1887. Henley, Culture in Slums. Was it not prime—I leave you all to guess How prime! to have a jude in love's distress Come spooning round.
1899. Whiteing, John St., ix. It's prime, jest when you are goin' off, and jest when you're coming to.
Prime-cock-boy. See Princock.
Primitive, adj. (colloquial).—Unmixed:
as spirits with water;
neat (q.v.).
Primo, subs. (friendly societies').—The
chairman or master of a lodge
of Buffaloes.
Prinado, subs. (old).—A sharper.
1631. Clitus's Whimzies, 12. His nipps, ints, bungs, and prinados, of whom he holds in fee, ofttimes prevent the lawyer by diving too deep into his client's pocket.
16[?]. Honest Ghost, 231. Pimps, nips, and ints, prinados, &c.
Princock (princox, primcock,
or princycock), subs. (old).—1.
A pert youth.—Also as adj. =
saucy; conceited.—B. E. (c.1696);
Grose (1785). Prime-cock-boy
also = (Florio), 'a
freshman, a novice, a milkesop, a
boy new come into the world.'
1573. New Cust. [Dodsley, Old Plays (Reed), i. 264]. Yes, prinkockes, that I have; for fortie yeares agoe, I could smatter in a Duns—Better I am sure then an hundred of you.
1592. Nashe, Pierce Pennilesse (Shaks. Soc.), 52. You shall heare a caualier of the first feather, a princockes that was but a page the other day in the court, and is now all to be frenchified in his souldiours sute.
1592. Greene, Quip for Up. Courtier, B. 4. I will teach thee a lesson worth the hearing, proud princocks, how gentility first sprung up.
1594. Lyly, Mother Bombie, i. 3. I have almost these two yeares cast in my head, how I might match my princocks with Stellio's daughter.
1595. Shakspeare, Romeo and Juliet, i. 5. You are a saucy boy . . . You are a princox, go.
1595. Tylney, Locrine, ii. 4. "Naught reek I of thy threats, thou princox boy."
1596. Gosson, Quippes for Up. Gentlewomen [Hazlitt, Pop. Poet, iv. 250]. And when proud princoks, rascals bratte, In fashion will be princes mate.
1598. Florio, Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Pinchino. A pillicock, a primcock, a prick, a prettie lad, a gull, a noddie.
1611. Coryat, Crudities, ii. 255 [Reprint]. To teach many proud, princocke scholars, that are puffed up with the opinion of their learning, to pull downe the high sailes of their lofty spirits.
1611. Chapman, May-Day, i. 1. I have love to employ thee in as well as the proudest young princock.
1615. Daniel, Hymen's Triumph, 313. Ah, sirrah, have I found you? are you heere, You princock boy?
2. (venery).—The female pudendum: see Monosyllable.—[Dunbar.] Also the penis: see Prick.
Princod, subs. (old).—1. 'A
round, plump man or woman.'—Grose
(1785).
2. (old).—A pincushion.—Grose (1785).
Prink (or princk), verb. (old).—To
dress for show; to adorn
fantastically; to 'put on airs':
see quot. c.1696.—Grose (1785).
Hence princums = high-sniffing
niceties, and fads, scruples; Mrs.
Princum Prancum (B. E. and
Grose) = 'a nice, precise, formal
madam'; prinker = a
jetter (q.v.).
[?]. Lansdowne MS., 1033. To be prinkt up, to be drest up fine or finical like children or vain women.
1576. Gascoigne, Philomene [Chalmers, ii. . . .]. Enflamede hir haughtie harte To get more grace by crummes of cost, And princke it out hir parte.
1614. Tomkis, Albumazar, ii. 5. "Just Æsop's crow, prink'd up in borrow'd feathers."
