P. P., an expression much in use among racing men, which means play or pay,i.e., either go on with the arrangement or forfeit the money. The following is a law of the turf on the subject:—The following races shall be considered “play or pay”:—The Derby and Oaks at Epsom, the St. Leger at Doncaster, the Two Thousand Guineas, the One Thousand Guineas, the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire, at Newmarket, the Ascot, Goodwood, and Doncaster Cups, and all handicaps above 200 sovs. value with two forfeits, the minor of which shall not be less than 5 sovs.; and the Committees of Tattersall’s, and of the Subscription Room at Newmarket, will take no cognisance of any disputes respecting “play or pay” bets on any other races, or of any bets made upon handicap races before the weights are published.This is the exact law on the subject, but as a rule all bets on horse-racing are consideredP. P.unless otherwise arranged. In all matches, though, whether turf, pedestrian, aquatic, or otherwise, a run is given for the money in ordinary betting transactions.P’s and q’s, particular points, precise behaviour; “mind yourP’SandQ’S,” be very careful. Originating, according to some, from the similarity ofP’SandQ’Sin the hornbook alphabet, and therefore the warning of an old dame to her pupils, or, according to others, of a French dancing-master to his pupils, to mind theirpieds(feet) andqueues(wigs) when bowing.Pack, to go away; “now, then,PACKoff there,”i.e., be off, don’t stop here any longer.—Old.“Make speede to flee, bePACKINGawaie.”—Baret’s Alvearie, 1580. Contraction of “PACKup and be off.” Sometimes the term “sentPACKING” is used to indicate a sudden discharge, as of a servant or mistress.Packets, hoaxing lies. Sometimes used as an exclamation of incredulity.—North.Pad, “to standPAD,” to beg with a small piece of paper pinned on the breast, inscribed, “I am starving.”Pad, the highway; also a tramp or itinerant musician.Pad the hoof, to walk; “PADDING THE HOOF, on the high toby,” tramping or walking on the high road.“Trudge, plod away o’ theHOOF.”—Merry Wives, i. 3.Padding, the light articles in the monthly magazines, of which the serial stories are the main attraction. Publishers of magazines seem to think that if they get a serial story from a popular novelist they can pack any amount of rubbish into the remaining pages. This is not so in America, as magazines like theAtlantic Monthlyand theOverland Monthlyshow.Padding-ken, orCRIB, tramps’ and boys’ lodging-house.Paddle, to go or run away.—American.Paddy,Pat,orPaddy Whack, an Irishman. A nickname ofPatrick.“I’mPaddy Whack, from Ballyhack,Not long ago turn’d soldier;In storm and sack, in front attack,None other can be boulder.”—Irish Song.Paddy’s goose, the sign of the White Swan, a noted flash public-house in the east of London, supposed to be Paddy’s idea of aGOOSE.Paddy’s land, “ould Ireland.”Padre, a clergyman. From the Portuguese.Pal, a partner, acquaintance, friend, an accomplice.Gipsy, a brother.Palampo, a quilt or bed-cover. Probably fromPalanpore, a town in India, renowned for its manufacture of chintz counterpanes.—Anglo-Indian.Palaver, to ask, or talk—deceitfully or otherwise, as occasion requires; “PALAVERto his nibs for a shant of bivvy,” ask the master for a pot of beer.Nantee palaver(pronouncedPERLARVER), cease talking. In this sense used by tramps. Derived from the Portuguese.Pall, to stop; “PALLthat,” spoken authoritatively, means, cease what you are doing. FromPALL, a small instrument which is used to stop the windlass or capstan at sea. When a man says, “I amPALLED,” he means he cannot or dare not say any more. A sailor, on receiving any extraordinary intelligence, will say, “YouPALLme,”i.e., you confound me. Most likely from the order frequently given on board ship, “Ease andPALL.”Palm, to impose upon. “You can’tPALMthat off upon me,” is said when an intending purchaser is suspicious of the quality of the article offered.Palm oil, orPALM SOAP, money; also, a bribe.Palmer, a swindler who used to visit shops under the pretence of collecting harp halfpence. To induce shopkeepers to search for them, he offered thirteenpence for one shilling’s-worth, when many persons were silly enough to empty a large quantity of copper on their counters. ThePALMER, a proficient with his fingers, generally contrived to conceal some before he left the shop.Palming, robbing shops by pairs—one thief bargaining with apparent intent to purchase, whilst the other watches his opportunity to steal. The following anecdote will give an idea of theirmodus operandi. A man once entered a “ready-made” boot and shoe shop, and desired to be shown a pair of boots—his companion staying outside and amusing himself by looking in at the window. The one who required to be fresh shod was apparently of a humble and deferential turn, for he placed his hat on the floor directly he stepped into the shop. Boot after boot was tried on until at last a fit was obtained, when in rushed a man, snatched up the customer’s hat left near the door, and ran down the street as fast as his legs could carry him. Away went the customer after his hat, and Crispin, standing at the door, clapped his hands, and shouted, “Go it, you’ll catch him!”—little thinking thatit was a concerted trick, and that neither his boots nor the customer would ever return. Instances of this kind of work frequently occur.PALMINGsometimes refers to secreting money or rings in the hand, as well as to bribing.Palmingis also the generic term for all that kind of conjuring which depends on manual dexterity, and which is totally distinct from the mechanical-contrivance department.Pam, the knave of clubs at the game of loo; or, in street phraseology, while the “Judicious Bottleholder” was alive, Lord Palmerston.Pannikin, a small pan.Pannum, food, bread.—Lingua Franca,PANNEN;Latin,PANIS;Ancient Cant,YANNAM.Pannum-bound, said of a pauper or prisoner when his food is stopped.Pannum-struck, very hungry, starving.Panny, a house—public or otherwise; “flashPANNY,” a public-house used by thieves;PANNY-MEN, housebreakers.Panny, in thieves’ cant, also signifies a burglary.Pantalettes, the drawers worn in America by little girls.Pantile, a hat. The termPANTILEis properly applied to the mould into which the sugar is poured which is afterwards known as “loaf sugar.” Thus,PANTILE, from whence comes the phrase, “a sugar-loaf hat,” originally signified a tall, conical hat, in shape similar to that usually represented as the head-gear of a bandit. FromPANTILEthe more modern slang termTILEhas been derived. Halliwell givesPANTILE SHOP, a meeting-house, from the steeple-crowned orPANTILEhats of its frequenters.Pantilealso means a flat cake with jam on it, given to boys at boarding-schools instead of pudding.Pantiler, a Dissenting preacher. Probably from the practice of the Quakers, and many Dissenters, of not removing their hats in a place of worship; or from the sugar-loaf hats originally worn by Puritans. Another derivation is from the earthen tiles, technicallyPANTILES(tiles hollowed in the middle, as distinguished from “pintiles,” the older sort, which are flat, smaller, and pinned or nailed to the rafters), with which meeting-houses of Dissenters are usually covered; hence the meeting-house came to be called aPANTILE, and its frequentersPANTILERS.Pants, American term for trousers. Here used to represent the long drawers worn underneath.Panupetaston, a loose overcoat with wide sleeves, now out of fashion.—Oxford University.Paper-maker, a rag-gatherer, or gutter-raker—similar to the chiffonnier of Paris. Also, a man who tramps through the country, and collects rags on the pretence that he is an agent to a paper mill.Paper-Worker, a wandering vendor of street literature; one who sells ballads, dying speeches, and confessions, sometimes termed a “running stationer.”Parachute, a parasol.Paradise, French slang for the gallery of a theatre, “up amongst theGODS,” whichsee.Parish lantern, the moon.Parish prig, orPARISH BULL, a parson.—Thieves’ cant.Parney, rain; “dowry ofPARNEY,” a quantity of rain.Anglo-Indianslang from theHindoo,PANI, water;Gipsy,PANE. Old Indian officers always call brandy-and-water “brandyPAWNEE.”Parson, a signpost. Common term in the north, where they say that thePARSONpoints, but does not lead. This is given, as the lawyers say, “without prejudice.”Parson Trulliber, a rude, vulgar, country clergyman, devoted to agricultural pursuits; the race is most probably now extinct. From the pig-feeding and pig-headed parson inJoseph Andrews.Parson’s nose, the hind part of a goose—a savoury mouthful. Sometimes called thePope’s nose.Part, to pay, restore, or give up; “he’s a right un, he is; I know’d he’dPART,”i.e., he is a liberal (or punctual) person, and pays his debts, or bestows gratuities. The term is in general use in sporting circles, and is very commonly employed when speaking of the settlement of bets after a race. It is probably derived from the very common reference to stingy people, who are described as not liking toPARTwith their money.Parter, a free, liberal person. Sometimes called a “goodPARTER.” Any one who looks twice at his money, or who doesn’t pay it at all, is called a “badPARTER.”Party, a person—term in very general use, similar in application to the German pronoun,MAN, a person, people; “where’s thePARTYas ’ad a’ orter be lookin’ after this ’ere ’oss?” policeman’s inquiry of the wrong cabman; “oldPARTY,” an elderly person. The term is said to have arisen in our old justice courts, where, to save “his worship” and the clerk of the court any trouble in exercising their memories with the names of the different plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses, the wordPARTYwas generally employed. Dean Alford remarked:—“The wordPARTYfor a man is especially offensive. Strange to say, the use is not altogether modern. It occurs in the English version of the Apocryphal book of Tobit, vi. 7. ‘If an evil spirit trouble any, one must make a smoke thereof before the man or the woman, and thePARTYshall be no more vexed.’”In Shakspeare we find the term:—“Stephano.How now shall this be compassed? Canst thou bring me to thePARTY?”—Tempest, iii. 2.This is not the only instance of the word being used by the immortal bard. “I once heard,” said the Dean just quoted, “a venerable dignitary pointed out by a railway porter as an oldPARTYin a shovel.” The last word is the vulgar term applied to the peculiar hat worn by clerical dignitaries.Pash, to strike; now corrupted toBASH, whichsee.—Shakspeare.Paste, to beat, to thrash vigorously.Pasteboard, a visiting card; “toPASTEBOARDa person,” to drop a card at an absent person’s house.Paste-horn, the nose. Shoemakers nickname any shopmate with a large nose “oldPASTE-HORN,” from the shape of the horn in which they keep their paste.Pasty, a bookbinder.Patch.This old English term of reproach, long obsolete in polite language, may yet occasionally be heard in sentences like these:—“Why, he’s not aPATCHupon him,”i.e., he is not to be compared with him; “one’s not aPATCHon the other,” &c. Shakspeare uses the word in the sense of a paltry fellow:—“What a pied ninny’s this? thou scurvyPATCH!”In old EnglishPATCHmeant a fool, a wearer of patched clothes of motley.Patent coats, the first coat, with the pockets inside the skirt, were so termed.Patter, a speech or discourse, a pompous street oration, a judge’s summing up, a trial. Ancient word for muttering. Probably from theLatin,PATERNOSTER, or Lord’s Prayer. This was said, before the Reformation, in a “low voice” by the priest, until he came to “and lead us not into temptation,” to which the choir responded, “but deliver us from evil.” In the reformed Prayer Book this was altered, and the Lord’s Prayer directed to be said “with aloud voice.” Dr. Pusey takes this view of the derivation in hisLetter to the Bishop of London, p. 78, 1851. Scott uses the word twice, inIvanhoeand theBride of Lammermoor.Patter, to talk.Patter flash, to speak the language of thieves, talk cant.Patteran, a gipsy trail, made by throwing down a handful of grass occasionally, especially where they have turned off from the main road.Patter-crib, a flash house.Patterer, one of a race now nearly defunct, who cried last dying speeches, &c., in the streets. The term is also applied to those who help off their wares by long harangues in the public thoroughfares. These men, to use their own term, “are the aristocracy of the street sellers,” and despise the costermongers for their ignorance, boasting that they live by their intellect, which, as they do not live wonderfully well, is no particularly wise boast.Pattern, a common vulgar phrase for “patent.”Paul Pry, an inquisitive person. From the well-known comedy.Paw, the hand.Paw-cases, gloves. Boots are in some parts of Ireland called “gloves for the feet.”Pay, to beat a person, or “serve him out.” Originally a nautical term, meaning to stop the seams of a vessel with pitch (French,POIX); “here’s the d‑‑‑‑l toPAY, and no pitch hot,” said when any catastrophe occurs which there is no means of averting; “toPAYover face and eyes, as the cat did the monkey;” “toPAYthrough the nose,” togive a ridiculous price,—an expressive phrase of which no one seems to know the origin. Shakspeare usesPAYin the sense of to beat or thrash.Pay, to deliver. “Paythat letter to Mr. So-and-so” is a very common direction to a Chinese servant.—Anglo-Chinese.Pay-away, “go on with your story, or discourse.” From the nautical phrasePAY-AWAY, meaning to allow a rope to run out of a vessel. When the hearer considers the story quite long enough, he, carrying out the same metaphor, exclaims “hold on.”Peach, an informer against omnibus conductors and drivers, one especially hired by the proprietors to count passengers and stoppages. The term is in frequent use amongst omnibus-men. This is about the only instance known of the verb being used as a substantive.Peach, to inform against or betray. Webster states that the word “impeach” is now mostly used, and thatPEACHis confined principally to the conversation of thieves and the lower orders. The word was originally “impeach,” though it was never until lately used in the same way as its abridgment.Peacock horse, amongst undertakers, is one with a showy tail and mane, which holds its head up well.Peacockyrefers to an objectionable high action among racehorses.Peaking, remnants of cloth. Term amongst drapers and cloth warehousemen.Peaky, sickly, delicate.Pec, a term used by the Eton boys for money, an abbreviation, of course, of theLatinPECUNIA.Peck, food; “PECKand boose,” meat and drink.