• PEN
n. 1. prison …1884 US sl.
n. 2. a threepenny piece …Bk1892 Aust. sl.
• PEN AND INK
n. a drink …1963 Aust. & NZ rhyming sl.
vb. to smell unpleasantly …1892 rhyming sl. for ‘stink’
• PENCIL
n. the penis …1937 sl.
• PENCIL TAIL
n. a mule …1982 Amer. dial.
• PENDILATORY
adj. 1653 obs. rare – pendulous, dangling
• PENELOPE
n. a chaste and faithful wife …1581
• PENENCE
n. dependence; reliance …1899 Amer. dial.
• PENETENTIAR
vb. to send to prison …1924 Amer. dial.
• PENETENTIR
vb. to send to prison …1927 Amer. dial.
• PENG
n. money …1968 Amer. dial.
• PENGER
n. money …1968 Amer. dial.
• PENGUIN
n. a non-flying member of an air force, as a member of a ground crew …1918 Royal Air Force sl.
• PENGUIN SUIT
n. 1. a formal dress suit for evening wear …1967 sl.
n. 2. a type of tight-fitting suit worn by astronauts …1971 sl.
• PENITENTIARY
vb. to send to prison …1974 Amer. dial.
• PENITENTURE
vb. to send to prison …1963 Amer. dial.
• PENMAN
n. a counterfeiter, a forger …1865 sl.
• PEN-MATE
n. a shearer who catches sheep out of the same pen as another shearer …1895 Aust. & NZ sl.
• PENN’ORTH O’ TREASON
n. an anonymous but presumably scandalous Sunday paper; “a notorious penny Sunday London paper which attacks every party and has no policy of its own” (Ware) …L19 sl.
• PENNSY
n. Pennsylvania; the Pennsylvania rail route …1920s sl.
• PENNSYLVANIA SALVE
n. apple butter …L19 US tramps’ sl.
• PENNY
adj. cheap …M19 Can. & US sl.
n. 1. a cent …M19 Can. & US sl.
n. 2. the ground …20C rhyming sl. (Penny a Pound)
n. 3. money … Bk1903 sl.
n. 4. a dollar; a dollar bill …1940s Amer. sl.
vb. to observe, to scrutinize …1990s W. Indies sl.
• PENNY AFTER
vb. to follow persistently, to tag along …2001 Amer. dial.
• PENNY-A-LIAR
n. a hack journalist …L19 sl.
• PENNY-A-LINER
n. a freelance literary or journalistic hack …M19 sl.
• PENNY-A-LINING
n. freelancing …M19 sl.
• PENNY-A-MILE
n. 1. a hat …c1870 rhyming sl. for ’tile’
n. 2. the head …L19 rhyming sl. for ’tile’
n. 3. a smile …20C rhyming sl.
• PENNY ANTE
adj. insignificant, unimportant …M19 sl., orig. US
n. a game of poker in which the ante or basic bet is one cent …1850 Amer.
• PENNY A POUND
n. the ground …20C rhyming sl.
• PENNY BANGER
n. a mistake, a blunder…1958 rhyming sl. for ‘clanger’
• PENNY-CIDERS
n. appendicitis …1940 Amer. dial.
• PENNY-COME-QUICK
n. a trick …Bk1903 rhyming sl.
• PENNY-DOG
n. 1. an assistant foreman …1929 US mining and logging usage
n. 2. a small dog …1930 Amer. dial.
n. 3. a tagalong; a toady; a hanger-on; a servile follower …1953 Amer. dial.
vb. to follow persistently; to fawn on; to pester; to toady, to curry favour …1914 Amer. dial.
• PENNY DREADFUL
n. a cheap, sensational novel of adventure, crime, or violence …1870 chiefly Brit.
• PENNY DRINK
n. Koolaid …1998 African-American usage
• THE PENNY DROPS
phr. used to denote sudden realization or recognition …1951 sl.
• PENNY-FATHER
n. 1549 – a man who is too careful of his pence; an old miser, a niggard, a skinflint, a parsimonious person → obs.
• PENNY-FEIST
n. 1. a small dog …1939 Amer. dial.
n. 2. one who makes much noise or fuss that amounts to little …1975 Amer. dial.
vb. to follow persistently; to fawn on; to pester; to toady, to curry favour …1939 Amer. dial.
• PENNY-FULL
adj. of the moon: round like a penny, ‘full’ …c1470 obs.
• PENNY GAFF
n. a cheap theatre or music-hall …1812 UK sl.
• PENNY LOCKET
n. a pocket …1998 Brit. rhyming sl.
• PENNY-MOUCHER
n. the blackberry …Bk1898 Eng. dial.
• PENNY-NICKLE-NICKLE
n. an M-114 155-mm howitzer …1990 US sl.
• PENNY PENCIL
n. a cheap, eraserless lead pencil …1965 Amer. dial.
• PENNY PINCHER
n. a miserly, niggardly, or stingy person …1920
• PENNY-PINCHING
adj. frugal …1920 US colloq.
• PENNY POOPER
n. a small firecracker …1986 Amer. dial.
