poll parrot
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
Meaning · English
A talkative, gossiping woman.
Register: archaic, slang
Where it’s used:
Used
American English
Examples
It was on the tip of her tongue to call her a poll parrot (Mrs. Kingdom had said nothing but 'dear me' repeatedly and freezingly). She was a free-spoken woman as a rule, and it was terrible to have to sit still and waste all the good things she could have said to her […]
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).
Sense 2
Meaning · English
a talkative, gossiping woman. A term much used about Ratcliff Highway.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Where it’s used:
Origin
British & Irish English
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “poll parrot” mean?
A talkative, gossiping woman.
Is “poll parrot” formal or informal?
poll parrot is generally archaic, slang.