—Lincolnshire.Ancient Cant,PEK, meat.Peck, to eat voraciously. A hearty eater is generally called “a rarePECKER.” OriginallyPECKwas to eat delicately, “but we have changed all that now.”Peck-alley, the throat.Pecker, “keep yourPECKERup,”i.e., don’t get down in the mouth,—literally, keep your beak or head well up, “never say die!”Peckham, a facetious usage of the name of this district, implying a dinner; “all holiday atPeckham,”i.e., nothing to eat.Peckish, hungry.Old Cant,PECKIDGE, meat.Peel, to strip, or disrobe.—Sporting.Peeler, a policeman; so called from Sir Robert Peel (seeBOBBY); properly applied to the Irish Constabulary rather than the Metropolitan Police, the former force having been established by Sir Robert Peel.Peepers, eyes; “paintedPEEPERS,” eyes bruised or blackened from a blow.—Pugilistic.Peery, suspicious, or inquisitive.Peg, brandy and soda-water. APEGby which to pull oneself up again. Also, a shilling.—Scotch.Peg, “toPEGaway,” to strike, run, or drive away; “PEGa hack,” to drive a cab; “to take him down aPEGor two,” to check an arrogant or conceited person,—possibly derived from the use ofPEGtankards.SeePIN.Peg, to drink frequently; generally used in reference to devotees of “S. and B.”Peggers, people who constantly stimulate themselves by means of brandy and soda-water.Pegtops, the loose trousers in fashion some years back, small at the ankle and swelling upwards, in imitation of the Zouave costume.Penang-lawyer, a long cane, sometimes carried by a footman.Penang-lawyersare also bludgeons which are carried by all classes in Singapore.Pencil-fever, a supposititious disease among racehorses, the preliminary symptoms of which show that an animal has been pretty considerably “milked.”Pencil-feversets in when, despite the efforts of the “marketeers,” a horse can no longer be kept at a short price in the lists, through his actual condition being discovered, and when every layer of odds is anxious to write his name down. This disorder is also called “milk-fever,” “market-fever,” and other suggestive names.Penny-a-liner, a contributor of local news, accidents, fires, and scandals to a newspaper; a man not regularly “on the paper;” one who is popularly believed to be paid for each contribution at the rate of a penny a line, and whose interest is, therefore, that his articles should be stuffed with fine words and long sentences. This wonderful person, to whom so much is daily attributed, is now generally called aLINER.Penny dreadfuls, an expressive term for those penny publications which depend more upon sensationalism than upon merit, artistic or literary, for success.Penny gaff, a shop turned into a temporary theatre (admission one penny), at which dancing and singing take place every night. Sometimes rude pictures of the performers are arranged outside to give the front a gaudy and attractive look, and at night-time coloured lamps and transparencies are displayed to draw an audience. Zest is given to these entertainments by the fact that now and again the police make raids upon the houses, and carry off both actors and spectators. These places are also called “dukeys,” for no reason that can be discovered.SeeGAFF.Penny starver, a penny roll.SeeBUSTER.Pen’orth, value for money; as, “I’ll have myPEN’ORTH,”—given irrespective of the actual amount.Pensioner, a man of the most degraded condition who lives off the miserable earnings of a prostitute. There is an unmentionable prefix to the wordPensioner.SeePonce.Pepper, to thrash, or strike.—Pugilistic, but used by Shakspeare.—Eastern Counties.Pepper-boxes, the buildings of the Royal Academy and NationalGallery in Trafalgar Square. The name was first given by a wag, in allusion to the cupolas erected by Wilkins, the architect, upon the roof, which, from their form and awkward appearance, at a distance suggest to the stranger the fact of their being enlargedPEPPER-BOXES.SeeBOILERS.Perch, orROOST, a resting-place; “I’m off toPERCH,”i.e., I am going to bed.“Nor yet a single perch, for which my lucky stars to thank,Except theperchI’ve taken on this damp rheumatic bank.”Lay of the Unsuccessful Angler.Perform, to carry out a design, generally a dishonest one. To “PERFORMon a flat” is to cozen a fool.Perkin, beer. Dandy or affected shortening of the widely-known firm, Barclay and Perkins.Perpendicular, a lunch taken standing-up at a tavern bar. It is usual to call it lunch, often as thePERPENDICULARmay take the place of dinner.Persuaders, spurs.Pesky, an intensitive expression, implying annoyance; as, “APESKY, troublesome fellow.” Corruption ofPESTILENT; or,Irish,PEASGACH, rough, rugged.Peskyhas now become more American than English.Pesky Ikeis the name of a popular American drama.Peter, a partridge.—Poacher’s term.Peter, a bundle, or valise. Also, a cash-box.Peter, to run short, or give out.—American.Peter Funk, an American term for a spurious auction or “knock-out.”Peter Grievous, a miserable, melancholy fellow; a croaker.Petticoat, a woman.Pewter, money, like “tin,” used generally to signify silver; also a tankard. “Let me have my beer in thePEWTER,” is a common request to waiters, made by “City” men, and others who affect habits of rude health. The pots for which rowing men contend are often calledPEWTERS.Philadelphia-lawyer, a Transatlantic limb of the law considered to be the very acme of acuteness. Sailors relate many stories of his artful abilities, none, however, short enough to find a place here. The phrase, “Enough to puzzle aPhiladelphia-lawyer,” means, enough to puzzle the sharpest man in the world.Philander, to ramble on incoherently; to write discursively and weakly.Philip, a policeman. The word is loudly given as a signal that the police are approaching.Philiper, a thief’s accomplice, one who stands by and looks out for the police while the others commit a robbery, and who calls out “Philip!” when any one approaches.Philistine, a policeman. The German students call all townspeople notof their body “Philister,” as ours say “cads.” The departing student says, mournfully, in one of the Burschenlieder—“Muss selber nunPhilistersein!”i.e., “I must now myselfPhilistinebe!” Also, a man who is of a set opposed to one’s own. Society is supposed to regard all outside its bounds as belonging to thePhilistineworld. Bohemians regard all cleanly, orderly people who conform to conventionality asPhilistines.Physog, orPHIZ, the face. Swift uses the latter word. Corruption ofPHYSIOGNOMY.Picaroon, a pirate or buccaneer originally; now an ordinary thief.Piccadilly butchers, a satirical name applied by the crowd to the regiment of Horse Guards, known as the “Royal Blues,” from their savage onslaught upon the crowd on the occasion of the arrest of Sir Francis Burdett at his house in Piccadilly, by order of the Speaker of the House of Commons.SeeCheesemongers.Piccadilly weepers, long carefully combed-out whiskers of the Dundreary fashion.Pick, “toPICKoneself up,” to recover after a beating or illness, sometimes varied to “PICKup one’s crumbs;” “toPICKa man up,” “to do,” or cheat him.Pickaninny, a young child is thus styled by the West Indian negroes. The word is now completely naturalized among sailors and water-side people in England.Pickers, the hands.—Shakspeare.Pickle, a miserable or comical position; “he is in a sadPICKLE,” said of any one who has fallen into the gutter, or got besmeared. “APICKLEherring,” a comical fellow, a merry-andrew.—Old.Also, a mischievous boy; “what aPICKLEhe is, to be sure!” Derived from his always getting into aPICKLE, or mess.Pickles!gammon; also a jeering and insulting exclamation.Pick-me-up, a revivifying drink taken after a debauch; a tonic.Piece, a contemptuous term for a woman; a strumpet.—Shakspeare.Not always objectionable nowadays. A “barber’s clerk” does not object to hear his sweetheart or wife called “a nicePIECE;” and gentlemen of the counter-jumping fraternity describe their “young ladies” as “nicePIECESof goods.”Pieman.In tossing, the man who cries is called thePIEMAN. In the old days when the itinerantPIEMAN’Sduty was to toss or sell, and his call was, “Hot pies, toss or buy, toss or buy,” he was always supposed to be entitled to the cry, the intending eater “skying the copper.” An active and efficient police have, however, improved tossing—so far, at all events, asPIEMENand poor people are concerned—off the face of the earth, and gaming of all descriptions is now a luxury confined to the rich.Pig, a mass of metal,—so called from its being poured in a fluid state from aSOW, whichsee.—Workman’s term.Pig, a policeman; an informer. The word is now almost exclusively applied by London thieves to a plain-clothes man, or a “nose.”Pig, a pressman in a printing office.SeeDONKEY.Pig, orSOW’S BABY, a sixpence.Pig, to live in a crowded, filthy manner. The lower orders of Irish are said toPIGtogether. A suggestive, if not elegant, expression.Pig and Tinder-box, the vulgar rendering of the well-known tavern sign, “Elephant and Castle.”Pigeon, a gullible or soft person. TheFrenchcant, orArgot, has the wordPIGEON, dupe—“PECHON, PESCHON DE RUBY, apprenti gueux, enfant (sans doute dérobé)”. The vagabonds and brigands of Spain also used the word in theirGermania, or robbers’ language,PALOMO(PIGEON), ignorant, simple. In the sporting world sharps and flats are often called “rooks andPIGEONS” respectively—sometimes “spiders and flies.”Pigeon, business, simply the Chinese pronunciation of the English word.—Anglo-Chinese.Pigeon-English, the English spoken by the natives of Canton and other parts of China.Pigeon-flying, orBLUEY CRACKING, breaking into empty houses and stealing lead.Pigeon’s milk, an imaginary fluid for which boys and simpletons are frequently sent on the 1st of April.Pig-headed, obstinate.Pig’s eye, the ace of diamonds in cards.Pig’s whisper, a low or inaudible whisper; also a short space of time, synonymous with “cockstride,”i.e., cock’s tread.Pike, a turnpike; “to bilk aPIKE,” to cheat the keeper of the toll-gate. Mr. Tony Weller makes many amusing remarks onPIKESandPIKE-keepers. Since the first edition of this work was published,PIKESandPIKE-keepers have departed from amongst us, so far as London and its immediate vicinity are concerned.Pike, to run, to be off with speed.Pike it, is said as a hasty and contemptuous, if not angry, dismissal, “if you don’t like it, take a short stick andPIKEit.” This is but a form of the attempts at rhyming smartness common in London.“Joe quickly his sand had sold, sir,And Bess got a basket of rags;Then up to St. Giles’s they roll’d, sir;To every bunter Bess brags.Then unto the gin-shop theyPIKE IT,And Bess was admitted, we hear;For none of the crew dare but like it,As Joey, her kiddy, was there,”The Sand-man’s Wedding, a Cantata.“’Twas not our fault, dear Jack; we saw the watch going into the house the moment we came there, and we thought it proper toPIKE OFF.”—The Prison Breaker, a Farce.Pikey, a tramp or gipsy. APIKEY-cart is in various parts of the countryone of those habitable vehicles suggestive of a wandering life. Possibly the term has reference to one who constantly uses thePIKE, or turnpike road.Pile, a sum of money; generally the whole of a man’s private means. A term originally peculiar to Californian miners, in reference to their accumulated dust and nuggets. American gamblers speak of “putting all thePILEon” when they fancy anything very much. “To go the wholePILE” runs level with our sporting phrase, “To go a raker.”Pill, a doctor.—Military.Pill-driver, a peddling apothecary.Pill, to blackball a man at a club. Sometimes a man who is blackballed is described as having received too much medicine.Pill-box, a doctor’s carriage.Pin, “to put in thePIN,” to refrain from drinking. From the ancient peg tankard, which was furnished with a row ofPINS, or pegs, to regulate the amount which each person was to drink. Drunken people are often requested to “put in thePIN,” from some remote connexion between their unsteadiness and that of a carriage wheel which has lost its linch-PIN. The popular cry, “Put in thePIN,” can have no connexion with the drinkingPINor peg now, whatever it may originally have had. AMERRY PIN, a roysterer.SeePEG.Pinch, to steal or cheat; also, to catch, or apprehend.Pinchbeck, inferior, deteriorated. Anything pretending to more than its proper value is said to bePINCHBECK.“Where, in thesePINCHBECKdays, can we hope to find the old agricultural virtue in all its purity?”—Framley Parsonage.Pinchbeckwas an inferior metal, compounded of copper and zinc, to resemble gold. It was very fashionable in the last century, and derived its name from a Mr.Pinchbeck, a well-known London tradesman, who manufactured watches, buckles, and other articles out of it.Pinchbeckfirst obtained his notoriety by the invention of an ingenious candle-snuffers, which the author ofThe Heroic Epistle to Sir William Chambersmade the vehicle of a facetious Ode that went through eight editions. The title of thisjeu d’espritran thus:—“Ode to Mr. Pinchbeck, upon his Newly-invented Candle-Snuffers, byMalcolm M’Gregor, Esq., 1776.“IllustriousPinchbeck! condescend,Thou well-beloved, and best king’s friend,These lyric lines to view;Oh, may they prompt thee, ere too late,To snuff the candle of the State,That burns a little blue!”Pinchbeckpublished a poetical reply, and the two pamphlets were for a long time the talk of the town.Pink, the acme of perfection. The scarlet garb worn in the hunting-field.Pink, to stab, or pierce. In the days of rapier-wearing a professed duellist was said to be “a regularPINKERand driller.”Pinnel, orPENNEL,—corruption of penal servitude. As, “four-yearPINNEL.”Pinner-up, a seller of old songs, pinned against a wall or framed canvas. Formerly many of these street salesmen carried on their little “paper trade” in London. There are but one or two now left.Pins, legs.Pipe, to follow or dog a person; to watch, to notice.Pipe, to shed tears, or bewail; “PIPEone’s eye.”