This site is in danger of going away; please consider the Donate link above...

Polish (Grose 1811 Dictionary)

Polish

To polish the king’s iron with one’s eyebrows; to be in gaol, and look through the iron grated windows. To polish a bone; to eat a meal. Come and polish a bone with me; come and eat a dinner or supper with me.

Definition taken from The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose.

Pole * Poll

Nearby

Nathan Bailey's 1736 Dictionary of canting and thieving slang

John S. Farmer's collection of canting songs and slang rhymes

Buy a modern reprint of this book from Amazon CA; US;

About

Francis Grose was independently wealthy, having inherited money from his father, a jeweller. Finding himself overspending, he published a number of books; his Provincial Glossary seems to have been the starting-point for the Vulgar Tongue reproduced here.

Plump
Plump Currant
Plumpers
Plyer
Pogy
Point
Poisoned
Poke
Poker
Pole
Polish
Poll
Polt
To Pommel
Pomp
Pompaginis
Pompkin
Poney
Pontius Pilate
Pope
Pope’s Nose