pogey
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
Government financial assistance, particularly employment insurance.
Register: slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
There were no jobs for the unemployed, however. And thus many hundreds of thousands went “on the pogey,” although all available evidence indicates that they loathed doing so. To accept relief was an admission of defeat and failure, a humiliating stigma, whether the relief was indirect or direct.
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Common questions
What does “pogey” mean?
Government financial assistance, particularly employment insurance.
Is “pogey” formal or informal?
pogey is generally slang.