—Sea term.“He first began to eye his pipe.And then toPIPEhis eye.”—Hood.Metaphor from the boatswain’s pipe, which calls to duty.Pipe, “to put one’sPIPEout,” to traverse his plans, “to take a rise” out of him. When any one meets with a rebuff or a sharp answer, he is often told to “put that in hisPIPEand smoke it,”i.e., to digest it carefully.Piper, a person employed by an omnibus proprietor to act as a spy on the conductor.Piper, a broken-winded hack horse.Pipkin, the stomach,—properly, an earthen round-bottomed pot—Norwich.Pips, the marks, no matter of what suit, on playing cards. The ace is often called “singlePIP.”Pit, a breast-pocket.Pitch, a fixed locality where a patterer can hold forth to a gaping multitude for at least some few minutes continuously; “to do aPITCHin the drag,” to perform in the street. An itinerant is said to “make aPITCH” whenever he attempts to do any business.Pitch, to utter base coin. Smashers are known to themselves and their friends, the rest of the dangerous classes, as “snidePITCHERS.” The confederacy is divided into makers, buyers, holders, and pitchers. The maker probably never sees the actual passers of base money, the buyer being generally the intercommunicating medium. The holder is generally a man who carries the bulk of the “snides,” and waits about; while the pitcher, often a woman—indeed, more often than not—runs the actual risk.Pitch, to go to bed for less than the ordinary period. Journeymen bakers, and others whose work is disjointed, call any short interval of sleep aPITCH. Probably from the action.Pitch into, to fight; “PITCH INTOhim, Bill,”i.e., give him a thrashing.Pitch the fork, to tell a pitiful tale.Pitch the nob,PRICK THE GARTER, whichsee.Place, to name the first three horses in a race. This is the duty of the judge, who sees nothing of the race but the finish. Sometimes an official will place more than the first three, but this in no way interferes with the meaning of the word as generally received. To run “nowhere” is to be unplaced.Place, first, second, or third position in a race. Sometimes aPLACEis called a “situation” or a “shop.”Plant, a dodge, a preconcerted swindle; a position in the street to sell from. All bearings-up, bonnetings, and such like arrangements, are the results of preconcerted schemes orPLANTS.Plant, to mark a person out for plunder or robbery; to conceal or hide money, &c.—Old Cant.In the sense of conceal, there is a similar word inArgot,PLANQUER.Plant, a hidden store of money or variables. To “spring aPLANT” is to unearth another person’s hoard.Platform, a standpoint in an argument, a statement of political or general opinion. “Home rule’s myPLATFORM!” OriginallyAmerican, but now general.Play, to strike for higher wages, to be out of work.—North.Plebs, a term used to stigmatize a tradesman’s son at Westminster School.Latin,PLEBS, the vulgar.Plough.To bePLOUGHEDis to fail to pass an examination. About twenty years ago “pluck,” the word then used, began to be superseded byPLOUGH. It is said to have arisen from a man who could not supply the examiner with any quotation from Scripture, until at last he blurted out, “And the ploughers ploughed on my back, and made long furrows.”—University.Ploughed, drunk.Pluck, the heart, liver, and lungs of an animal,—all that isPLUCKEDaway in connexion with the windpipe, from the chest of a sheep or hog.Pluck, to turn back at a University examination. The supposed origin ofPLUCKis, that when, on degree day, the proctor, after having read the name of a candidate for a degree, walks down the hall and back, it is to give any creditor the opportunity of plucking his sleeve, and informing him of the candidate’s being in debt.Pluck, courage, valour, stoutness.See following.Plucked un, a stout or brave fellow; “he’s a rarePLUCKED UN,”i.e., he dares face anything.During the Crimean War and the Indian MutinyPLUCKY, signifying courageous, became a favourite term even among ladies; and the term BritishPLUCKwill probably live—slangy as is its origin—as long as the language into which it has been adopted, for the history of the deeds with which it is associated can never die, while, indeed, a history remains to this country. The word met with great disfavour at first from the “genteel,” but of course they followed when aristocracy deigned to use it.Plum, £100,000, usually applied to the dowry of a rich heiress, to a legacy, or to a sum made in business or by a lucky speculation.Plum-cash, prime cost.—Anglo-Chinese.Plummy, round, sleek, jolly, or fat; excellent, very good, first-rate.Plumper, a single vote at an election, not a “split ticket.”Plunder, a common word in the horse trade to express profit. Also anAmerican term for baggage, luggage. In Lower Canada the French packmen call luggage “butin.”Plunger, a heavy cavalry-man.—Military slang.Plutocracy, the wealthy classes. The Manchester merchants are often termed a millocracy, and words of a similar character are mobocracy and moneyocracy.Pocket, to put up with. A man who does not resent an affront is said toPOCKETit.Pocket-pistol, a dram-flask.Podgy, drunk; dumpy, short, and fat.Pogram, a Dissenter, a fanatic, formalist, or humbug. So called from a well-known enthusiast of this name.Poke, a bag, or sack; “to buy a pig in aPOKE,” to purchase anything without seeing it.Pokewas originally a pocket. Shakspeare says—“And then he pulled a dial from hisPOKE.”Poke.“Come, none of yourPOKINGfun at me,”i.e., you must not laugh at me.Poker.“By the holyPOKERand the tumbling Tom!” an Irish oath.Pokers, orSILVER POKERS, the Bedels of the Vice-Chancellor, who carry silver maces, and accompany him through the streets. They are also officers of his court.—University.“Around, around, all, all around.On seats with velvet lined,Sat Heads of Houses in a row,And Deans and College Dons below,With aPOKERor two behind.”Rime of the New-made Baccalere, 1841.Poky, confined or cramped; “that corner isPOKYand narrow.” Housewives describe a small uncomfortable room as “aPOKYhole.”Saxon,POKE, a sack.Policeman, a fly—more especially the kind known as “blue bottle.” Also, among the dangerous classes, a man who is unworthy of confidence, a sneak or mean fellow.Polish off, to finish off anything quickly—a dinner, for instance; also to finish off an adversary.—Pugilistic.Poll, at Cambridge, the “ordinary degree” candidates for the B.A. Examination, who do not aspire to the “Honours” list. From theGreek, οἱ πόλλοι, “the many.”Poll, to beat or distance, as in a race; to utterly vanquish in competition. Term much used by printers.Poll, a female of unsteady character; “POLLEDup,” means living with a woman in a state of unmarried impropriety. Also, if a costermonger sees one of his friends walking with a strange woman, he will say to him on the earliest opportunity, “I saw yer when yer wasPOLLEDup.”Poll, orPOLLING, one thief robbing another of part of the booty. In use in ancient times,videHall’s Union, 1548.Poll parrot, a talkative, gossiping woman. A term much used about Ratcliff Highway.Polony, Cockney shortening and vulgar pronunciation of Bologna (sausage). The sausages which are sold under the name ofPOLONIEShave, however, no nearer connexion with Bologna sausages than that of the word’s derivation.Pompadours, the Fifty-sixth Regiment of Foot in the British army.Ponce, a degraded man who lives upon a woman’s prostitution. Low-class East-end thieves even will “draw the line” atPONCES, and object to their presence in the boozing-kens.Pond, orHERRING-POND, the sea; so called by those who were sent across it at the national expense.Ponge, orPONGELOW, beer, half-and-half; the term is also used as a verb, as in the Cockney phrase, “let’sPONGELOW, shall we?”Pony, twenty-five pounds.—Sporting.Poona, a sovereign. Corruption of “pound;” or from theLingua Franca.Pop, to pawn or pledge; “toPOPup the spout,” to pledge at the pawnbroker’s,—an allusion to the spout up which the brokers send the ticketed articles until such times as they shall be redeemed. The spout runs from the ground-floor to the wareroom at the top of the house. Ginger-beer is also known asPOP.Pop the question, to make an offer of marriage.Pope’s-eye, a peculiar little part in a leg of mutton, much esteemed by lovers of that joint.Pope’s nose, the extremity of the rump of a roast fowl, sometimes devilled as a dainty for epicures. Also known as “the parson’sNOSE.”Pops, pocket-pistols.Porterhouse steak, an American term for a steak which contains a small bone. In the States, tender-loin steaks are much eaten. These are from what we call the undercut of the sirloin.Portrait, a sovereign. Modification of “Queen’s picture.”Posa, a treasurer. A corruption of “purser,” the name given to the treasurer in the large Anglo-Chinese mercantile establishments.—Anglo-Chinese.Posh, a halfpenny, or trifling coin. Also a generic term for money.Post, to pay down; “POSTthe pony” signifies to place the stakes played for on the table.Post-horn, the nose.SeePASTE-HORN.Post-mortem, at Cambridge, the second examination which men who have been “plucked” have to undergo.—University.Posted up, well acquainted with the subject in question, “up to the mark,”—metaphor drawn from the counting-house.Pot, a favourite in the betting for a race. Probably so called because it is usual to say that a heavily-backed horse carries “aPOTof money.” When a favourite is beaten thePOTis said to be upset.Pot, a sixpence,i.e., the price of aPOTor quart of half-and-half. A half-crown, in medical student slang, is aFIVE-POTpiece.Pot,TO GO TO POT, to die; from the classic custom of putting the ashes of the dead in an urn; also, to be ruined or broken up,—often applied to tradesmen who fail in business. “Go toPOT!”i.e., go and hang yourself, shut up and be quiet.—L’Estrange.“To put thePOTon,” to overcharge or exaggerate. “To go toPOT” most probably means to go out of all shape, as metal in the melting-pot.Pot, to finish; “don’tPOTme,” term used at billiards, when a player holes his adversary’s ball—generally considered shabby play. This word was much used by our soldiers in the Crimea in reference to shots from a hole or ambush. These were calledPOT-SHOTS. The term is still used to denote a shot taken sitting or at ease.Pot-boiler, a picture hurriedly painted for the purpose of “keeping thePOT BOILING.”—Artistic slang.Pot-faker, a hawker of crockery and general earthenware.Pot-hat, a low-crowned hat, as distinguished from the soft wideawake and the stove-pipe.Pot-hunter, a sportsman who shoots anything he comes across, having more regard to filling his bag than to the rules which regulate the sport. A man who fires at anything, regardless of the rules which govern true sportsmen.Pot-hunter, a man who gives his time up to rowing or punting, or any sort of match in order to win the “pewters” which are given as prizes.—University.The term is now much used in aquatic and athletic circles; and is applied, in a derogatory sense, to men of good quality who enter themselves in small races they are almost sure to win, and thus deprive the juniors of small trophies which should be above the attention of champions, though valuable to beginners. Also an unwelcome guest, who manages to be just in time for dinner.Pot-luck, just as it comes; to takePOT-LUCK,i.e., one’s chance of a dinner, or of what there is for dinner. A hearty term, used to signify that whatever the pot contains the visitor is welcome to.Pot-valiant, courageous through application to the bottle. Possessed of Dutch courage.Pot-walloper, an elector in certain boroughs before the passing of the first Reform Bill, whose qualification consisted in being a housekeeper,—to establish which it was only necessary to boil a pot within the limits of the borough, by the aid of any temporary erection. This implied that he was able to provide for himself, and not necessitated to apply for parochial relief. Honiton, Tregoney, Ilchester, Old Sarum, &c., had this privilege before the passing of the first Reform Bill. Also, a scullion.Potato-trap, the mouth.—Originally a Hibernicism.Potheen, whisky made in an illicit still, once a favourite drink in Ireland, now almost unattainable. People resident in England who read of the charms ofPOTHEENwould be rather astonished if they were to taste it. It is real “fire-water” flavoured with peat-smoke.Potted, orPOTTED OUT, cabined, confined, figurative of crammed into a garden-pot. Also applied to burial,—a horticultural allusion.Potter, to meddle without much judgment. Application various. A gentleman may describe himself as “POTTERINGabout in his garden,” and think the phrase pleasant. The gardener, who has to do the work all over again, may, however, use the word in quite a different sense.Power, a large quantity; “aPOWERof money.”—Irishat first, but now general.Pow-wow, a conference. Originally an Indian term.Prad, a horse.Prad-nappingwas horse-stealing. Both these terms are old cant.Prancer, a horse.—Ancient Cant.In modern slang an officer of cavalry.Praties, potatoes.