Retirer l’artiche de la ——, to pick a pocket, “to fake a cly.”
Proie, f. (thieves’), share, or “whack;” one’s share in the reckoning.
Prolo, m. (popular), for prolétaire, working man.
Prolonge, f. (Polytechnic School), leave up till midnight.
Promenade. See Galette.
Promener quelqu’un (popular), to make a fool of one, “to bamboozle” one.
Promoncerie, f., or promont, m. (thieves’), trial, “patter.”
Prompto (military), quickly.
Pronier, m., pronière, f. (thieves’), father, mother. Termed also “dab, dabuche.”
Proprio, m. (popular), for propriétaire, landlord.
Prose, m., or prouas, m. (popular), the behind. See Vasistas. Filer le prouas, to ease oneself. From filer le câble de proue.
Prote, m. (printers’), à manchettes, principal foreman at printing works.
C’est le véritable prote; il ne travaille pas manuellement; son autorité est incontestée. Il représente le patron vis-à-vis des clients tout aussi bien que vis-à-vis des ouvriers.—Boutmy.
Prote à tablier, workman who does duty as a foreman; —— aux gosses, senior apprentice.
Le prote à tablier est un ouvrier qui, en prenant les fonctions de prote, ne cesse pas pour cela de travailler manuellement. Le prote aux gosses est le plus grand des apprentis.—Boutmy.
Protenbarre, or vingt-deux, m. (printers’), foreman.
Prout, m. (popular), wind. Faire ——, to break wind.
Proute, f. (thieves’), complaint.
Prouter (thieves’), to complain; (popular) to call out, to holloa.
Prouteur, m., prouteuse, f. (thieves’), one who grumbles, snarling person.
Proye, m. (old cant), the behind, “one-eyed cheek.” See Prose.
Prudhomme, m. (familiar), canting individual, man who is in the habit of giving utterance to grandiloquent platitudes. From the character of Monnier’s Joseph Prudhomme. Monsieur Prudhomme, who has also been portrayed by the caricaturist Cham, is the type of the pompous, silly bourgeois. He is made to say on one occasion, “Ce sabre est le plus beau jour de ma vie,” and on another, “Le char de l’état navigue sur un volcan.”
Prudhommesque, adj. (familiar), after the fashion of Monsieur Prudhomme (which see).
Prune, f. (popular), or pruneau, bullet, or shell; —— de Monsieur Bishop. Literally a large violet-coloured plum. Prunes, testicles, or “stones.” Gober la ——, to receive a mortal wound. Avoir sa ——, to be intoxicated, or “lushy.” Mangeur de prunes, tailor, “goose-persuader, or button-catcher.”
Pruneau, m. (popular), bullet; lump of excrement, or “quaker.” Recevoir un ——, to be shot. Pruneau, quid of tobacco. Sucer un ——, to chew tobacco. Les pruneaux, the eyes, or “peepers.” Boucher ses pruneaux, to sleep, “to doss.”
Prunot, m. (popular), spirit and tobacco shop.
Prusse, f. (familiar and popular), travailler pour le roi de ——, to work to no purpose, gratis.
Prussien, m. (popular), the behind. Exhiber son ——, to take to one’s heels, to show the white feather. See Patatrot.
Pschutt, adj. and m. (familiar), un homme ——, a dandy, or “masher.” See Gommeux. Le ——, the height, or “pink” of fashion; swelldom.
Dans le palais de cette fée. On y donne des soupers où l’extrême pschutt est seul admis.—A. Sirven.
Pschutteux, m. (familiar), dandy, or “masher.” See Gommeux.
Un tas de pschutteux, gratin verdegrisé de races fainéantes, popotent dans les coins les plus chauds de l’établissement.—Louise Michel.
Puant, m. (thieves’), capuchin; (popular) swell, or “masher.” See Gommeux. Literally stinker. An allusion to the strong perfumes which sometimes are wafted from a dandy’s person.
Public, m. (officials’). Officials of an administration thus term any person who comes to the offices on business matters; (theatrical) —— de bois, ill-natured audience.
