1612. Webster, White Devil, iii. 2. I discern poison under your gilded pills.
1740. Smollett, Gil Blas, iv. iii. I . . . began to gild the pill, and . . . prove that this mad project was no more than an agreeable frolic. Ibid. iv. vii. The good old man . . . gilded the pill I was to swallow with a present of fifty ducats.
1899. Critic, 8 Ap., 3, 2. He quotes Goldsmith, then himself; his desire being to gild the pill.
To pill and poll, verb. phr. (old).—To pillage and strip: specifically in modern usage (thieves'), to cheat a comrade of his regulars (q.v.) : Fr. faire l'ésgard. Whence (poll-thief, or poller) = (1) a thief; and (2) an informer.
d.1529. Skelton [Dyce, Works, ii. 29]. With pollyng and shaving. Ibid. [i. 204]. Like voluptuous harlottes, that . . . to haue their goodes, presenteth to them their beddes, for to take their carnall desires, and after they haue taken all their disportes, they pill them as an onion. Ibid., Maner of World, 147. So many baudes and pollers, Sawe I never. Ibid., Colin Clout, 362. By poolynge and pyllage In cytyes and vyllage.
1548. Hall, Union [Halliwell]. And have wynked at the pollyng and extorcion of hys unmeasureable officiers.
d.1577. Gascoigne, h. 3 b. [Nares]. Bicause they pill and poll, because they wrest.
1587. Hollinshed, Hist. Ireland, F7, col. 2a. Kildare did use to pill and poll his friendes, tenants, and reteyners.
1596. Spenser, Faerie Queene, v. ii. 6. Which pols and pils the poor in piteous wise.
1597. Shakspeare, Rich. II., ii. 1. The Commons he hath pill'd With grievous taxes, and quite lost their hearts. Ibid., Rich. III., 1. Hear me, you wrangling pirates, that fell out In sharing that which you have pill'd from me.
1600. W. Kemp, Nine Days' Wonder [Arber, English Garner, vii. p. 37]. One that . . . would Pol his father, Derick his dad! do anything, how ill soever, to please his apish humour!
1610. Mirr. for Magistrates, 279. The prince thereby presumed his people for to pill. Ibid. 467. Can pill, and poll, and catch before they crave. Ibid. They would not bear such polling.
1621. Burton, Anatomy of Mel., 41. Great man in office may securely rob whole provinces, undo thousands, pill and poll.
d.1626. Bacon, Judicature [quoted in Century from edition 1887]. Neither can justice yield her fruit with sweetness among the briars and brambles of catching and polling clerks and ministers.
1648. Herrick, Hesperides, 'Duty to Tyrants.' Doe they first pill thee? next, pluck off thy skin?
1675. Crowne, Country Wit, ii. . . . 'Tis a rare thing to be an absolute Prince, and have rich subjects. Oh, how one may pill 'em and poll 'em.
1893. Emerson, Lippo, v. I spose he wants to accuse us of polling—a thing I never done in my life, and I know my other pals are as straight as darts. Ibid., vi. I have often met honourable robbers since like the poller.
Pillar. See Post.
Pill-box, subs. phr. (common).—A
small brougham.
1857. Dickens, Little Dorrit, xxxiii. She drove into town in a one-horse carriage, irreverently called at that period of English history, a pill-box.
2. (common).—A soldier's cap.
3. (American).—A revolver or gun. Also pill-bottle. See Meat-in-the-pot.
Pill-driver (-monger or -peddler).—An
itinerant apothecary:
see Trades and Professions.
1763. Foote, Mayor of Garret, i. There has, Major, been here an impudent pill-monger, who has dar'd to scandalise the whole body of the bench.
Pillicock (Pillock or Pilicock),
subs. (venery).—1. The penis: see
Prick. Hence pillicock-hill
= the female pudendum. Also
(Burns and Jamieson) pillie.