—Irish.Precious, used, in a slang sense, like very or exceeding; “aPRECIOUSlittle of that,”i.e., a very little indeed; aPRECIOUShumbug, rascal, &c.,i.e., an eminent one.Pretty horsebreakers, a phrase adopted some years back, in deference to common squeamishness, to denote thedemi-monde, who dress so well and ride so daintily. Really, pretty heartbreakers.Prial, a corruption ofPAIR-ROYAL, a term at the game of cribbage, meaning three cards of a similar description. Often used metaphorically for three persons or things of a kind.Double-prial, a corruption ofDOUBLE PAIR-ROYAL, means four cards, persons, or things of a similar description.Prick the garter, orPITCH THE NOB, a gambling and cheating game common at fairs, and generally practised by thimble-riggers. It consists of aGARTERor a piece of list doubled, and then folded up tight. The bet is made upon your asserting that you can, with a pin,PRICKthe point at which the garter is doubled. The garter is then unfolded, and nine times out of ten you will find that you have been deceived, and that one of the false folds has been pricked. The owner of theGARTERholds the ends tightly with one hand, and there is little doubt that he can make the “flat” lose and the “bonnet” win at pleasure. This was, doubtless, originally a gipsy game, and we are informed by Brand that it was much practised by the gipsies in the time of Shakspeare. In those days it was termedPRICKING AT THE BELT, orFAST AND LOOSE.Prig, a thief. Used by Addison in the sense of a coxcomb.—Ancient Cant, probably from theSaxon,PRICC-AN, to filch, &c.—Shakspeare.Prig, to steal or rob.Prigging, thieving. In Scotland the termPRIGis used in a different sense from what it is in England. In Glasgow, or at Aberdeen, “toPRIGa salmon” would be to cheapen it, or seek for an abatement in the price. A story is told of two Scotchmen, visitors to London, who got into sad trouble a few years ago by announcing their intention of “PRIGGINGa hat” which they had espied in a fashionable manufacturer’s window, and which one of them thought he would like to possess.Prig, a conceited, stuck-up, over-knowing person; one who appropriates or adopts a manner or costume not suited to him.Priggish, conceited.Primed, said of a person in that state of incipient intoxication that if he took more drink it would become evident. Also, crammed for an examination.Pro, a professional.—Theatrical.Pro, the proproctor, or second in command in the proctorial police. The two proctors generally appoint a certain number of proproctors each.—Oxford University.Proctorized,TO BE, to be stopped by the Proctor, and told to call on him.—University.Prog, meat, food, &c. Johnson calls it “a low word.” He was fond of “prog,” however.Proof, the best ale at Magdalen College, Oxford.Prop, a blow. As, “aPROPon the nose,”—more street slang than pugilistic.Prop, a scarf pin.Prop-nailer, a man who “sneaks,” or rather snatches, pins from gentlemen’s scarves.Proper, very, exceedingly, sometimes used ironically; “you are aPROPERnice fellow,” meaning a great scamp. A “PROPERman” generally means a perfect man, as far as can be known.Props, crutches.Props, stage properties.—Theatrical.Pros, a water-closet. Abbreviated form of πρὸς τινα τόπον. Some say, πρὸς τον τόπον.—Oxford University.Pross, to break in or instruct a stage-infatuated youth. Also, to spunge upon a comrade or stranger for drink. In this latter capacity the word is in connexion with prostitute, aPROSSERbeing considered a most degraded being, and the word being supposed by many to represent a man who lives on a woman’s prostitution.Psalm-smiter, a “Ranter,” one who sings at a conventicle.SeeBRISKET-BEATER.Pub, orPUBLIC, a public-house; “whatPUBdo you use?”i.e., which inn or public-house do you frequent?Public patterers, swell mobsmen who pretend to be Dissenting preachers, and harangue in the open air to attract a crowd for their confederates to rob.Pucker, poor or bad temper, difficulty,déshabillé.Pucker up, to get in a bad temper.Puckering, talking privately.Puckerow, to seize, to take hold of. From theHindostanee,PUCKERNA.—Anglo-Indian.Pudding-snammer, one who robs a cook-shop.Puff, to blow up, or swell with praise; declared by a writer in theWeekly Register, as far back as 1732, to be illegitimate.“Puffhas become a cant word, signifying the applause set forth by writers, &c. to increase the reputation and sale of a book, and is an excellent stratagem to excite the curiosity of gentle readers.”Lord Bacon, however, used the word in a similar sense a century before. Sheridan also seems to have remembered the use of the word,videMr.Puff.Pug, a fighting man’s idea of the contracted word to be produced from pugilist.Pull, an advantage, or hold upon another; “I’ve thePULLover (or of) you,”i.e., you are in my power—perhaps an oblique allusion to the judicial sense. See the following.Pull, to have one apprehended; “to bePULLEDup,” or more recently “to bePULLED” only, to be taken before a magistrate. The police are constantly “pulling” loitering, furiously driving, or drunken cabmen.Pull, to drink; “come, take aPULLat it,”i.e., drink up.Pull, to prevent a horse from winning, that is, so far as the rider’s action is concerned.Pullet, a young girl. Filly is an exchangeable term.Pummel, to thrash,—fromPOMMEL.Pump, to extract information by roundabout questioning.Pundit, a person who assumes to be very grave and learned.—Anglo-Indian.Punkah, a fan, usually a fan of very large size, worked with a string, and used to ventilate rooms.—Anglo-Indian.Punt, to gamble;PUNTING-SHOP, a gambling-house. Common in ancient writers, but now disused. The word seems confined to playing for “chicken stakes.”Puntmeans now in the sporting world to back horses for small stakes.Punter, a small professional backer of horses.Pup and ringer,i.e., the “Dog and Bell,” the sign of a flash public-house.Purdah, a curtain.—Anglo-Indian.Pure finders, street-collectors of dogs’ dung.—Humorous.Purl, to spill;PURLEDis a hunting and steeplechasing term synonymous with “foaled,” or “spilt” (thrown); “he’ll getPURLEDat the rails.”Purl, a mixture of hot ale and sugar, with wormwood infused in it, a favourite morning drink to produce an appetite; sometimes with gin and spice added:—“Two penn’orth o’PURL—Good ‘earlyPURL,’’Gin all the worldTo put your hair into a curl,When you feel yourself queer of a mornin’.”Purler, a heavy fall from a horse in the hunting or steeplechasing field.Push, a robbery or swindle. “I’m in thisPUSH,” the notice given by one magsman to another that he means to “stand in.”Push, a crowd.—Old Cant.Pussey-cats, corruption of Puseyites, a name constantly, but improperly, given to the Tractarian party in the Church, from the Oxford Regius Professor of Hebrew, who by no means approved of the Romanizing tendencies of some of its leaders. The name still sticks, however, to this day.Put, a game at cards, once fashionable, but now played among thieves and costermongers only.Put, an obsolete slang term representing the modern “bloke” or “cove.” It was generally applied to elderly persons.Put on, to promise another money or valuables in the event of an anticipated success. “You’reONa quid if Kaiser wins,” might often have been heard before last St. Leger. Many hangers-on of the turf live almost entirely by what they arePUT ON, by bookmakers and backers for whom they do odd work.Put that in your pipe and smoke it, said of a blow or repartee, and equivalent to take that and think over it, or digest it, or let it be a warning to you.Put the pot on, to put too much money upon one horse.—Sporting.Put up, to suggest, to incite, “hePUTmeUPto it;” he prompted me to do it.Put up, to stop at an hotel or a tavern for entertainment.Put up, to inspect or plan out with a view of robbery. To obtain full particulars with regard to a house and its occupants, so that danger shall be reduced to a minimum, and the chances of success enlarged.Put upon, cheated, victimized, oppressed.Putter up, a man who travels about for the purpose of obtaining information useful to professional burglars. A man of this description will assume many characters, sometimes ingratiating himself with the master of a house, sometimes with the servants, but all to one end, that of robbery. He rarely or never joins in the actual burglary, his work being simply to obtain full particulars as to how, when, and where, for which he receives his full share of the “swag.”Puttun, regiment.—Anglo-Indian.Pyah, weak, useless, paltry. This word, much in use among sailors, is evidently derived from the Indian termPARIAH, signifying the lowest caste of Hindoos. Thus the Pariah dogs in India are termedPYAHdogs; and the Pariah descendants of the old Portuguese settlers are calledPYAHPortuguese. Sailors term the natives of St. Helena—a wretched-looking set of individuals—PYAHEnglishmen.Pygostole, the least irreverent of names for the peculiar M. B. coats worn by Tractarian curates:—“It is true that the wicked make sportOf ourPYGOSTOLES, as we go by;And one gownsman, in Trinity Court,Went so far as to call me a ‘Guy.’”SeeM.B.Pyjands, a kind of drawers or loose pantaloons.—Anglo-Indian.
P. P., an expression much in use among racing men, which means play or pay,i.e., either go on with the arrangement or forfeit the money. The following is a law of the turf on the subject:—The following races shall be considered “play or pay”:—The Derby and Oaks at Epsom, the St. Leger at Doncaster, the Two Thousand Guineas, the One Thousand Guineas, the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire, at Newmarket, the Ascot, Goodwood, and Doncaster Cups, and all handicaps above 200 sovs. value with two forfeits, the minor of which shall not be less than 5 sovs.; and the Committees of Tattersall’s, and of the Subscription Room at Newmarket, will take no cognisance of any disputes respecting “play or pay” bets on any other races, or of any bets made upon handicap races before the weights are published.This is the exact law on the subject, but as a rule all bets on horse-racing are consideredP. P.unless otherwise arranged. In all matches, though, whether turf, pedestrian, aquatic, or otherwise, a run is given for the money in ordinary betting transactions.
P. P., an expression much in use among racing men, which means play or pay,i.e., either go on with the arrangement or forfeit the money. The following is a law of the turf on the subject:—
The following races shall be considered “play or pay”:—The Derby and Oaks at Epsom, the St. Leger at Doncaster, the Two Thousand Guineas, the One Thousand Guineas, the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire, at Newmarket, the Ascot, Goodwood, and Doncaster Cups, and all handicaps above 200 sovs. value with two forfeits, the minor of which shall not be less than 5 sovs.; and the Committees of Tattersall’s, and of the Subscription Room at Newmarket, will take no cognisance of any disputes respecting “play or pay” bets on any other races, or of any bets made upon handicap races before the weights are published.
The following races shall be considered “play or pay”:—The Derby and Oaks at Epsom, the St. Leger at Doncaster, the Two Thousand Guineas, the One Thousand Guineas, the Cesarewitch and Cambridgeshire, at Newmarket, the Ascot, Goodwood, and Doncaster Cups, and all handicaps above 200 sovs. value with two forfeits, the minor of which shall not be less than 5 sovs.; and the Committees of Tattersall’s, and of the Subscription Room at Newmarket, will take no cognisance of any disputes respecting “play or pay” bets on any other races, or of any bets made upon handicap races before the weights are published.
This is the exact law on the subject, but as a rule all bets on horse-racing are consideredP. P.unless otherwise arranged. In all matches, though, whether turf, pedestrian, aquatic, or otherwise, a run is given for the money in ordinary betting transactions.
P’s and q’s, particular points, precise behaviour; “mind yourP’SandQ’S,” be very careful. Originating, according to some, from the similarity ofP’SandQ’Sin the hornbook alphabet, and therefore the warning of an old dame to her pupils, or, according to others, of a French dancing-master to his pupils, to mind theirpieds(feet) andqueues(wigs) when bowing.
Pack, to go away; “now, then,PACKoff there,”i.e., be off, don’t stop here any longer.—Old.“Make speede to flee, bePACKINGawaie.”—Baret’s Alvearie, 1580. Contraction of “PACKup and be off.” Sometimes the term “sentPACKING” is used to indicate a sudden discharge, as of a servant or mistress.
Packets, hoaxing lies. Sometimes used as an exclamation of incredulity.—North.
Pad, “to standPAD,” to beg with a small piece of paper pinned on the breast, inscribed, “I am starving.”
Pad, the highway; also a tramp or itinerant musician.
Pad the hoof, to walk; “PADDING THE HOOF, on the high toby,” tramping or walking on the high road.“Trudge, plod away o’ theHOOF.”—Merry Wives, i. 3.
Pad the hoof, to walk; “PADDING THE HOOF, on the high toby,” tramping or walking on the high road.
“Trudge, plod away o’ theHOOF.”—Merry Wives, i. 3.
“Trudge, plod away o’ theHOOF.”—Merry Wives, i. 3.
Padding, the light articles in the monthly magazines, of which the serial stories are the main attraction. Publishers of magazines seem to think that if they get a serial story from a popular novelist they can pack any amount of rubbish into the remaining pages. This is not so in America, as magazines like theAtlantic Monthlyand theOverland Monthlyshow.
Padding-ken, orCRIB, tramps’ and boys’ lodging-house.
Paddle, to go or run away.—American.
Paddy,Pat,orPaddy Whack, an Irishman. A nickname ofPatrick.“I’mPaddy Whack, from Ballyhack,Not long ago turn’d soldier;In storm and sack, in front attack,None other can be boulder.”—Irish Song.
Paddy,Pat,orPaddy Whack, an Irishman. A nickname ofPatrick.
“I’mPaddy Whack, from Ballyhack,Not long ago turn’d soldier;In storm and sack, in front attack,None other can be boulder.”—Irish Song.
“I’mPaddy Whack, from Ballyhack,Not long ago turn’d soldier;In storm and sack, in front attack,None other can be boulder.”—Irish Song.
Paddy’s goose, the sign of the White Swan, a noted flash public-house in the east of London, supposed to be Paddy’s idea of aGOOSE.
Paddy’s land, “ould Ireland.”
Padre, a clergyman. From the Portuguese.
Pal, a partner, acquaintance, friend, an accomplice.Gipsy, a brother.
Palampo, a quilt or bed-cover. Probably fromPalanpore, a town in India, renowned for its manufacture of chintz counterpanes.—Anglo-Indian.
Palaver, to ask, or talk—deceitfully or otherwise, as occasion requires; “PALAVERto his nibs for a shant of bivvy,” ask the master for a pot of beer.Nantee palaver(pronouncedPERLARVER), cease talking. In this sense used by tramps. Derived from the Portuguese.
