Verb. (venery).—1. To deflower: hence punchable = ripe for man, coming (q.v.).—Grose (1785).
2. (Western American).—To drive and brand cattle. Whence puncher (Bull or cow-puncher) = a cowboy.
1889. Francis, Saddle and Moccasin [Slang, Jargon, and Cant]. The title 'cow-servants' so delighted the gentle puncher that it has become a standing quotation in New Mexico.
18[?]. H. Kendall, Billy Vickers. At punching oxen you may guess There's nothing out can camp him.
3. (old).—To walk: see Absquatulate.—Grose (1785). Hence to punch outsides = to go out of doors.—Grose (1785); Haggart (1821).
1780. Tomlinson, Slang Pastoral, vii. Now she to Bridewell has punch'd it along.
Cobbler's-punch, subs. phr. (old).—'Urine with a cinder in it.'—Grose (1785).
Punchable, subs. (old).—'Old
passable money, anno 1695.'—B.
E. (c.1696).
See Punch, verb., sense 1.
Punch-and-Judy, subs. phr.
(common).—Lemonade.
1885. Eng. Illus. Mag., June, 604. I'd drink a pennorth of gingeret, or a glass of Punch and Judy.
Puncher, subs. (sporting).—1. A
pugilist.
2. See Punch, verb.
Punch-clod, subs. (provincial).—A
farm-laborer; a clod-hopper.
Punch-house, subs. phr. (old).—'A
bawdy house.'—B. E. (c.1696).
Punchy, subs. (American).—A
house of entertainment.
See Punch, subs.
Puncture, verb. (cyclists').—To
deflower; to prick (q.v.). [An
allusion to pneumatic tyres.]
Punish, verb. (sporting and
general).—A strong verb of action:
thus (in boxing) to punish = to
hit hard, to handle severely; (in
cricket) to punish the bowling
= to hit freely; (general) to
punish the bottle = to drink
hard; to punish the spread =
to eat much and heartily; and so
forth. Hence punishing = exhausting,
fatiguing; punisher =
a glutton for work; punishment
= a severe beating, complete exhaustion,
&c.
1819. Moore, Tom Crib. An eye that plann'd punishing deeds. Ibid. If to level, to punish, to ruffian mankind.
1821. Egan, Life in London, 11. iii. What a punisher, too!
1831. Egan, Finish Life in London, 221. Blacky punished the steaks.
1848. Thackeray, Vanity Fair, liii. He punished my champagne. Ibid. (1862), Philip, iv. Tom Sayers could not take punishment more gaily.
1857. Barton Experiment, xiv. After we'd punished a couple of bottles of old Crow whisky . . . he caved in all of a sudden.
1882. Field, 28 Jan. Each course to-day was of the most punishing kind.
1886. D. Telegraph, 5 Mar. Afterwards punished his opponent very scientifically.
1886. Cassell's Saturday Journal, 6 Mar., 359. I shall . . . punish the old gentleman's sherry.
1891. Lic. Vict. Gaz., 3 April. M'Carthy put in a lot of clinching to save himself from punishment.
