1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue Part 60

PRINCE PRIG. A king of the gypsies; also the head thief or receiver general.

PRINCES. When the majesty of the people was a favourite terra in the House of Commons, a celebrated wit, seeing chimney sweepers dancing on a May-day, styled them the young princes.

PRINCOD. A pincushion. SCOTCH--Also a round plump man or woman.

PRINc.o.x. A pert, lively, forward fellow.

PRINc.u.m PRANc.u.m. Mrs. Princ.u.m Pranc.u.m; a nice, precise, formal madam.

PRINKING. Dressing over nicely: prinked up as if he came out of a bandbox, or fit to sit upon a cupboard's head.

PRINT. All in print, quite neat or exact, set, screwed up.

Quite in print; set in a formal manner.

PRISCIAN. To break Priscian's head; to write or speak false grammar. Priscian was a famous grammarian, who flourished at Constantinople in the year 525; and who was so devoted to his favourite study, that to speak false Latin in his company, was as disagreeable to him as to break his head.

PRITTLE PRATTLE. Insignificant talk: generally applied to women and children.

PROG. Provision. Rum prog; choice provision. To prog; to be on the hunt for provision: called in the military term to forage.

PROPS. Crutches.

PROPERTY. To make a property of any one; to make him a conveniency, tool, or cat's paw; to use him as one's own.

PROUD. Desirous of copulation. A proud b.i.t.c.h; a b.i.t.c.h at heat, or desirous of a dog.

PROVENDER. He from whom any money is taken on the highway: perhaps provider, or provider. CANT.

PROPHET. The prophet; the c.o.c.k at Temple Bar: so called, in 1788, by the bucks of the town of the inferior order.

PRUNELLA. Mr. Prunella; a parson: parson's gowns being frequently made of prunella.

To PRY. To examine minutely into a matter or business.

A prying fellow; a man of impertinent curiosity, apt to peep and inquire into other men's secrets.

PUBLIC MAN. A bankrupt.

PUBLIC LEDGER. A prost.i.tute: because, like that paper, she is open to all parties.

PUCKER. All in a pucker; in a dishabille. Also in a fright; as, she was in a terrible pucker.

PUCKER WATER. Water impregnated with alum, or other astringents, used by old experienced traders to counterfeit virginity.

PUDDINGS. The guts: I'll let out your puddings.

PUDDING-HEADED FELLOW. A stupid fellow, one whose brains are all in confusion.

PUDDING SLEEVES. A parson.

PUDDING TIME. In good time, or at the beginning of a meal: pudding formerly making the first dish. To give the crows a pudding; to die. You must eat some cold pudding, to settle your love.

PUFF, or PUFFER. One who bids at auctions, not with an intent to buy, but only to raise the price of the lot; for which purpose many are hired by the proprietor of the goods on sale.

PUFF GUTS. A fat man.

PUFFING. Bidding at an auction, as above; also praising any thing above its merits, from interested motives. The art of puffing is at present greatly practised, and essentially necessary in all trades, professions, and callings.

To puff and blow; to be out of breath.

PUG. A Dutch pug; a kind of lap-dog, formerly much in vogue; also a general name for a monkey.

PUG CARPENTETER. An inferior carpenter, one employed only in small jobs.

PUG DRINK. Watered cyder.

PUGNOSED, or PUGIFIED. A person with a snub or turned up nose.

PULLY HAWLY. To have a game at pully hawly; to romp with women.

PULL. To be pulled; to be arrested by a police officer.

To have a pull is to have an advantage; generally where a person has some superiority at a game of chance or skill.

PUMP. A thin shoe. To pump; to endeavour to draw a secret from any one without his perceiving it. Your pump is good, but your sucker is dry; said by one to a person who is attempting to pump him. Pumping was also a punishment for bailiffs who attempted to act in privileged places, such as the Mint, Temple, &c. It is also a piece of discipline administered to a pickpocket caught in the fact, when there is no pond at hand. To pump ship; to make water, and sometimes to vomit. SEA PHRASE.

PUMP WATER. He was christened in pump water; commonly said of a person that has a red face.

PUNCH. A liquor called by foreigners Contradiction, from its being composed of spirits to make it strong, water to make it weak, lemon juice to make it sour, and sugar to make it sweet. Punch is also the name of the prince of puppets, the chief wit and support of a puppet-show.

To punch it, is a cant term for running away. Punchable; old pa.s.sable money, anno 1695. A girl that is ripe for man is called a punchable wench. Cobler's Punch.

Urine with a cinder in it.

PUNK. A wh.o.r.e; also a soldier's trull. See TRULL.

PUNY. Weak. A puny child; a weak little child. A puny stomach; a weak stomach. Puny, or puisne judge; the last made judge.

PUPIL MONGERS. Persons at the universities who make it their business to instruct and superintend a number of pupils.

PUPPY. An affected or conceited c.o.xcomb.

PURBLIND. Dim-sighted.

PURL. Ale in which wormwood has been infused, or ale and bitters drunk warm.

PURL ROYAL. Canary wine; with a dash of tincture of wormwood.

PURSE PROUD. One that is vain of his riches.

PURSENETS. Goods taken up at thrice their value, by young spendthrifts, upon trust.

PURSER'S PUMP. A ba.s.soon: from its likeness to a syphon, called a purser's pump.