Pall, to stop; “PALLthat,” spoken authoritatively, means, cease what you are doing. FromPALL, a small instrument which is used to stop the windlass or capstan at sea. When a man says, “I amPALLED,” he means he cannot or dare not say any more. A sailor, on receiving any extraordinary intelligence, will say, “YouPALLme,”i.e., you confound me. Most likely from the order frequently given on board ship, “Ease andPALL.”
Palm, to impose upon. “You can’tPALMthat off upon me,” is said when an intending purchaser is suspicious of the quality of the article offered.
Palm oil, orPALM SOAP, money; also, a bribe.
Palmer, a swindler who used to visit shops under the pretence of collecting harp halfpence. To induce shopkeepers to search for them, he offered thirteenpence for one shilling’s-worth, when many persons were silly enough to empty a large quantity of copper on their counters. ThePALMER, a proficient with his fingers, generally contrived to conceal some before he left the shop.
Palming, robbing shops by pairs—one thief bargaining with apparent intent to purchase, whilst the other watches his opportunity to steal. The following anecdote will give an idea of theirmodus operandi. A man once entered a “ready-made” boot and shoe shop, and desired to be shown a pair of boots—his companion staying outside and amusing himself by looking in at the window. The one who required to be fresh shod was apparently of a humble and deferential turn, for he placed his hat on the floor directly he stepped into the shop. Boot after boot was tried on until at last a fit was obtained, when in rushed a man, snatched up the customer’s hat left near the door, and ran down the street as fast as his legs could carry him. Away went the customer after his hat, and Crispin, standing at the door, clapped his hands, and shouted, “Go it, you’ll catch him!”—little thinking thatit was a concerted trick, and that neither his boots nor the customer would ever return. Instances of this kind of work frequently occur.PALMINGsometimes refers to secreting money or rings in the hand, as well as to bribing.Palmingis also the generic term for all that kind of conjuring which depends on manual dexterity, and which is totally distinct from the mechanical-contrivance department.
Pam, the knave of clubs at the game of loo; or, in street phraseology, while the “Judicious Bottleholder” was alive, Lord Palmerston.
Pannikin, a small pan.
Pannum, food, bread.—Lingua Franca,PANNEN;Latin,PANIS;Ancient Cant,YANNAM.
Pannum-bound, said of a pauper or prisoner when his food is stopped.Pannum-struck, very hungry, starving.
Panny, a house—public or otherwise; “flashPANNY,” a public-house used by thieves;PANNY-MEN, housebreakers.Panny, in thieves’ cant, also signifies a burglary.
Pantalettes, the drawers worn in America by little girls.
Pantile, a hat. The termPANTILEis properly applied to the mould into which the sugar is poured which is afterwards known as “loaf sugar.” Thus,PANTILE, from whence comes the phrase, “a sugar-loaf hat,” originally signified a tall, conical hat, in shape similar to that usually represented as the head-gear of a bandit. FromPANTILEthe more modern slang termTILEhas been derived. Halliwell givesPANTILE SHOP, a meeting-house, from the steeple-crowned orPANTILEhats of its frequenters.Pantilealso means a flat cake with jam on it, given to boys at boarding-schools instead of pudding.
Pantiler, a Dissenting preacher. Probably from the practice of the Quakers, and many Dissenters, of not removing their hats in a place of worship; or from the sugar-loaf hats originally worn by Puritans. Another derivation is from the earthen tiles, technicallyPANTILES(tiles hollowed in the middle, as distinguished from “pintiles,” the older sort, which are flat, smaller, and pinned or nailed to the rafters), with which meeting-houses of Dissenters are usually covered; hence the meeting-house came to be called aPANTILE, and its frequentersPANTILERS.
Pants, American term for trousers. Here used to represent the long drawers worn underneath.
Panupetaston, a loose overcoat with wide sleeves, now out of fashion.—Oxford University.
Paper-maker, a rag-gatherer, or gutter-raker—similar to the chiffonnier of Paris. Also, a man who tramps through the country, and collects rags on the pretence that he is an agent to a paper mill.
Paper-Worker, a wandering vendor of street literature; one who sells ballads, dying speeches, and confessions, sometimes termed a “running stationer.”
Parachute, a parasol.
Paradise, French slang for the gallery of a theatre, “up amongst theGODS,” whichsee.
Parish lantern, the moon.
Parish prig, orPARISH BULL, a parson.—Thieves’ cant.
Parney, rain; “dowry ofPARNEY,” a quantity of rain.Anglo-Indianslang from theHindoo,PANI, water;Gipsy,PANE. Old Indian officers always call brandy-and-water “brandyPAWNEE.”
Parson, a signpost. Common term in the north, where they say that thePARSONpoints, but does not lead. This is given, as the lawyers say, “without prejudice.”
Parson Trulliber, a rude, vulgar, country clergyman, devoted to agricultural pursuits; the race is most probably now extinct. From the pig-feeding and pig-headed parson inJoseph Andrews.
Parson’s nose, the hind part of a goose—a savoury mouthful. Sometimes called thePope’s nose.
Part, to pay, restore, or give up; “he’s a right un, he is; I know’d he’dPART,”i.e., he is a liberal (or punctual) person, and pays his debts, or bestows gratuities. The term is in general use in sporting circles, and is very commonly employed when speaking of the settlement of bets after a race. It is probably derived from the very common reference to stingy people, who are described as not liking toPARTwith their money.
Parter, a free, liberal person. Sometimes called a “goodPARTER.” Any one who looks twice at his money, or who doesn’t pay it at all, is called a “badPARTER.”
Party, a person—term in very general use, similar in application to the German pronoun,MAN, a person, people; “where’s thePARTYas ’ad a’ orter be lookin’ after this ’ere ’oss?” policeman’s inquiry of the wrong cabman; “oldPARTY,” an elderly person. The term is said to have arisen in our old justice courts, where, to save “his worship” and the clerk of the court any trouble in exercising their memories with the names of the different plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses, the wordPARTYwas generally employed. Dean Alford remarked:—“The wordPARTYfor a man is especially offensive. Strange to say, the use is not altogether modern. It occurs in the English version of the Apocryphal book of Tobit, vi. 7. ‘If an evil spirit trouble any, one must make a smoke thereof before the man or the woman, and thePARTYshall be no more vexed.’”In Shakspeare we find the term:—“Stephano.How now shall this be compassed? Canst thou bring me to thePARTY?”—Tempest, iii. 2.This is not the only instance of the word being used by the immortal bard. “I once heard,” said the Dean just quoted, “a venerable dignitary pointed out by a railway porter as an oldPARTYin a shovel.” The last word is the vulgar term applied to the peculiar hat worn by clerical dignitaries.
Party, a person—term in very general use, similar in application to the German pronoun,MAN, a person, people; “where’s thePARTYas ’ad a’ orter be lookin’ after this ’ere ’oss?” policeman’s inquiry of the wrong cabman; “oldPARTY,” an elderly person. The term is said to have arisen in our old justice courts, where, to save “his worship” and the clerk of the court any trouble in exercising their memories with the names of the different plaintiffs, defendants, and witnesses, the wordPARTYwas generally employed. Dean Alford remarked:—
“The wordPARTYfor a man is especially offensive. Strange to say, the use is not altogether modern. It occurs in the English version of the Apocryphal book of Tobit, vi. 7. ‘If an evil spirit trouble any, one must make a smoke thereof before the man or the woman, and thePARTYshall be no more vexed.’”
“The wordPARTYfor a man is especially offensive. Strange to say, the use is not altogether modern. It occurs in the English version of the Apocryphal book of Tobit, vi. 7. ‘If an evil spirit trouble any, one must make a smoke thereof before the man or the woman, and thePARTYshall be no more vexed.’”
In Shakspeare we find the term:—
“Stephano.How now shall this be compassed? Canst thou bring me to thePARTY?”—Tempest, iii. 2.
“Stephano.How now shall this be compassed? Canst thou bring me to thePARTY?”—Tempest, iii. 2.
This is not the only instance of the word being used by the immortal bard. “I once heard,” said the Dean just quoted, “a venerable dignitary pointed out by a railway porter as an oldPARTYin a shovel.” The last word is the vulgar term applied to the peculiar hat worn by clerical dignitaries.
Pash, to strike; now corrupted toBASH, whichsee.—Shakspeare.
Paste, to beat, to thrash vigorously.
Pasteboard, a visiting card; “toPASTEBOARDa person,” to drop a card at an absent person’s house.
Paste-horn, the nose. Shoemakers nickname any shopmate with a large nose “oldPASTE-HORN,” from the shape of the horn in which they keep their paste.
Pasty, a bookbinder.
Patch.This old English term of reproach, long obsolete in polite language, may yet occasionally be heard in sentences like these:—“Why, he’s not aPATCHupon him,”i.e., he is not to be compared with him; “one’s not aPATCHon the other,” &c. Shakspeare uses the word in the sense of a paltry fellow:—“What a pied ninny’s this? thou scurvyPATCH!”In old EnglishPATCHmeant a fool, a wearer of patched clothes of motley.
Patch.This old English term of reproach, long obsolete in polite language, may yet occasionally be heard in sentences like these:—“Why, he’s not aPATCHupon him,”i.e., he is not to be compared with him; “one’s not aPATCHon the other,” &c. Shakspeare uses the word in the sense of a paltry fellow:—
“What a pied ninny’s this? thou scurvyPATCH!”
“What a pied ninny’s this? thou scurvyPATCH!”
In old EnglishPATCHmeant a fool, a wearer of patched clothes of motley.
Patent coats, the first coat, with the pockets inside the skirt, were so termed.
Patter, a speech or discourse, a pompous street oration, a judge’s summing up, a trial. Ancient word for muttering. Probably from theLatin,PATERNOSTER, or Lord’s Prayer. This was said, before the Reformation, in a “low voice” by the priest, until he came to “and lead us not into temptation,” to which the choir responded, “but deliver us from evil.” In the reformed Prayer Book this was altered, and the Lord’s Prayer directed to be said “with aloud voice.” Dr. Pusey takes this view of the derivation in hisLetter to the Bishop of London, p. 78, 1851. Scott uses the word twice, inIvanhoeand theBride of Lammermoor.
Patter, to talk.Patter flash, to speak the language of thieves, talk cant.
Patteran, a gipsy trail, made by throwing down a handful of grass occasionally, especially where they have turned off from the main road.
Patter-crib, a flash house.
Patterer, one of a race now nearly defunct, who cried last dying speeches, &c., in the streets. The term is also applied to those who help off their wares by long harangues in the public thoroughfares. These men, to use their own term, “are the aristocracy of the street sellers,” and despise the costermongers for their ignorance, boasting that they live by their intellect, which, as they do not live wonderfully well, is no particularly wise boast.
Pattern, a common vulgar phrase for “patent.”
Paul Pry, an inquisitive person. From the well-known comedy.
Paw, the hand.Paw-cases, gloves. Boots are in some parts of Ireland called “gloves for the feet.”
Pay, to beat a person, or “serve him out.” Originally a nautical term, meaning to stop the seams of a vessel with pitch (French,POIX); “here’s the d‑‑‑‑l toPAY, and no pitch hot,” said when any catastrophe occurs which there is no means of averting; “toPAYover face and eyes, as the cat did the monkey;” “toPAYthrough the nose,” togive a ridiculous price,—an expressive phrase of which no one seems to know the origin. Shakspeare usesPAYin the sense of to beat or thrash.
Pay, to deliver. “Paythat letter to Mr. So-and-so” is a very common direction to a Chinese servant.—Anglo-Chinese.
Pay-away, “go on with your story, or discourse.” From the nautical phrasePAY-AWAY, meaning to allow a rope to run out of a vessel. When the hearer considers the story quite long enough, he, carrying out the same metaphor, exclaims “hold on.”
Peach, an informer against omnibus conductors and drivers, one especially hired by the proprietors to count passengers and stoppages. The term is in frequent use amongst omnibus-men. This is about the only instance known of the verb being used as a substantive.
Peach, to inform against or betray. Webster states that the word “impeach” is now mostly used, and thatPEACHis confined principally to the conversation of thieves and the lower orders. The word was originally “impeach,” though it was never until lately used in the same way as its abridgment.
Peacock horse, amongst undertakers, is one with a showy tail and mane, which holds its head up well.Peacockyrefers to an objectionable high action among racehorses.
Peaking, remnants of cloth. Term amongst drapers and cloth warehousemen.
Peaky, sickly, delicate.
Pec, a term used by the Eton boys for money, an abbreviation, of course, of theLatinPECUNIA.
Peck, food; “PECKand boose,” meat and drink.—Lincolnshire.Ancient Cant,PEK, meat.
Peck, to eat voraciously. A hearty eater is generally called “a rarePECKER.” OriginallyPECKwas to eat delicately, “but we have changed all that now.”
Peck-alley, the throat.
Pecker, “keep yourPECKERup,”i.e., don’t get down in the mouth,—literally, keep your beak or head well up, “never say die!”
Peckham, a facetious usage of the name of this district, implying a dinner; “all holiday atPeckham,”i.e., nothing to eat.
Peckish, hungry.Old Cant,PECKIDGE, meat.
Peel, to strip, or disrobe.—Sporting.
Peeler, a policeman; so called from Sir Robert Peel (seeBOBBY); properly applied to the Irish Constabulary rather than the Metropolitan Police, the former force having been established by Sir Robert Peel.
Peepers, eyes; “paintedPEEPERS,” eyes bruised or blackened from a blow.—Pugilistic.
Peery, suspicious, or inquisitive.
