a blow in the eyes; he pulled out his pops and plumped him, he drew out his pistols and shot him; a plumper, a single vote at an election; plump, also means directly, or exactly; it fell plump upon him, it fell directly upon him.
PLYER, a crutch, also a trader
POGY, drunk.
POKER, a sword; fore pokers, aces and kings at cards.
POLISH, to polish the king's iron with one's eyebrows, to be in gaol, and look through the iron grated windows.
POLL, the head, jolly nob, napper, or knowledge box.
POLT, a blow, lend him a polt in the muns, lend him a knock in the face.
POMPAGINIS, aqua pompaginis, pump water. See aqua.
POMMEL, to beat, originally confined to beating with the hilt of a sword, the nob being from its similarity to a small apple, called pomelle, in Spanish it is still called the apple of the sword, as the clenched first, likewise somewhat resembles an apple, perhaps that might occasion the term pomelling, to be applied to fistycuffs.
POMPKIN, a man or woman of Boston, in America, from the number of pompkins raised and eaten by the people of that country; Pompkinshire, Boston, and its dependencies.
PONTIUS PILATE, a pawnbroker; pontius pilate's guards, the first regiment of foot, or royal Scotch, so entitled from their supposed great antiquity; pontius pilate's counssellor, one who like him can say, non invenio causam, I can find no cause.
POPS, pistols; pop shop, a pawnbroker's shop; to pop, to pawn, also to shoot; I popt my tatler, I pawned my watch; I popt the cull, I shot the man.
POPLERS, pottage, (cant)
PORKER, a hog, a jew.
PORRIDGE ISLAND, an alley leading from St. Martin's church-yard, to Round-court, chiefly inhabited by cooks, who cut off ready dressed meat of all sorts, and also sell soop.
POSSE MOBILITATIS, the mob.
POST NOINTER, a house painter, who occasionally paints or anoints posts; knight of the post, a false evidence, one ready to wear any thing for hire; from post to pillar, backwards and forwards.
POST MASTER GENERAL, the prime minister, who has the patronage of all posts and places.
POSTILLION OF THE GOSPEL, a person who hurries over the service.
POT CONVERTS, proselytes to the Romish church, made by the distribution of victuals and money.
POT HUNTER, one who hunts more for the sake of the prey, than the sport; pot valliant, courageous from drink; pot wallopers, persons entitled to vote in certain boroughs, by having boiled a pot there.
POTHOOKS AND HANGERS, a scrawl, bad writing; the pot calls the kettle black a-se, one rogue exclaims against another.
POTATO TRAP, the mouth; shut your potato trap, and give your tongue a holiday, i.e. be silent.
POUND, a prison. See lob's pound. Pounded, imprisoned; shut up in the parson's pound, married.
POULAIN, a bubo, (French)
POWDER MONKEY, a boy on board a ship of war, whose business it is to fetch powder from the magazine.
POWDERING TUB, the same as pickling tub. See pickling tub.
POISONED, big with child; that wench is poisoned, see how her belly is swelled; poison pate, red hair'd.
PRANCER, a horse; prancer's nab, a horse's head, used as a seal to a counterfeit pass; at the sign of the prancer's poll, i.e. the nag's head.
PRATING CHEAT, the tongue.
PRATE ROAST, a talkative boy, (cant)
PRATTS, buttocks, also a tinder box, (cant)