pony

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: Pony

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
New Forest pony (1)

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

1659 from Scots powny, apparently from Middle French poulenet (“little foal”), ultimately from Late Latin pullanus (“young of an animal”), from pullus (cognate to English foal). Sense “small serving of alcohol” from 19th century, both for small sizes generally and for a quarter pint specifically, from the small size.[1]

Noun[edit]

pony (plural ponies)

  1. A small horse; specifically, any of several small breeds of horse under 14.2 hands at the withers.
  2. a contraption built like a mount, strong enough to support one's weight
  3. (regional) A small serving of an alcoholic beverage, especially beer.
    • 1879, “Some Queer Interviews: Interview with a Pony of Beer”, Puck, Vol. 5–6, p. 435
    • 1885, New York Journal, August:[2]
      ‘I’m on the inside track,’ said a pony of beer as it went galloping down a man’s throat.
    • 1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin 2011, p. 193:
      Demon popped into his mouth a last morsel of black bread with elastic samlet, gulped down a last pony of vodka and took his place at the table with Marina facing him across its oblong length.
    • 2010, Dick Lynas, Pies Were for Thursdays: Tales from an Ordinary Glasgow East End Childhood, page 283,
      I did not even know what a ‘pony’, a small chaser of beer, was. But of course I could not admit that. So putting on an air of nonchalance, and a deep voice, I strolled into a pub with one of the other equally naive guys and we ordered two ponies of beer.
      ‘McEwans?’ asked the barman.
      ‘Naw - ponies’ said I.
  4. (Australia, New South Wales, Victoria) A serving of 140 millilitres of beer (formerly 5 fl oz); a quarter pint.
  5. (Britain, slang) Twenty-five pounds sterling.
  6. (US, slang) A translation used as a study aid; loosely, a crib, a cheat-sheet.
    • 1931, William Faulkner, Sanctuary, Library of America, 1985, p.104:
      She kept the dates written down in her Latin 'pony', so she didn't have to bother about who it was.
  7. (slang) A ponytail hairstyle.
    • 2012, Amlynn Smith, Lost and Found (page 18)
      His hair is a semilong dull red and pulled back in a sloppy pony at the base of his neck, and his face is riddled with small freckles and grease, but out here I can see personal hygiene isn't exactly at the top of the priority list.
  8. (automotive, slang) One horsepower.
    How many ponies are under the hood?
  9. (slang) A chorus girl of small stature.
    • 1941, Thoda Cocroft, Great Names and how They are Made (page 140)
      He suggested a Rose Ballet in which he would use the G. V. Follies chorus girls, chiefly the ponies and mediums.
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

pony (third-person singular simple present ponies, present participle ponying, simple past and past participle ponied)

  1. (transitive) To lead (a horse) from another horse.
  2. To use a crib or cheat-sheet in translating.

Etymology 2[edit]

Clipping of pony and trap, rhyming with crap.

Adjective[edit]

pony (not comparable)

  1. (Cockney rhyming slang) Of little worth.

Noun[edit]

pony (plural ponies)

  1. (Cockney rhyming slang) Crap; rubbish, nonsense.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Notes and Queries, August 8th, 1896, p. 126: “It seems probable the origin is due to the diminutiveness of the glass;”
    “The expression ‘a pony of beer’ is often used in South Wales for a small glass containing about the fourth of a pint.”
  2. ^ Americanisms, Farmer, p. 430

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English pony.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈpɔ.ni/
  • (uncommon, in the meaning “pony, small horse”) IPA(key): /ˈpoː.ni/
  • Audio
    		(file)
  • Hyphenation: po‧ny
  • Rhymes: -ɔni

Noun[edit]

pony m (plural pony's, diminutive pony'tje n)

  1. pony, small horse
  2. (by extension) hairstyle with a fringe/bangs

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

  • → Indonesian: poni

See also[edit]

Italian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English pony.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

pony m (invariable)

  1. pony
  2. pony express

Spanish[edit]

Noun[edit]

pony m (plural ponys)

  1. pony
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=pony&oldid=62926055"