Peg, brandy and soda-water. APEGby which to pull oneself up again. Also, a shilling.—Scotch.
Peg, “toPEGaway,” to strike, run, or drive away; “PEGa hack,” to drive a cab; “to take him down aPEGor two,” to check an arrogant or conceited person,—possibly derived from the use ofPEGtankards.SeePIN.
Peg, to drink frequently; generally used in reference to devotees of “S. and B.”
Peggers, people who constantly stimulate themselves by means of brandy and soda-water.
Pegtops, the loose trousers in fashion some years back, small at the ankle and swelling upwards, in imitation of the Zouave costume.
Penang-lawyer, a long cane, sometimes carried by a footman.Penang-lawyersare also bludgeons which are carried by all classes in Singapore.
Pencil-fever, a supposititious disease among racehorses, the preliminary symptoms of which show that an animal has been pretty considerably “milked.”Pencil-feversets in when, despite the efforts of the “marketeers,” a horse can no longer be kept at a short price in the lists, through his actual condition being discovered, and when every layer of odds is anxious to write his name down. This disorder is also called “milk-fever,” “market-fever,” and other suggestive names.
Penny-a-liner, a contributor of local news, accidents, fires, and scandals to a newspaper; a man not regularly “on the paper;” one who is popularly believed to be paid for each contribution at the rate of a penny a line, and whose interest is, therefore, that his articles should be stuffed with fine words and long sentences. This wonderful person, to whom so much is daily attributed, is now generally called aLINER.
Penny dreadfuls, an expressive term for those penny publications which depend more upon sensationalism than upon merit, artistic or literary, for success.
Penny gaff, a shop turned into a temporary theatre (admission one penny), at which dancing and singing take place every night. Sometimes rude pictures of the performers are arranged outside to give the front a gaudy and attractive look, and at night-time coloured lamps and transparencies are displayed to draw an audience. Zest is given to these entertainments by the fact that now and again the police make raids upon the houses, and carry off both actors and spectators. These places are also called “dukeys,” for no reason that can be discovered.SeeGAFF.
Penny starver, a penny roll.SeeBUSTER.
Pen’orth, value for money; as, “I’ll have myPEN’ORTH,”—given irrespective of the actual amount.
Pensioner, a man of the most degraded condition who lives off the miserable earnings of a prostitute. There is an unmentionable prefix to the wordPensioner.SeePonce.
Pepper, to thrash, or strike.—Pugilistic, but used by Shakspeare.—Eastern Counties.
Pepper-boxes, the buildings of the Royal Academy and NationalGallery in Trafalgar Square. The name was first given by a wag, in allusion to the cupolas erected by Wilkins, the architect, upon the roof, which, from their form and awkward appearance, at a distance suggest to the stranger the fact of their being enlargedPEPPER-BOXES.SeeBOILERS.
Perch, orROOST, a resting-place; “I’m off toPERCH,”i.e., I am going to bed.“Nor yet a single perch, for which my lucky stars to thank,Except theperchI’ve taken on this damp rheumatic bank.”Lay of the Unsuccessful Angler.
Perch, orROOST, a resting-place; “I’m off toPERCH,”i.e., I am going to bed.
“Nor yet a single perch, for which my lucky stars to thank,Except theperchI’ve taken on this damp rheumatic bank.”Lay of the Unsuccessful Angler.
“Nor yet a single perch, for which my lucky stars to thank,Except theperchI’ve taken on this damp rheumatic bank.”
Perform, to carry out a design, generally a dishonest one. To “PERFORMon a flat” is to cozen a fool.
Perkin, beer. Dandy or affected shortening of the widely-known firm, Barclay and Perkins.
Perpendicular, a lunch taken standing-up at a tavern bar. It is usual to call it lunch, often as thePERPENDICULARmay take the place of dinner.
Persuaders, spurs.
Pesky, an intensitive expression, implying annoyance; as, “APESKY, troublesome fellow.” Corruption ofPESTILENT; or,Irish,PEASGACH, rough, rugged.Peskyhas now become more American than English.Pesky Ikeis the name of a popular American drama.
Peter, a partridge.—Poacher’s term.
Peter, a bundle, or valise. Also, a cash-box.
Peter, to run short, or give out.—American.
Peter Funk, an American term for a spurious auction or “knock-out.”
Peter Grievous, a miserable, melancholy fellow; a croaker.
Petticoat, a woman.
Pewter, money, like “tin,” used generally to signify silver; also a tankard. “Let me have my beer in thePEWTER,” is a common request to waiters, made by “City” men, and others who affect habits of rude health. The pots for which rowing men contend are often calledPEWTERS.
Philadelphia-lawyer, a Transatlantic limb of the law considered to be the very acme of acuteness. Sailors relate many stories of his artful abilities, none, however, short enough to find a place here. The phrase, “Enough to puzzle aPhiladelphia-lawyer,” means, enough to puzzle the sharpest man in the world.
Philander, to ramble on incoherently; to write discursively and weakly.
Philip, a policeman. The word is loudly given as a signal that the police are approaching.
Philiper, a thief’s accomplice, one who stands by and looks out for the police while the others commit a robbery, and who calls out “Philip!” when any one approaches.
Philistine, a policeman. The German students call all townspeople notof their body “Philister,” as ours say “cads.” The departing student says, mournfully, in one of the Burschenlieder—“Muss selber nunPhilistersein!”i.e., “I must now myselfPhilistinebe!” Also, a man who is of a set opposed to one’s own. Society is supposed to regard all outside its bounds as belonging to thePhilistineworld. Bohemians regard all cleanly, orderly people who conform to conventionality asPhilistines.
Philistine, a policeman. The German students call all townspeople notof their body “Philister,” as ours say “cads.” The departing student says, mournfully, in one of the Burschenlieder—
“Muss selber nunPhilistersein!”
“Muss selber nunPhilistersein!”
i.e., “I must now myselfPhilistinebe!” Also, a man who is of a set opposed to one’s own. Society is supposed to regard all outside its bounds as belonging to thePhilistineworld. Bohemians regard all cleanly, orderly people who conform to conventionality asPhilistines.
Physog, orPHIZ, the face. Swift uses the latter word. Corruption ofPHYSIOGNOMY.
Picaroon, a pirate or buccaneer originally; now an ordinary thief.
Piccadilly butchers, a satirical name applied by the crowd to the regiment of Horse Guards, known as the “Royal Blues,” from their savage onslaught upon the crowd on the occasion of the arrest of Sir Francis Burdett at his house in Piccadilly, by order of the Speaker of the House of Commons.SeeCheesemongers.
Piccadilly weepers, long carefully combed-out whiskers of the Dundreary fashion.
Pick, “toPICKoneself up,” to recover after a beating or illness, sometimes varied to “PICKup one’s crumbs;” “toPICKa man up,” “to do,” or cheat him.
Pickaninny, a young child is thus styled by the West Indian negroes. The word is now completely naturalized among sailors and water-side people in England.
Pickers, the hands.—Shakspeare.
Pickle, a miserable or comical position; “he is in a sadPICKLE,” said of any one who has fallen into the gutter, or got besmeared. “APICKLEherring,” a comical fellow, a merry-andrew.—Old.Also, a mischievous boy; “what aPICKLEhe is, to be sure!” Derived from his always getting into aPICKLE, or mess.
Pickles!gammon; also a jeering and insulting exclamation.
Pick-me-up, a revivifying drink taken after a debauch; a tonic.
Piece, a contemptuous term for a woman; a strumpet.—Shakspeare.Not always objectionable nowadays. A “barber’s clerk” does not object to hear his sweetheart or wife called “a nicePIECE;” and gentlemen of the counter-jumping fraternity describe their “young ladies” as “nicePIECESof goods.”
Pieman.In tossing, the man who cries is called thePIEMAN. In the old days when the itinerantPIEMAN’Sduty was to toss or sell, and his call was, “Hot pies, toss or buy, toss or buy,” he was always supposed to be entitled to the cry, the intending eater “skying the copper.” An active and efficient police have, however, improved tossing—so far, at all events, asPIEMENand poor people are concerned—off the face of the earth, and gaming of all descriptions is now a luxury confined to the rich.
Pig, a mass of metal,—so called from its being poured in a fluid state from aSOW, whichsee.—Workman’s term.
Pig, a policeman; an informer. The word is now almost exclusively applied by London thieves to a plain-clothes man, or a “nose.”
Pig, a pressman in a printing office.SeeDONKEY.
Pig, orSOW’S BABY, a sixpence.
Pig, to live in a crowded, filthy manner. The lower orders of Irish are said toPIGtogether. A suggestive, if not elegant, expression.
Pig and Tinder-box, the vulgar rendering of the well-known tavern sign, “Elephant and Castle.”
Pigeon, a gullible or soft person. TheFrenchcant, orArgot, has the wordPIGEON, dupe—“PECHON, PESCHON DE RUBY, apprenti gueux, enfant (sans doute dérobé)”. The vagabonds and brigands of Spain also used the word in theirGermania, or robbers’ language,PALOMO(PIGEON), ignorant, simple. In the sporting world sharps and flats are often called “rooks andPIGEONS” respectively—sometimes “spiders and flies.”
Pigeon, business, simply the Chinese pronunciation of the English word.—Anglo-Chinese.
Pigeon-English, the English spoken by the natives of Canton and other parts of China.
Pigeon-flying, orBLUEY CRACKING, breaking into empty houses and stealing lead.
Pigeon’s milk, an imaginary fluid for which boys and simpletons are frequently sent on the 1st of April.
Pig-headed, obstinate.
Pig’s eye, the ace of diamonds in cards.
Pig’s whisper, a low or inaudible whisper; also a short space of time, synonymous with “cockstride,”i.e., cock’s tread.
Pike, a turnpike; “to bilk aPIKE,” to cheat the keeper of the toll-gate. Mr. Tony Weller makes many amusing remarks onPIKESandPIKE-keepers. Since the first edition of this work was published,PIKESandPIKE-keepers have departed from amongst us, so far as London and its immediate vicinity are concerned.
Pike, to run, to be off with speed.
Pike it, is said as a hasty and contemptuous, if not angry, dismissal, “if you don’t like it, take a short stick andPIKEit.” This is but a form of the attempts at rhyming smartness common in London.“Joe quickly his sand had sold, sir,And Bess got a basket of rags;Then up to St. Giles’s they roll’d, sir;To every bunter Bess brags.Then unto the gin-shop theyPIKE IT,And Bess was admitted, we hear;For none of the crew dare but like it,As Joey, her kiddy, was there,”The Sand-man’s Wedding, a Cantata.“’Twas not our fault, dear Jack; we saw the watch going into the house the moment we came there, and we thought it proper toPIKE OFF.”—The Prison Breaker, a Farce.
Pike it, is said as a hasty and contemptuous, if not angry, dismissal, “if you don’t like it, take a short stick andPIKEit.” This is but a form of the attempts at rhyming smartness common in London.
“Joe quickly his sand had sold, sir,And Bess got a basket of rags;Then up to St. Giles’s they roll’d, sir;To every bunter Bess brags.Then unto the gin-shop theyPIKE IT,And Bess was admitted, we hear;For none of the crew dare but like it,As Joey, her kiddy, was there,”The Sand-man’s Wedding, a Cantata.
“Joe quickly his sand had sold, sir,And Bess got a basket of rags;Then up to St. Giles’s they roll’d, sir;To every bunter Bess brags.Then unto the gin-shop theyPIKE IT,And Bess was admitted, we hear;For none of the crew dare but like it,As Joey, her kiddy, was there,”
“’Twas not our fault, dear Jack; we saw the watch going into the house the moment we came there, and we thought it proper toPIKE OFF.”—The Prison Breaker, a Farce.
“’Twas not our fault, dear Jack; we saw the watch going into the house the moment we came there, and we thought it proper toPIKE OFF.”—The Prison Breaker, a Farce.
Pikey, a tramp or gipsy. APIKEY-cart is in various parts of the countryone of those habitable vehicles suggestive of a wandering life. Possibly the term has reference to one who constantly uses thePIKE, or turnpike road.
Pile, a sum of money; generally the whole of a man’s private means. A term originally peculiar to Californian miners, in reference to their accumulated dust and nuggets. American gamblers speak of “putting all thePILEon” when they fancy anything very much. “To go the wholePILE” runs level with our sporting phrase, “To go a raker.”
Pill, a doctor.—Military.Pill-driver, a peddling apothecary.
Pill, to blackball a man at a club. Sometimes a man who is blackballed is described as having received too much medicine.
Pill-box, a doctor’s carriage.
Pin, “to put in thePIN,” to refrain from drinking. From the ancient peg tankard, which was furnished with a row ofPINS, or pegs, to regulate the amount which each person was to drink. Drunken people are often requested to “put in thePIN,” from some remote connexion between their unsteadiness and that of a carriage wheel which has lost its linch-PIN. The popular cry, “Put in thePIN,” can have no connexion with the drinkingPINor peg now, whatever it may originally have had. AMERRY PIN, a roysterer.SeePEG.
Pinch, to steal or cheat; also, to catch, or apprehend.
Pinchbeck, inferior, deteriorated. Anything pretending to more than its proper value is said to bePINCHBECK.“Where, in thesePINCHBECKdays, can we hope to find the old agricultural virtue in all its purity?”—Framley Parsonage.
Pinchbeck, inferior, deteriorated. Anything pretending to more than its proper value is said to bePINCHBECK.
“Where, in thesePINCHBECKdays, can we hope to find the old agricultural virtue in all its purity?”—Framley Parsonage.
