‘lift’ they immediately leave the town.
[UK](con. 1840s–50s) H. Mayhew London Labour and London Poor III 386/2: She went on the lift in London (shopping and stealing from the counter).
[US]G.P. Burnham Memoirs of the US Secret Service 95: He made a big ‘lift’ at the Wolfboro’, N.H., Bank.
[UK]M. Davitt Leaves from a Prison Diary I 24: Such recent burglaries or clever ‘lifts’ as may have excited unuual interest in the public press.
[US]J. Lait ‘Canada Kid’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 162: It’s a dirty shame after I done swell lifts for years and bulled the swellest bulls outta the Chief’s office, to get picked up by a flatfoot in harness.
[US]Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
[US]Goldin et al. DAUL 125/2: Lift, n. 1. Pocket picking. [...] 2. Truck robbery [...] 3. Shoplifting. 4. Armed robbery.

3. a punch.

[UK]Sporting Times 4 Oct. 7/1: A picture [...] to show where the Mahdi stood when Gordon gave him a lift under the eye .
[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 1 Aug. 9/1: You could mark the merry manner in which they handed about the ginger-beer bottle with the rum in it, and the initiated could mark how ‘Hemmy’ got a ‘lift under the ear’ for taking too excessive a ‘suck’ at the same ambrosial flask.
[US]H.E. Hamblen Yarn of Bucko Mate 220: He proposed to argue the point with me, but I gave him a Western Ocean lift under the ear.
[Aus]J. Furphy Such is Life 223: That Martin wants a lift under the ear.

4. an improvement in (financial) circumstances; a raise in salary.

[UK]Mirror of Life 10/3: [H]e was stone-motherless broke,' and wanted to get a lift.
[US]S. Ford Torchy 36: ‘Get a lift every quarter, though, I suppose?’ says I. ‘I’m getting the same salary I began with.’.

5. (orig. US) the effects of intoxication from alcohol or drugs.

[US]S. Sterling ‘The Kiss and Tell Murders’ Popular Detective May 🌐 Worrying about your ‘lift’? [...] There’s a doc who’s a pal of mine. If you feel like breaking the habit [...] but he could help you get off it.
[US]W. Brown Monkey On My Back (1954) 185: He got a ‘lift’ from the morphine. It made everything ‘rosy’ and peaceful.
[Aus]‘Charles Barrett’ Address: Kings Cross 75: The ‘lift’ carried me right through the night’s work, making me feel gayer, more witty and more charming than ever before.
[US]H. Huncke ‘Frisky’ in Huncke’s Journal (1998) 35: I was feeling nervous and it occurred to me that possibly I’d get a lift.
[US]Baltimore Sun (MD) 15 Apr. T29/2: It’s really the kind of shit that I hate — big lift, big crash, all quick.

6. (US) a task, a responsibility.

[US]A. Kirzman Giuliani 273: Lutsenko’s advice was to get the American government to open up an investigation of its own [...] It was a huge lift.

7. see lift pill

8. see lifter n. (2)

In compounds

lift pill (n.) (also lift) [it gives one ‘a lift’]

(US drugs) an amphetamine pill.

[US]J. Hudson A Case of Need 173: She waved her hand impatiently. ‘Speed. Lifts. Jets. Bennies.’.
[US]E.E. Landy Underground Dict. (1972) 120: Lift pill...Amphetamine; an upper.

SE in slang uses

In phrases

give someone a lift (v.) [the victim’s body is ‘lifted’ through the air; note Grose (1785): ‘to give one a lift, to assist’]

1. to subject to judicial hanging.

[UK]D. Gunston (ed.) Jemmy Twitcher’s Jests 57: ‘Have a little patience,’ said the post-boy, (pointing to Mr Tallis [the hangman]), ‘there’s one behind who will give you a lift’.

2. to give someone a short, swift kick.

[UK]J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.