punter

See also: Punter

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpʌn.tə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpʌn.tɚ/, [pʰʌ̃ːɾ̃ɚ]

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌntə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From punt +‎ -er.

Noun

punter (plural punters)

1. One who oars or poles a punt (pontoon).

Translations

One who oars or poles a punt (pontoon)

• Russian: гребец (ru) (grebec)

Etymology 2

From punt +‎ -er.

Noun

punter (plural punters)

1. One who punts a football.
2. (Internet slang) A program used to forcibly disconnect another user from a chat room.
   • 2001, Roger A. Grimes, Malicious Mobile Code: Virus Protection for Windows, page 236:

     Punters generate hundreds of information inquiries to a legitimate user's client, such as invitations to chat. […] The user is punted from the channel, and must rejoin to gain access.

Translations

One who punts a football; one who propels a punt

• German: Punter (de) m

Etymology 3

From punt +‎ -er.

Noun

punter (plural punters)

1. One who bets (punts) against the bank.
2. (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang) One who gambles or bets.

   Hyponym: piker

   • 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, “In Which We Meet an Old Acquaintance”, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC, page 574:

     […] and having only peeped into a play-room at Baden-Baden when he hung on Dobbin's arm, and where, of course, he was not permitted to gamble, came eagerly to this part of the entertainment and hankered round the tables where the croupiers and the punters were at work.

   • 1964 June, Cecil J. Allen, “Locomotive Running Past and Present”, in Modern Railways, page 387:

     By Savernake the train was 4½min early; we then had the thrill of sweeping through Newbury at 95 m.p.h.—and one wonders if any of the punters on the neighbouring racecourse had any eyes for our flying cavalcade as we swept by, for it was a race day— […] .

   • 2022 February 19, Rob Davies, “Revealed: how bookies clamp down on successful gamblers and exploit the rest”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Punters know the house usually wins, but most have no idea that bookies sharpen their edge via something called “stake factoring”, the process by which winning customers are dialled down, while losers are allowed to bet more.

3. (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth, slang) A customer of a commercial establishment, frequently of a pub or (alternatively) of a prostitute.

   Synonyms: pubgoer, pubber (pub); see also Thesaurus:prostitute's client

   • 2007, “Suzanne”, in Paint it Blacker, performed by Plan B:

     She's working the streets like she does every night / Pulling in punters left and right

   • 2016 March 7, “Road Rage (Freestyle)”, performed by Little T (Josh Tate):

     Everybody knows your mum is a whore / Getting 'round Piccadilly looking for willy / Punters pull up and say "don't be silly"

   • 2018 June 6, Tony Naylor, “The new rules of pub etiquette: don't flirt with bar staff or steal the glasses”, in The Guardian‎^[2], →ISSN:

     The number of UK pubs is falling and there is less consensus about how punters should behave. Here’s a guide to getting the most out of a trip to the boozer[.]

4. (climbing) A beginner or unskilled climber.
5. The person who keeps score in basset or ombre.
6. (Scotland) A person who trades with a gang but is not a gang member.
   • 2013, James Patrick, A Glasgow Gang Observed:

     He had stolen 'trannies' (transistor radios) and hub caps from cars outside the main hotels in Glasgow, turning the collection into money through dealing with a 'punter' at Charing Cross.

Translations

One who gambles; a speculator

• Bulgarian: комарджия m (komardžija), спекулант (bg) m (spekulant)
• Czech: sázkař (cs) m
• French: parieur (fr) m, parieuse (fr) f
• Italian: puntatore m
• Polish: gracz (pl) m, graczka (pl) f

customer

• Czech: zákazník (cs) m
• Hungarian: kuncsaft (hu)

References

• “punter”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading

• “punter n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present

Anagrams

• uprent, Turpen, turnep

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [punˈte]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [punˈteɾ]

Etymology 1

From punt (“point, dot”) +‎ -er. Calque of Spanish puntero.

Noun

punter m (plural punters)

1. (graphical user interface) pointer (icon)

   Synonym: busca

2. (programming) pointer (variable)

Etymology 2

From punta (“point, tip”) +‎ -er.

Adjective

punter (feminine puntera, masculine plural punters, feminine plural punteres)

1. pointed

   Synonym: puntegut

2. (figurative) cutting-edge

   tecnologies punteres ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Noun

punter m (plural punters)

1. puncheon

Further reading

• “punter” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “punter” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “punter”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024