“Where, in thesePINCHBECKdays, can we hope to find the old agricultural virtue in all its purity?”—Framley Parsonage.
Pinchbeckwas an inferior metal, compounded of copper and zinc, to resemble gold. It was very fashionable in the last century, and derived its name from a Mr.Pinchbeck, a well-known London tradesman, who manufactured watches, buckles, and other articles out of it.Pinchbeckfirst obtained his notoriety by the invention of an ingenious candle-snuffers, which the author ofThe Heroic Epistle to Sir William Chambersmade the vehicle of a facetious Ode that went through eight editions. The title of thisjeu d’espritran thus:—“Ode to Mr. Pinchbeck, upon his Newly-invented Candle-Snuffers, byMalcolm M’Gregor, Esq., 1776.“IllustriousPinchbeck! condescend,Thou well-beloved, and best king’s friend,These lyric lines to view;Oh, may they prompt thee, ere too late,To snuff the candle of the State,That burns a little blue!”Pinchbeckpublished a poetical reply, and the two pamphlets were for a long time the talk of the town.
Pinchbeckwas an inferior metal, compounded of copper and zinc, to resemble gold. It was very fashionable in the last century, and derived its name from a Mr.Pinchbeck, a well-known London tradesman, who manufactured watches, buckles, and other articles out of it.Pinchbeckfirst obtained his notoriety by the invention of an ingenious candle-snuffers, which the author ofThe Heroic Epistle to Sir William Chambersmade the vehicle of a facetious Ode that went through eight editions. The title of thisjeu d’espritran thus:—
“Ode to Mr. Pinchbeck, upon his Newly-invented Candle-Snuffers, byMalcolm M’Gregor, Esq., 1776.“IllustriousPinchbeck! condescend,Thou well-beloved, and best king’s friend,These lyric lines to view;Oh, may they prompt thee, ere too late,To snuff the candle of the State,That burns a little blue!”
“Ode to Mr. Pinchbeck, upon his Newly-invented Candle-Snuffers, byMalcolm M’Gregor, Esq., 1776.
“IllustriousPinchbeck! condescend,Thou well-beloved, and best king’s friend,These lyric lines to view;Oh, may they prompt thee, ere too late,To snuff the candle of the State,That burns a little blue!”
“IllustriousPinchbeck! condescend,Thou well-beloved, and best king’s friend,These lyric lines to view;Oh, may they prompt thee, ere too late,To snuff the candle of the State,That burns a little blue!”
Pinchbeckpublished a poetical reply, and the two pamphlets were for a long time the talk of the town.
Pink, the acme of perfection. The scarlet garb worn in the hunting-field.
Pink, to stab, or pierce. In the days of rapier-wearing a professed duellist was said to be “a regularPINKERand driller.”
Pinnel, orPENNEL,—corruption of penal servitude. As, “four-yearPINNEL.”
Pinner-up, a seller of old songs, pinned against a wall or framed canvas. Formerly many of these street salesmen carried on their little “paper trade” in London. There are but one or two now left.
Pins, legs.
Pipe, to follow or dog a person; to watch, to notice.
Pipe, to shed tears, or bewail; “PIPEone’s eye.”—Sea term.“He first began to eye his pipe.And then toPIPEhis eye.”—Hood.Metaphor from the boatswain’s pipe, which calls to duty.
Pipe, to shed tears, or bewail; “PIPEone’s eye.”—Sea term.
“He first began to eye his pipe.And then toPIPEhis eye.”—Hood.
“He first began to eye his pipe.And then toPIPEhis eye.”—Hood.
Metaphor from the boatswain’s pipe, which calls to duty.
Pipe, “to put one’sPIPEout,” to traverse his plans, “to take a rise” out of him. When any one meets with a rebuff or a sharp answer, he is often told to “put that in hisPIPEand smoke it,”i.e., to digest it carefully.
Piper, a person employed by an omnibus proprietor to act as a spy on the conductor.
Piper, a broken-winded hack horse.
Pipkin, the stomach,—properly, an earthen round-bottomed pot—Norwich.
Pips, the marks, no matter of what suit, on playing cards. The ace is often called “singlePIP.”
Pit, a breast-pocket.
Pitch, a fixed locality where a patterer can hold forth to a gaping multitude for at least some few minutes continuously; “to do aPITCHin the drag,” to perform in the street. An itinerant is said to “make aPITCH” whenever he attempts to do any business.
Pitch, to utter base coin. Smashers are known to themselves and their friends, the rest of the dangerous classes, as “snidePITCHERS.” The confederacy is divided into makers, buyers, holders, and pitchers. The maker probably never sees the actual passers of base money, the buyer being generally the intercommunicating medium. The holder is generally a man who carries the bulk of the “snides,” and waits about; while the pitcher, often a woman—indeed, more often than not—runs the actual risk.
Pitch, to go to bed for less than the ordinary period. Journeymen bakers, and others whose work is disjointed, call any short interval of sleep aPITCH. Probably from the action.
Pitch into, to fight; “PITCH INTOhim, Bill,”i.e., give him a thrashing.
Pitch the fork, to tell a pitiful tale.
Pitch the nob,PRICK THE GARTER, whichsee.
Place, to name the first three horses in a race. This is the duty of the judge, who sees nothing of the race but the finish. Sometimes an official will place more than the first three, but this in no way interferes with the meaning of the word as generally received. To run “nowhere” is to be unplaced.
Place, first, second, or third position in a race. Sometimes aPLACEis called a “situation” or a “shop.”
Plant, a dodge, a preconcerted swindle; a position in the street to sell from. All bearings-up, bonnetings, and such like arrangements, are the results of preconcerted schemes orPLANTS.
Plant, to mark a person out for plunder or robbery; to conceal or hide money, &c.—Old Cant.In the sense of conceal, there is a similar word inArgot,PLANQUER.
Plant, a hidden store of money or variables. To “spring aPLANT” is to unearth another person’s hoard.
Platform, a standpoint in an argument, a statement of political or general opinion. “Home rule’s myPLATFORM!” OriginallyAmerican, but now general.
Play, to strike for higher wages, to be out of work.—North.
Plebs, a term used to stigmatize a tradesman’s son at Westminster School.Latin,PLEBS, the vulgar.
Plough.To bePLOUGHEDis to fail to pass an examination. About twenty years ago “pluck,” the word then used, began to be superseded byPLOUGH. It is said to have arisen from a man who could not supply the examiner with any quotation from Scripture, until at last he blurted out, “And the ploughers ploughed on my back, and made long furrows.”—University.
Ploughed, drunk.
Pluck, the heart, liver, and lungs of an animal,—all that isPLUCKEDaway in connexion with the windpipe, from the chest of a sheep or hog.
Pluck, to turn back at a University examination. The supposed origin ofPLUCKis, that when, on degree day, the proctor, after having read the name of a candidate for a degree, walks down the hall and back, it is to give any creditor the opportunity of plucking his sleeve, and informing him of the candidate’s being in debt.
Pluck, courage, valour, stoutness.See following.
Plucked un, a stout or brave fellow; “he’s a rarePLUCKED UN,”i.e., he dares face anything.
During the Crimean War and the Indian MutinyPLUCKY, signifying courageous, became a favourite term even among ladies; and the term BritishPLUCKwill probably live—slangy as is its origin—as long as the language into which it has been adopted, for the history of the deeds with which it is associated can never die, while, indeed, a history remains to this country. The word met with great disfavour at first from the “genteel,” but of course they followed when aristocracy deigned to use it.
Plum, £100,000, usually applied to the dowry of a rich heiress, to a legacy, or to a sum made in business or by a lucky speculation.
Plum-cash, prime cost.—Anglo-Chinese.
Plummy, round, sleek, jolly, or fat; excellent, very good, first-rate.
Plumper, a single vote at an election, not a “split ticket.”
Plunder, a common word in the horse trade to express profit. Also anAmerican term for baggage, luggage. In Lower Canada the French packmen call luggage “butin.”
Plunger, a heavy cavalry-man.—Military slang.
Plutocracy, the wealthy classes. The Manchester merchants are often termed a millocracy, and words of a similar character are mobocracy and moneyocracy.
Pocket, to put up with. A man who does not resent an affront is said toPOCKETit.
Pocket-pistol, a dram-flask.
Podgy, drunk; dumpy, short, and fat.
Pogram, a Dissenter, a fanatic, formalist, or humbug. So called from a well-known enthusiast of this name.
Poke, a bag, or sack; “to buy a pig in aPOKE,” to purchase anything without seeing it.Pokewas originally a pocket. Shakspeare says—“And then he pulled a dial from hisPOKE.”
Poke, a bag, or sack; “to buy a pig in aPOKE,” to purchase anything without seeing it.Pokewas originally a pocket. Shakspeare says—
“And then he pulled a dial from hisPOKE.”
“And then he pulled a dial from hisPOKE.”
Poke.“Come, none of yourPOKINGfun at me,”i.e., you must not laugh at me.
Poker.“By the holyPOKERand the tumbling Tom!” an Irish oath.
Pokers, orSILVER POKERS, the Bedels of the Vice-Chancellor, who carry silver maces, and accompany him through the streets. They are also officers of his court.—University.“Around, around, all, all around.On seats with velvet lined,Sat Heads of Houses in a row,And Deans and College Dons below,With aPOKERor two behind.”Rime of the New-made Baccalere, 1841.
Pokers, orSILVER POKERS, the Bedels of the Vice-Chancellor, who carry silver maces, and accompany him through the streets. They are also officers of his court.—University.
“Around, around, all, all around.On seats with velvet lined,Sat Heads of Houses in a row,And Deans and College Dons below,With aPOKERor two behind.”Rime of the New-made Baccalere, 1841.
“Around, around, all, all around.On seats with velvet lined,Sat Heads of Houses in a row,And Deans and College Dons below,With aPOKERor two behind.”
Poky, confined or cramped; “that corner isPOKYand narrow.” Housewives describe a small uncomfortable room as “aPOKYhole.”Saxon,POKE, a sack.
Policeman, a fly—more especially the kind known as “blue bottle.” Also, among the dangerous classes, a man who is unworthy of confidence, a sneak or mean fellow.
Polish off, to finish off anything quickly—a dinner, for instance; also to finish off an adversary.—Pugilistic.
Poll, at Cambridge, the “ordinary degree” candidates for the B.A. Examination, who do not aspire to the “Honours” list. From theGreek, οἱ πόλλοι, “the many.”
Poll, to beat or distance, as in a race; to utterly vanquish in competition. Term much used by printers.
Poll, a female of unsteady character; “POLLEDup,” means living with a woman in a state of unmarried impropriety. Also, if a costermonger sees one of his friends walking with a strange woman, he will say to him on the earliest opportunity, “I saw yer when yer wasPOLLEDup.”
Poll, orPOLLING, one thief robbing another of part of the booty. In use in ancient times,videHall’s Union, 1548.
Poll parrot, a talkative, gossiping woman. A term much used about Ratcliff Highway.
Polony, Cockney shortening and vulgar pronunciation of Bologna (sausage). The sausages which are sold under the name ofPOLONIEShave, however, no nearer connexion with Bologna sausages than that of the word’s derivation.
Pompadours, the Fifty-sixth Regiment of Foot in the British army.
Ponce, a degraded man who lives upon a woman’s prostitution. Low-class East-end thieves even will “draw the line” atPONCES, and object to their presence in the boozing-kens.
Pond, orHERRING-POND, the sea; so called by those who were sent across it at the national expense.
Ponge, orPONGELOW, beer, half-and-half; the term is also used as a verb, as in the Cockney phrase, “let’sPONGELOW, shall we?”
Pony, twenty-five pounds.—Sporting.
Poona, a sovereign. Corruption of “pound;” or from theLingua Franca.
Pop, to pawn or pledge; “toPOPup the spout,” to pledge at the pawnbroker’s,—an allusion to the spout up which the brokers send the ticketed articles until such times as they shall be redeemed. The spout runs from the ground-floor to the wareroom at the top of the house. Ginger-beer is also known asPOP.
Pop the question, to make an offer of marriage.
Pope’s-eye, a peculiar little part in a leg of mutton, much esteemed by lovers of that joint.
Pope’s nose, the extremity of the rump of a roast fowl, sometimes devilled as a dainty for epicures. Also known as “the parson’sNOSE.”
Pops, pocket-pistols.
Porterhouse steak, an American term for a steak which contains a small bone. In the States, tender-loin steaks are much eaten. These are from what we call the undercut of the sirloin.
Portrait, a sovereign. Modification of “Queen’s picture.”
Posa, a treasurer. A corruption of “purser,” the name given to the treasurer in the large Anglo-Chinese mercantile establishments.—Anglo-Chinese.
Posh, a halfpenny, or trifling coin. Also a generic term for money.
Post, to pay down; “POSTthe pony” signifies to place the stakes played for on the table.
Post-horn, the nose.SeePASTE-HORN.
Post-mortem, at Cambridge, the second examination which men who have been “plucked” have to undergo.—University.
Posted up, well acquainted with the subject in question, “up to the mark,”—metaphor drawn from the counting-house.
Pot, a favourite in the betting for a race. Probably so called because it is usual to say that a heavily-backed horse carries “aPOTof money.” When a favourite is beaten thePOTis said to be upset.
Pot, a sixpence,i.e., the price of aPOTor quart of half-and-half. A half-crown, in medical student slang, is aFIVE-POTpiece.
