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're on a 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 are PUT 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, "he PUT me UP to 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 term PARIAH, signifying the lowest caste of Hindoos. Thus the Pariah dogs in India are termed PYAH dogs; and the Pariah descendants of the old Portuguese settlers are called PYAH Portuguese. Sailors term the natives of St. Helenaa wretched-looking set of individuals-PYAH Englishmen. Pygostole, the least irreverent of names for the peculiar M. B. coats worn by Tractarian curates : Pyjands, a kind of drawers or loose pantaloons.—Anglo-Indian. Quaker, a lump of excrement. T 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, vide Mr. 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 the PULL over (or of) you," .., you are in my power-perhaps an oblique allusion to the judicial sense. See the following. 66 Pull, to have one apprehended; "to be PULLED up," or more recently "to be PULLED" only, to be taken before a magistrate. The police are constantly "pulling" loitering, furiously driving, or drunken cab men. Pull, to drink; “come, take a PULL at 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,—from POMMEL. Pump, to extract information by roundabout questioning. Pundit, a person who assumes to be very grave and learned.—AngloIndian. 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." PUNT means 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; PURLED is a hunting and steeplechasing term synonymous with "foaled," or 'spilt" (thrown); "he'll get PURLED at 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 early PURL,' 'Gin all the world To 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 this PUSH," 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." Put on, to promise another money or valuables in the event of an anticipated success. "You're on a 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 are PUT 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, "he PUT me UP to 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 term PARIAH, signifying the lowest caste of Hindoos. Thus the Pariah dogs in India are termed PYAH dogs; and the Pariah descendants of the old Portuguese settlers are called PYAH Portuguese. Sailors term the natives of St. Helenaa wretched-looking set of individuals—PYAH Englishmen. Pygostole, the least irreverent of names for the peculiar M. B. coats worn by Tractarian curates : Pyjands, a kind of drawers or loose pantaloons.-Anglo-Indian. Quaker, a lump of excrement. T Quality, gentry, the upper classes. Quandary, described in the dictionaries as a "low word," may fittingly be given here. It illustrates, like " hocus-pocus," and other compound colloquialisms, the singular origin of slang expressions. QUANDARY, a dilemma, a doubt, a difficulty, is from the French, QU'EN DIRAI-JE?— Skinner. Quartereen, a farthing.—Gibraltar term. Italian, QUAttrino. Quean, a strumpet. In Scotland, a lower-class woman. Saxon, CWEAN, a barren old cow. Queen Bess, the Queen of Clubs,-perhaps because that queen, history says, was of a swarthy complexion.-North Hants. See Gentleman's Magazine for 1791, p. 141. Queen's tobacco-pipe, the kiln in which all contraband tobacco seized by the Custom-house officers is burned. Queer, an old cant word, once in continual use as a prefix, signifying base, roguish, or worthless,-the opposite of RUM, which signified good and genuine. QUEER, in all probability, is immediately derived from the cant language. It has been mooted that it came into use from a quære (?) being set before a man's name; but it is more than probable that it was brought into this country, by the gipsies, from Germany, where QUER signifies "cross" or "crooked.' At all events it is believed to have been first used in England as a cant word. Queer, "to QUEER a flat," to puzzle or confound a "gull," or silly fellow. "Who in a row like Tom could lead the van, Booze in the ken, or at the spellken hustle? Queer bail, worthless persons who for a consideration formerly stood bail for any one in court. Insolvent Jews generally performed this office, which gave rise to the term JEW-BAIL, otherwise STRAW BAIL. Queer-bit-makers, coiners. Queer cuffen, a justice of the peace, or magistrate,-a very ancient term, mentioned in the earliest slang dictionary. In this sense, as well as in that of the verb just given, the term is evidently derived from quere, to inquire, to question. Quiz and quis? have also an undoubted connexion. Queer-soft, bad notes. Queer-street, "in QUEER STREET," in difficulty or in want. Querier, a chimney-sweep who calls from house to house soliciting employment,-formerly termed KNULLER, which see. Qui-hi, an English resident at Calcutta.—Anglo-Indian. Quick sticks, in a hurry, rapidly; "to cut QUICK STICKS," to start oft hurriedly, or without more ado. See CUT ONE'S STICK. Quid, or THICK UN a sovereign; "half a QUID," half a sovereign; QUIDS, money generally; "QUID for a QUOD," one good turn for another. The word is used by old French writers: "Des testamens qu'on dit le maistre Grand testament de Villon. Quid, a small piece of tobacco-one mouthful. Quid est hoc? asked one, tapping the swelled cheek of another; Hoc est quid, promptly replied the other, exhibiting at the same time a "chaw" of the weed. is probably a corruption. Derivation, O. F., or Norman, QUIDER, to ruminate. CUD Quid-nunc, an inquisitive person, always seeking for news. The words translated simply signify, "What now?" 66 Quiet, on the QUIET," clandestinely, so as to avoid observation, "under the rose." Quill-driver, a scrivener, a clerk,—satirical phrase similar to "steel bar driver," a tailor. Quiller, a parasite, a person who sucks neatly through a quill. See SUCK UP. Quilt, to thrash, or beat. Quisby, bankrupt, poverty-stricken. Amplification of QUEER. Qui-tam, a solicitor. He who, i.e., "he who, as much for himself as for Originally Oxford slang, but now general, and lately admitted into some dictionaries. See QUEER CUFFEN. Quiz, to pry, or joke; to hoax. Quizzical, jocose, humorous. Quizzing-glass, an eyeglass. This was applied to the old single eyeglass, which was not stuck in the eye, as now, but was held in the hand. Quockerwodger, a wooden toy figure which, when pulled by a string, jerks its limbs about. The term is used in a slang sense, to signify a pseudo-politician, one whose strings of action are pulled by somebody else. Quod, a prison, a lock-up; QUODDED, put in prison. QUOD is really a shortening of quadrangle; so to be QUODDED is to be within four walls. The expression is, however, seldom used now except to mean in prison. At Oxford, where it is spelt QUAD, the word has its original signification. Quodger, a contraction, or corruption rather, of the Latin law phrase, QUO JURE? by what law?-Legal. MONEY DOWN. R. M. D., cash down, immediate payment. The initial letters of READY Another version of this is P. Y. C. (pay your cash), often seen in the market quotations,-as, "Meat fetched 6s. 4d. a stone, P. Y. C., and 6s. 6d. for the account." |