Puce, f. (popular), à l’oreille, creditor, or “dun;” —— travailleuse, “celle qui cultive le genre de dépravation attribué à Sapho la Lesbienne” (Rigaud). Secouer les puces à quelqu’un, to scold one, “to haul one over the coals,” “to bully-rag” him, or to thrash him. See Voie. Boîte à puces, bed, or “bug-walk.” Charmer les puces, to sleep. (Thieves’) Puce d’hôpital, louse, or “gold-backed ’un.”
Puceau, m. (popular), unsophisticated, soft fellow, or “flat.” Properly one who has yet his virginity.
Pucelage, m. (popular), avoir encore son ——, to be new at, not to be acquainted with the routine of some business; to have sold nothing. Pucelage, virginity.
Pucier, m. (popular), bed, “bug walk.” From puce, flea.
Pudibard, m. (popular), one who affects virtuous airs.
Puff, m. (familiar), bankruptcy.
Il serait homme à décamper gratis. Ce serait un puff abominable.—Balzac.
Also noisy, impudent eulogy.
Puffisme, m. (familiar), puffing up, quackery.
Il est écrit que le général ... passera par tous les échelons du puffisme ... le voilà qui fait crier sa biographie avec ses faits d’armes, ses blessures et son portrait pour 10 centimes.—Le Figaro, 14 Août, 1886.
Puffiste, m. (familiar), literary, political, or other kind of quack.
Puits, m. (theatrical), parler du ——, to waste one’s time in talking of useless things. (Thieves’) Badigeonner la femme au ——, to tell fibs. Alluding to Truth supposed to dwell in a well.
Puloch (Breton cant), to fight; to work hard.
Punaise, f. (general), disagreeable woman; prostitute. See Gadoue.
Une femme.—Au Bois! Boire du lait! A la vacherie du Pré-Catelan!
Toutes les autres.—Oui, le Bois!
Un chiffonnier.—Les punaises, faut toujours que ça se fourre dans le bois.—P. Mahalin.
Encore une —— dans le beurre! one more boulevard girl making her appearance on the stage! Une —— de caserne, soldier’s wench. (Popular) Avoir une —— dans le soufflet, to be crazy, “to have a tile off.” For synonyms see Avoir. (Thieves’) Attraper des punaises, to fail in one’s undertaking, or to find that one is dealing with an informer.
Punaisière, f. (popular), suspicious café frequented by habitués of low dancing halls.
Pur, m. (familiar), dandy, “masher.”
Vous ignorez complètement que de ne pas mettre de pardessus constitue actuellement ce que nous appelons être pur, ou si vous aimez mieux le chic anglais.—Evénement, 1882.
Purée, f. (thieves’), cider; (popular) —— de Corinthe, wine; —— de pois, absinthe. Faire de la —— de marrons, to strike one in the face so as to leave marks. Tomber dans la ——, or être molle, to become poor, or a “quisby.” Je déclare la ——, I haven’t a farthing, not a “rap.” (Familiar) La ——. See Absinthe. Purée septembrale (obsolete), wine.
L’indisposition qui lui étoit advenue par trop humer de purée septembrale.—Rabelais.
(Students’) Une ——, a glass of absinthe, a glass of beer being termed “un cercueil,” a glass of bitters “un pape,” and of brandy “un pétrole.” (Prostitutes’) Une ——, a man who does not show himself sufficiently generous.
Pureuse, f. (prisoners’) female prisoner in the employ of the prison authorities. Such prisoners enjoy some degree of liberty and certain privileges.
Purgation, f. (thieves’), speech for the defence.
Purge, f. (thieves’), refiler une ——, to thrash, “to set about one.” See Voie.
Purger la vaisselle (popular), to make very thin sauce.
Purotin, m. (popular and thieves’), needy man; vagrant, or “piky.”
Pur-sang, f. (familiar), handsome, elegant kept woman, a “blooming tartlet.”
Putain, f. (familiar), avoir la main ——, to shake hands with anybody. Bouture de ——, child of unknown father. Putain comme chausson is said of an extremely immoral woman.
Putasser (popular), to be fond of prostitutes, to be a “mutton-monger.”
Putasserie, f. (familiar and popular), acts of immorality on the part of a woman; the street-walking tribe.
Putassier, m. (popular), one fond of prostitutes, “mutton-monger.”
Putiner. See Putasser.
Putiphariser (familiar), is said of a woman who seeks to win a young man’s affections, and gives practical evidence thereof; to violate.