Pot,TO GO TO POT, to die; from the classic custom of putting the ashes of the dead in an urn; also, to be ruined or broken up,—often applied to tradesmen who fail in business. “Go toPOT!”i.e., go and hang yourself, shut up and be quiet.—L’Estrange.“To put thePOTon,” to overcharge or exaggerate. “To go toPOT” most probably means to go out of all shape, as metal in the melting-pot.
Pot, to finish; “don’tPOTme,” term used at billiards, when a player holes his adversary’s ball—generally considered shabby play. This word was much used by our soldiers in the Crimea in reference to shots from a hole or ambush. These were calledPOT-SHOTS. The term is still used to denote a shot taken sitting or at ease.
Pot-boiler, a picture hurriedly painted for the purpose of “keeping thePOT BOILING.”—Artistic slang.
Pot-faker, a hawker of crockery and general earthenware.
Pot-hat, a low-crowned hat, as distinguished from the soft wideawake and the stove-pipe.
Pot-hunter, a sportsman who shoots anything he comes across, having more regard to filling his bag than to the rules which regulate the sport. A man who fires at anything, regardless of the rules which govern true sportsmen.
Pot-hunter, a man who gives his time up to rowing or punting, or any sort of match in order to win the “pewters” which are given as prizes.—University.The term is now much used in aquatic and athletic circles; and is applied, in a derogatory sense, to men of good quality who enter themselves in small races they are almost sure to win, and thus deprive the juniors of small trophies which should be above the attention of champions, though valuable to beginners. Also an unwelcome guest, who manages to be just in time for dinner.
Pot-luck, just as it comes; to takePOT-LUCK,i.e., one’s chance of a dinner, or of what there is for dinner. A hearty term, used to signify that whatever the pot contains the visitor is welcome to.
Pot-valiant, courageous through application to the bottle. Possessed of Dutch courage.
Pot-walloper, an elector in certain boroughs before the passing of the first Reform Bill, whose qualification consisted in being a housekeeper,—to establish which it was only necessary to boil a pot within the limits of the borough, by the aid of any temporary erection. This implied that he was able to provide for himself, and not necessitated to apply for parochial relief. Honiton, Tregoney, Ilchester, Old Sarum, &c., had this privilege before the passing of the first Reform Bill. Also, a scullion.
Potato-trap, the mouth.—Originally a Hibernicism.
Potheen, whisky made in an illicit still, once a favourite drink in Ireland, now almost unattainable. People resident in England who read of the charms ofPOTHEENwould be rather astonished if they were to taste it. It is real “fire-water” flavoured with peat-smoke.
Potted, orPOTTED OUT, cabined, confined, figurative of crammed into a garden-pot. Also applied to burial,—a horticultural allusion.
Potter, to meddle without much judgment. Application various. A gentleman may describe himself as “POTTERINGabout in his garden,” and think the phrase pleasant. The gardener, who has to do the work all over again, may, however, use the word in quite a different sense.
Power, a large quantity; “aPOWERof money.”—Irishat first, but now general.
Pow-wow, a conference. Originally an Indian term.
Prad, a horse.Prad-nappingwas horse-stealing. Both these terms are old cant.
Prancer, a horse.—Ancient Cant.In modern slang an officer of cavalry.
Praties, potatoes.—Irish.
Precious, used, in a slang sense, like very or exceeding; “aPRECIOUSlittle of that,”i.e., a very little indeed; aPRECIOUShumbug, rascal, &c.,i.e., an eminent one.
Pretty horsebreakers, a phrase adopted some years back, in deference to common squeamishness, to denote thedemi-monde, who dress so well and ride so daintily. Really, pretty heartbreakers.
Prial, a corruption ofPAIR-ROYAL, a term at the game of cribbage, meaning three cards of a similar description. Often used metaphorically for three persons or things of a kind.Double-prial, a corruption ofDOUBLE PAIR-ROYAL, means four cards, persons, or things of a similar description.
Prick the garter, orPITCH THE NOB, a gambling and cheating game common at fairs, and generally practised by thimble-riggers. It consists of aGARTERor a piece of list doubled, and then folded up tight. The bet is made upon your asserting that you can, with a pin,PRICKthe point at which the garter is doubled. The garter is then unfolded, and nine times out of ten you will find that you have been deceived, and that one of the false folds has been pricked. The owner of theGARTERholds the ends tightly with one hand, and there is little doubt that he can make the “flat” lose and the “bonnet” win at pleasure. This was, doubtless, originally a gipsy game, and we are informed by Brand that it was much practised by the gipsies in the time of Shakspeare. In those days it was termedPRICKING AT THE BELT, orFAST AND LOOSE.
Prig, a thief. Used by Addison in the sense of a coxcomb.—Ancient Cant, probably from theSaxon,PRICC-AN, to filch, &c.—Shakspeare.Prig, to steal or rob.Prigging, thieving. In Scotland the termPRIGis used in a different sense from what it is in England. In Glasgow, or at Aberdeen, “toPRIGa salmon” would be to cheapen it, or seek for an abatement in the price. A story is told of two Scotchmen, visitors to London, who got into sad trouble a few years ago by announcing their intention of “PRIGGINGa hat” which they had espied in a fashionable manufacturer’s window, and which one of them thought he would like to possess.
Prig, a conceited, stuck-up, over-knowing person; one who appropriates or adopts a manner or costume not suited to him.
Priggish, conceited.
Primed, said of a person in that state of incipient intoxication that if he took more drink it would become evident. Also, crammed for an examination.
Pro, a professional.—Theatrical.
Pro, the proproctor, or second in command in the proctorial police. The two proctors generally appoint a certain number of proproctors each.—Oxford University.
Proctorized,TO BE, to be stopped by the Proctor, and told to call on him.—University.
Prog, meat, food, &c. Johnson calls it “a low word.” He was fond of “prog,” however.
Proof, the best ale at Magdalen College, Oxford.
Prop, a blow. As, “aPROPon the nose,”—more street slang than pugilistic.
Prop, a scarf pin.
Prop-nailer, a man who “sneaks,” or rather snatches, pins from gentlemen’s scarves.
Proper, very, exceedingly, sometimes used ironically; “you are aPROPERnice fellow,” meaning a great scamp. A “PROPERman” generally means a perfect man, as far as can be known.
Props, crutches.
Props, stage properties.—Theatrical.
Pros, a water-closet. Abbreviated form of πρὸς τινα τόπον. Some say, πρὸς τον τόπον.—Oxford University.
Pross, to break in or instruct a stage-infatuated youth. Also, to spunge upon a comrade or stranger for drink. In this latter capacity the word is in connexion with prostitute, aPROSSERbeing considered a most degraded being, and the word being supposed by many to represent a man who lives on a woman’s prostitution.
Psalm-smiter, a “Ranter,” one who sings at a conventicle.SeeBRISKET-BEATER.
Pub, orPUBLIC, a public-house; “whatPUBdo you use?”i.e., which inn or public-house do you frequent?
Public patterers, swell mobsmen who pretend to be Dissenting preachers, and harangue in the open air to attract a crowd for their confederates to rob.
Pucker, poor or bad temper, difficulty,déshabillé.Pucker up, to get in a bad temper.
Puckering, talking privately.
Puckerow, to seize, to take hold of. From theHindostanee,PUCKERNA.—Anglo-Indian.
Pudding-snammer, one who robs a cook-shop.
Puff, to blow up, or swell with praise; declared by a writer in theWeekly Register, as far back as 1732, to be illegitimate.“Puffhas become a cant word, signifying the applause set forth by writers, &c. to increase the reputation and sale of a book, and is an excellent stratagem to excite the curiosity of gentle readers.”Lord Bacon, however, used the word in a similar sense a century before. Sheridan also seems to have remembered the use of the word,videMr.Puff.
Puff, to blow up, or swell with praise; declared by a writer in theWeekly Register, as far back as 1732, to be illegitimate.
“Puffhas become a cant word, signifying the applause set forth by writers, &c. to increase the reputation and sale of a book, and is an excellent stratagem to excite the curiosity of gentle readers.”
“Puffhas become a cant word, signifying the applause set forth by writers, &c. to increase the reputation and sale of a book, and is an excellent stratagem to excite the curiosity of gentle readers.”
Lord Bacon, however, used the word in a similar sense a century before. Sheridan also seems to have remembered the use of the word,videMr.Puff.
Pug, a fighting man’s idea of the contracted word to be produced from pugilist.
Pull, an advantage, or hold upon another; “I’ve thePULLover (or of) you,”i.e., you are in my power—perhaps an oblique allusion to the judicial sense. See the following.
Pull, to have one apprehended; “to bePULLEDup,” or more recently “to bePULLED” only, to be taken before a magistrate. The police are constantly “pulling” loitering, furiously driving, or drunken cabmen.
Pull, to drink; “come, take aPULLat it,”i.e., drink up.
Pull, to prevent a horse from winning, that is, so far as the rider’s action is concerned.
Pullet, a young girl. Filly is an exchangeable term.
Pummel, to thrash,—fromPOMMEL.
Pump, to extract information by roundabout questioning.
Pundit, a person who assumes to be very grave and learned.—Anglo-Indian.
Punkah, a fan, usually a fan of very large size, worked with a string, and used to ventilate rooms.—Anglo-Indian.
Punt, to gamble;PUNTING-SHOP, a gambling-house. Common in ancient writers, but now disused. The word seems confined to playing for “chicken stakes.”Puntmeans now in the sporting world to back horses for small stakes.
Punter, a small professional backer of horses.
Pup and ringer,i.e., the “Dog and Bell,” the sign of a flash public-house.
Purdah, a curtain.—Anglo-Indian.
Pure finders, street-collectors of dogs’ dung.—Humorous.
Purl, to spill;PURLEDis a hunting and steeplechasing term synonymous with “foaled,” or “spilt” (thrown); “he’ll getPURLEDat the rails.”
Purl, a mixture of hot ale and sugar, with wormwood infused in it, a favourite morning drink to produce an appetite; sometimes with gin and spice added:—“Two penn’orth o’PURL—Good ‘earlyPURL,’’Gin all the worldTo put your hair into a curl,When you feel yourself queer of a mornin’.”
Purl, a mixture of hot ale and sugar, with wormwood infused in it, a favourite morning drink to produce an appetite; sometimes with gin and spice added:—
“Two penn’orth o’PURL—Good ‘earlyPURL,’’Gin all the worldTo put your hair into a curl,When you feel yourself queer of a mornin’.”
“Two penn’orth o’PURL—Good ‘earlyPURL,’’Gin all the worldTo put your hair into a curl,When you feel yourself queer of a mornin’.”
Purler, a heavy fall from a horse in the hunting or steeplechasing field.
Push, a robbery or swindle. “I’m in thisPUSH,” the notice given by one magsman to another that he means to “stand in.”
Push, a crowd.—Old Cant.
Pussey-cats, corruption of Puseyites, a name constantly, but improperly, given to the Tractarian party in the Church, from the Oxford Regius Professor of Hebrew, who by no means approved of the Romanizing tendencies of some of its leaders. The name still sticks, however, to this day.
Put, a game at cards, once fashionable, but now played among thieves and costermongers only.
Put, an obsolete slang term representing the modern “bloke” or “cove.” It was generally applied to elderly persons.
Put on, to promise another money or valuables in the event of an anticipated success. “You’reONa quid if Kaiser wins,” might often have been heard before last St. Leger. Many hangers-on of the turf live almost entirely by what they arePUT ON, by bookmakers and backers for whom they do odd work.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it, said of a blow or repartee, and equivalent to take that and think over it, or digest it, or let it be a warning to you.
Put the pot on, to put too much money upon one horse.—Sporting.
Put up, to suggest, to incite, “hePUTmeUPto it;” he prompted me to do it.Put up, to stop at an hotel or a tavern for entertainment.
Put up, to inspect or plan out with a view of robbery. To obtain full particulars with regard to a house and its occupants, so that danger shall be reduced to a minimum, and the chances of success enlarged.
Put upon, cheated, victimized, oppressed.
Putter up, a man who travels about for the purpose of obtaining information useful to professional burglars. A man of this description will assume many characters, sometimes ingratiating himself with the master of a house, sometimes with the servants, but all to one end, that of robbery. He rarely or never joins in the actual burglary, his work being simply to obtain full particulars as to how, when, and where, for which he receives his full share of the “swag.”
Puttun, regiment.—Anglo-Indian.
Pyah, weak, useless, paltry. This word, much in use among sailors, is evidently derived from the Indian termPARIAH, signifying the lowest caste of Hindoos. Thus the Pariah dogs in India are termedPYAHdogs; and the Pariah descendants of the old Portuguese settlers are calledPYAHPortuguese. Sailors term the natives of St. Helena—a wretched-looking set of individuals—PYAHEnglishmen.
Pygostole, the least irreverent of names for the peculiar M. B. coats worn by Tractarian curates:—“It is true that the wicked make sportOf ourPYGOSTOLES, as we go by;And one gownsman, in Trinity Court,Went so far as to call me a ‘Guy.’”SeeM.B.
Pygostole, the least irreverent of names for the peculiar M. B. coats worn by Tractarian curates:—
“It is true that the wicked make sportOf ourPYGOSTOLES, as we go by;And one gownsman, in Trinity Court,Went so far as to call me a ‘Guy.’”
“It is true that the wicked make sportOf ourPYGOSTOLES, as we go by;And one gownsman, in Trinity Court,Went so far as to call me a ‘Guy.’”
SeeM.B.
Pyjands, a kind of drawers or loose pantaloons.—Anglo-Indian.