1855. Thackeray, Newcomes, lvii. The ladies were in their pokiest old headgear.
1856. Beecher-Stowe, Dred, 1. 138. That's the way we girls studied at school, except a few pokey ones, who wanted to be learned.
1864. Studies for Stories, 1. 67. Amelia made me believe that there was plenty of property in ther family, but that her sisters had a natural liking for living in that pokey way, and for having no footman.
1882. Anstey, Vice-Versa, iv. They've a poky little house in Brompton somewhere, and there was no dancing.
Pole, subs. (printers').—1. The
weekly account for wages.
2. (venery).—The penis. Hence poling (or pole-work) = copulation.
Verb. (American University).—To study hard.
Up the pole, phr. (military).—In good report: also goody-goody; strait-laced.
2. (common).—Over-matched; in difficulty.
1886-96. Marshall, 'Pomes' from the Pink 'Un ['The Word of a Policeman'], 73. But, one cruel day, behind two slops he chanced to take a stroll, And . . . he heard himself alluded to as being UP THE POLE.
1899. Daily Mail, 29 March, 5, 1. When there are nineteen Frenchmen to four Englishmen they were slightly up the pole. Nineteen, you know, were rather too many for them.
Like a rope-dancer's pole, phr. (old).—'Lead at both ends; a saying of a stupid sluggish fellow.'—Grose (1785).
Pole-cat, subs. phr. (old).—A
whore: also a general reproach.
1596. Shakspeare, Merry Wives, iv. 2. You witch! you hag! you polecat!
1607. Dekker, Northward Hoe, i. 1. Your captains were wont to take their leaves of their London pole-cats (their wenches I mean, sir), at Dunstable.
Pole-work, subs. (colloquial).—A
long, tedious business; collar-work
(q.v.).
See Pole.
Policeman, subs. (common).—1.
A fly: esp. a blue-bottle (q.v.),
which (in turn) = a constable.
1864. E. D. Forgues, Revue des deux Mondes, 15 September, 470. Quand celui-ci [un prig de Londres] appelle un mouche un policeman, et quand celui—là qualifie de "mouche" un sergent de ville, l'un et l'autre font même rapprochement, bien qu'en seus inverse.
2. (thieves').—A mean fellow; a spy.
Police-nippers, subs. phr. (common).—Handcuffs
or leg-irons:
see Darby's bands.
Policy, verb. (American).—To
gamble in lottery numbers: see
quot. Also as subs.: whence
policy-shop = a lottery office.
1882. McCabe, New York, xxxix. Policy-dealing is one degree lower in infamy than the lottery business . . . The game consists in betting on certain numbers within the range of the lottery schemes being drawn at the noon or night drawing. Seventy-eight numbers usually make up the lottery-scheme, and the policy player can take any three of these numbers and bet that they will be drawn, either singly, or in such combinations as he may select. The single numbers may come out anywhere in the drawing, but the combination must appear as he writes it in making his bet. He pays one dollar for the privilege of betting, and receives a written slip containing the number or numbers on which he bets. If a single number is chosen and drawn, he wins 5 dollars; two numbers constitute a 'saddle,' and if both are drawn the player wins from 24 to 32 dollars; three numbers make a 'gig,' and win from 150 to 225 dollars; four numbers make a 'horse,' and win 640 dollars. A 'capital straddle' is a bet that two numbers will be among the first three drawn, and wins 500 dollars.