• PENNY POPPER
n. a small firecracker …1966 Amer. dial.
• PENNY-PUP
n. a tagalong; a toady; a hanger-on; a servile follower …1967 Amer. dial.
• PENNY-RIFE
adj. as rife or common as pennies; very common or prevalent …1606 obs.
• PENNYROYAL
adj. low, small-minded …1912 Amer. dial.
• PENNY STAMP
n. a tramp …1984 Brit. rhyming sl.
• PENNYWEIGHTER
n. a jewellery thief …1899 US sl.
• PENNYWINKLE
n. 1. a land or freshwater snail …1927 Amer. dial.
n. 2. a hermit crab …1930 Amer. dial.
• PENNYWORTH
n. 1. 1340 – a bargain
n. 2. c1330 – a small quantity
• PEN-PUSHER
n. someone engaged in writing or desk work; an office worker …1911 sl., usually derogatory
• PENSATIVE
adj. full of thought; pensive, anxious …1574 obs.
• PENSEROSE
adj. meditative, brooding, melancholy …1831 rare
n. a brooding or melancholy person or personality …B1900 rare
• PENSICULATE
vb. to consider, to ponder …1623 obs. rare
• PENSIFUL
adj. 1. thoughtful, meditative, pensive; anxious, brooding; melancholy, sorrowful …a1450 obs. exc. Sc. & N. Eng. dial.
adj. 2. proud, conceited; giving oneself airs …1788 Sc.
• PENSION RUN
n. in trucking: an easy, undemanding, regular route …1971 US sl.
• PENSITATE
vb. to weigh in the mind; to consider, to ponder …1623 obs. rare
• PENSY
adj. 1. quiet, thoughtful, pensive …a1400-50 obs. exc. Sc. & Eng. dial.
adj. 2. giving oneself airs; proud and conceited; above one’s station; affected in manner …1715 obs. exc. Sc. & Eng. dial.
adj. 3. tidy in dress and appearance; spruce, neat …a1806 obs. exc. Sc. & Eng. dial.
adj. 4. of children: fretful, peevish, fractious, complaining …a1812 obs. exc. Sc. & Eng. dial.
adj. 5. of appetite: fastidious, delicate …1866 obs. exc. Sc. & Eng. dial.
• PENTAGLOTTICAL
adj. 1656 – versed in or able to speak five different languages → obs.
• PENTHOUSE
n. a brakevan (caboose) cupola …1977 US sl.
• PENTWEEZLE
n. a term of abuse or reproach …1656 obs.
• PENURIOUS
adj. 1. extremely poor; destitute
adj. 2. extremely stingy; miserly …1590
• PENURY
n. extremely poverty, destitution …1400
• PENWIPER
n. a handkerchief …1902 sl. n. a handkerchief …1895 sl.
• PEN YAN
n. opium; heroin; orig. used of opium only …1922 US sl.
• PEN YANG
n. opium; heroin; orig. used of opium only …1922 US sl.
• PEN YEN
n. opium; heroin; orig. used of opium only …1922 US sl.
• PEN YUEN
n. opium; heroin; orig. used of opium only …1922 US sl.
• PEOLA
n. a light-skinned Afro-American, esp. a girl …1942 African-American sl.
• PEON
n. 1. a Mexican or person of Mexican origin …1882 Amer. dial., derogatory
n. 2. an ordinary computer user with no special privileges …1995 US sl.
• PEON DOG
n. a Mexican Hairless dog …1892 Amer. dial.
• PEP
n. 1. the stone of a cherry, plum, or other stone fruit; an orange pip, etc. …1721 Sc.
n. 2. energy, vigour, vitality …1912 sl.
• PEPJINNY
n. a pimple …1965 Amer. dial.
• PEPPER
n. a Mexican or person of Mexican origin …1960 Amer. sl., often derogatory
• PEPPER BELLY
n. a Mexican or person of Mexican origin …1962 Amer. sl., often derogatory
• PEPPER-GUN
n. a shotgun …Bk1942 Amer. sl.
• PEPPER GUT
n. a Mexican or person of Mexican origin …1944 Amer. sl., often derogatory
• PEPPER HEAD
n. a Black person …1966 Amer. dial.
• PEPPER-NOSED
adj. apt to take offense …1580 obs.
• PEPPERPOT
n. 1. a small box with a perforated lid used for sprinkling powdered pepper …1679
n. 2. a West Indian dish of meat (or fish, game, etc.) and vegetables stewed down with cassareep (the juice of bitter cassava root, boiled down to a syrup and used as a flavouring for food) and red pepper, or other hot spices …a1704
n. 3. a quick-tempered or hot-tempered person …1894
n. 4. in Pennsylvania, a stew of tripe and doughballs seasoned with pepper …B1900
n. 5. a revolver …Bk1942 Amer. sl.
• PEP-PILL
n. a stimulant drug …1937 sl., orig. US
• PEPPY CRATE
n. a fast car …1942 Amer. sl.
• PEP UP
vb. to invigorate someone; to strengthen or enhance something …1925 UK sl.
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Lexicophilia 