Page:Farmer - Slang and its analogues past and present - Volume 5.pdf/281

 Pounders, subs, (old).—The testes: see Cods.

1693. Dryden, Juvenal, vi. (3rd ed.), 114. Their solid joy, Is when the Page, already past a boy, Is caponed late, and to the guelder shown, With his two pounders to perfection grown.

Poundrel, subs. (old).—1. The head.

1734. Cotton, Works, 14. So nimbly flew away these scoundrels, Glad they had 'scap'd, and sav'd their poundrels.

Pound-text, subs. phr. (common).—A parson: see Sky-pilot.

Poupe (or Poop), subs, (vulgar).—noisy vent; a fart (q. v.): also as verb.

Pout, subs. (Scots').—A sweetheart. [O. E. pult = a yong henne, Prompt. Parv.]

1768. Ross, Helenore, 93. The Squire—returning mist his pout, And for her was just like to burn the town.

Pouter, subs. (venery).—The female pudendum: see Monosyllable, and cf. Diddly-*pout.

Poverty-basket, subs. phr. (old).—A wicker cradle.—Bee (1823).

Poverty-junction (or -corner), subs. phr. (variety artists').—The corner of the York and Waterloo Roads, London. See quot. In New York that portion of 14th Street, opposite the Washington Statue, is known as 'The Slave Market' for similar reasons.

1890. Tit-Bits; 29 Mar., 390, 3. Any Monday, between eleven and three, may be seen a hundred or more persons of both sexes outside [the York Hotel] waiting in the hope of obtaining engagements in music-halls or variety theatres—"lion comiques," "serio-comics," "character comedians," in fact, every variety of music-hall artiste. Anyone wishing to see faces beaming with joy and prosperity [or] worn pale and thin by privation, care, and anxiety, will not find any better opportunity than by paying a visit on a Monday morning to Poverty Junction.—[Abridged.]

Powder, subs, (old: now pugilists').—Strength; vigour; inspiration; beans (q.v.); devil (q.v.): hence, as verb. = to be all over an adversary; to powder one's jacket = to swinge 'like hell.'

1664. Cotton, Virgil Travestie (1st cd.), 19. The Windes grew louder still and louder, And play'd their gambals with a Powder.

d. 1704. Sir R. L'Estrange [Century]. Whilst two companions were disputing it at sword's point, down comes a kite powdering vpon them, and gobbets up both.

d. 1870. Dickens [Century]. He had done wonders before, but now he began to powder away like a raving giant.

1889. Licensed Victualler's Gaz., 18 Jan. Peg into him, Snacks—put more powder in 'em.

Powder and shot, subs. phr. (colloquial).—Cost; effort; labour. Not worth powder or shot = not worth trouble or cost.

Powder-monkey, subs. phr. (formerly naval).—A boy employed to carry gunpowder from magazine to gun. Fr. moussaillon.—B. E. (c. 1696); Grose (1785).

1682. Radcliffe, Rambler, &c., 68. 'Call to the Guard.' To be near him the next takes care not to fill, Powder-monkey by name.

d. 1704. T. Brown, Works (1760), ii. 212. Lucifer would not  have listed them; they would not have been fit for so much as powder-monkeys.

1787. Sir J. Hawkins, Johnson, 195. One poet feigns that the town is a sea, the playhouse a ship, the manager the captain, the players sailors, and the orange-girls powder-monkies.

1815. Scott, Guy Mannering, lii. Ellangowan had him placed as cabin-boy or powder-monkey on board an armed sloop.