subs. (colloquial).—1. Intercourse, dealing: e.g., ‘I’ll have no TRUCK with you.’ Orig. (and still colloquial American), exchange, trading, espec. the barter of small commodities; whence (in contempt) odds and ends, rubbish, and spec. bad food, CAGMAG (q.v.), MULLOCK (q.v.). Also (now recognised) TRUCK-SYSTEM (TRUCK-SHOP), etc. = the payment of wages in kind instead of money: illegal since 1870–5. As verb (originally and still literary) = ‘to swop, barter, or exchange’ (B. E. and GROSE).
c. 1608. [CAPT. JOHN SMITH, Works, I. 82.] Much other TRUCKE we had, and after two dayes he came aboord, and did eate and drinke with vs very merrily.
1622. MOURT, Journal [App. New England’s Memorial, 360]. Retaining Tisquantum to send from place to place to procure TRUCKE for us.
1716. B. CHURCH, Entertaining Passages relating to Philip’s War, 8. Now they pass’d down into Punkatees Neck; and in their March discocovered a large Wigwam full of Indian TRUCK, which the Souldiers were for loading themselves with.
1778. Annals of Salem [BARTLETT]. About this time family stores were usually called TRUCK.… She looked out of the window for the market people, to ask them if they would take TRUCK for their produce.
1840. LONGSTREET, Georgia Scenes, 192. Mrs. R. What did the doctors give her for the fever and ager? Mrs. B. Oh, they gin’ her a ’bundance o’ TRUCK.
1847. W. T. THOMPSON, Chronicles of Pineville, 40. They purchased homespun, calico, salt, rum, tobacco, and such other TRUCK as their necessities called for. Ibid. (1848), Major Jones’s Sketches of Travel, 23. If the people of Georgia don’t take to makin homespun and sich TRUCK for themselves, and quit their everlastin fuss ’bout the tariff and free trade, the fust thing they’ll know, the best part of their popilation will be gone to the new States.
1884. S. L. CLEMENS (‘Mark Twain’), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, xiii. No use to take TRUCK and leave money.
1899. R. WHITEING, No. 5 John Street, xxvi. Fust time in ’er life … she ’s ever ’AD ANY TRUCK with any of them sort of ’er own sect.
2. (common).—In pl. = trousers: see KICKS.
3. (nautical).—A hat: see GOLGOTHA.
