pork
To cry pork; to give intelligence to the undertaker of a funeral; metaphor borrowed from the raven, whose note sounds like the word pork. Ravens are said to smell carrion at a distance.
English · UK & Ireland 1152
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Where will you be? Anywhere UK & IrelandUnited StatesOnline slangBusiness jargon
Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
porridge
Keep your breath to cool your porridge; i. e. held your tongue.
porridge island
An alley leading from St. Martin's church-yard to Round-court, chiefly inhabited by cooks, who cut off ready-dressed meat of all sorts, and also sell soup.
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; "POST the pony" signifies to place the stakes played for on the table.
post master general
The prime minister, who has the patronage of all posts and places.
post nointer
A house painter, who occasionally paints or anoints posts. Knight of the post; a false evidence, one ready to swear any thing for hire. From post to pillar; backwards and forwards.
post-horn
The nose. See PASTE-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.
postilion of the gospel
A parson who hurries over the service.
pot
The pot calls the kettle black a-se; one rogue exclaims against another.
pot
A favourite in the betting for a race. Probably so called because it is usual to say that a heavily-backed horse carries "a POT of money." When a favourite is beaten the POT is said to be upset.
pot converts
Proselytes to the Romish church, made by the distribution of victuals and money.
pot hunter
One who hunts more tor the sake of the prey than the sport. Pot valiant; courageous from drink. Potwallopers: persons entitled to vote in certain boroughs by having boiled a pot there.
pot-boiler
A picture hurriedly painted for the purpose of "keeping the POT 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-luck
Just as it comes; to take POT-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-wabblers
Persons entitled to vote for members of parliament in certain boroughs, from having boiled their pots therein. These boroughs are called pot-wabbling boroughs.
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.
potatoe trap
The mouth. Shut your potatoe trap and give your tongue a holiday; i.e. be silent. IRISH WIT.
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 of POTHEEN would be rather astonished if they were to taste it. It is real "fire-water" flavoured with peat-smoke.
pothooks and hangeks
A scrawl, bad writing.
potted
Or POTTED 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 "POTTERING about 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.
potter’s
(H. T., of Clay, Worcestershire) New Dictionary of all the Cant and Flash Languages, both ancient and modern, 8vo, pp. 62. 1790.
poulter
The Discoveries of John Poulter, alias Baxter, 8vo, 48 pages. (1770?)
poulterer
A person that guts letters; i.e. opens them and secretes the money. The kiddey was topped for the poultry rig; the young fellow was hanged for secreting a letter and taking out the contents.
pound
To beat. How the milling cove pounded the cull for being nuts on his blowen; how the boxer beat the fellow for taking liberties with his mistress.
pow-wow
A conference. Originally an Indian term.
powder monkey
A boy on board a ship of war, whose business is to fetch powder from the magazine.
power
A large quantity; "a POWER of money."—Irish at first, but now general.
prad
A horse. The swell flashes a rum prad: the e gentleman sports a fine horse.
prad
A horse. PRAD-NAPPING was horse-stealing. Both these terms are old cant.
prad lay
Cutting bags from behind horses. CANT.
prancer
A horse. Prancer's nab.; a horse's head, used as a seal to a counterfeit pass. At the sign of the prancer's poll, i.e. the nag's head.
prancer
A horse.—Ancient Cant. In modern slang an officer of cavalry.
prattle broth
Tea. See CHATTER BROTH, SCANDAL BROTH, &c.
pratts
Buttocks; also a tinder box. CANT.
pray
She prays with her knees upwards; said of a woman much given to gallantry and intrigue. At her last prayers; saying of an old maid.
preadamite quacabites
This great and laudable society (as they termed themselves) held their grand chapter at the Coal-hole.
precious
Used, in a slang sense, like very or exceeding; "a PRECIOUS little of that," i.e., a very little indeed; a PRECIOUS humbug, rascal, &c., i.e., an eminent one.
pretty horsebreakers
A phrase adopted some years back, in deference to common squeamishness, to denote the demi-monde, who dress so well and ride so daintily. Really, pretty heartbreakers.
prial
A corruption of PAIR-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 of DOUBLE PAIR-ROYAL, means four cards, persons, or things of a similar description.
prick-eared
A prick-eared fellow; one whose ears are longer than his hair: an appellation frequently given to puritans, who considered long hair as the mark of the whore of Babylon.
priest-craft
The art of awing the laity, managing their consciences, and diving into their pockets.
priest-ridden
Governed by a priest, or priests.
prig
A thief, a cheat: also a conceited coxcomical fellow.
prig
A conceited, stuck-up, over-knowing person; one who appropriates or adopts a manner or costume not suited to him.
priggers
Thieves in general. Priggers of prancers; horse stealers. Priggers of cacklers: robbers of hen-roosts.
prigging
Riding; also lying with a woman.
prime
Bang up. Quite the thing. Excellent. Well done. She's a prime piece; she is very skilful in the venereal act. Prime post. She's a prime article.
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.