2. (old).—A whore: see Tart. [Probably an echo of the hypocrisy imputed to the Puritans: cf. sense 1, esp. quot. 1607.]
Purko, subs. (military).—Beer: see
Swipes. [Barclay, Perkins and
Co.]
Purl, subs. (old: now recognised).—1.
See quots. 1696 and 1851;
afterwards (2) applied to beer
warmed nearly to boiling point,
and flavoured with gin, sugar, and
ginger. Hence purl-man = a
boating vendor of purl to Thames
watermen.—Grose (1785).
1680. Pepys, Diary, 19 Feb. Forth to Mr. Harper's to drink a draft of purle.
1690. Durfey, Collin's Walk, IV. Or like a Porter could Regale, With Pots of Purle, or Mugs of Ale.
c. 1696. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Purl, Wormwood infus'd in Ale. Ibid. Purl-Royal, Canary with a dash of Wormwood.
1711. Spectator, No. 88. My lord bishop swore he would throw her out at window . . . and my lord duke would have a double mug of purl.
1790. Old Song, 'Flashman of St. Giles's' [Busy Bee]. I call'd for some purl, and we had it hot.
1836. Dickens, Sketches, 33. Water-*men . . . retire . . . to solace themselves with the creature comforts of pipes and purl.
1841. Rede, Sixteen String Jack, i. 2. Long Jerry's half way down a pot of purl; Kit s finishing a bowl of punch.
1851. Mayhew, Lond. Lab., ii. 108. It appears to have been the practice at some time or other in this country to infuse wormwood into beer or ale previous to drinking it, either to make it sufficiently bitter, or for some medicinal purpose. This mixture was called purl. Ibid. The drink originally sold on the river was purl, or this mixture, whence the title purl-man.
3. (schools').—A dive, head foremost: cf. sense 2.
Adj. (hunting).—Thrown; spilt (q.v.); foaled (q.v.): e.g., 'He'll get purled at the rails.' Hence (as subs.), or purler = a fall; a spill.
1857. C. Reade, Never Too Late, xxxviii. They went a tremendous pace—with occasional stoppages when a purl occurred. Ibid. They commonly paddle in companies of three; so then whenever one is purled the other two come on each side of him.
1868. Ouida, Two Flags, iii. Right in front of that Stand was an artificial bullfinch that promised to treat most of the field to a purler, a deep ditch dug and filled with water, with two towering blackthorn fences on either side of it.
1885. Field, 26 Dec. To trifle with this innovation means a certain purler.
Purpose. To as much purpose
as the geese slur upon the
ice (or as to give a goose
hay), phr. (colloquial).—To no
purpose at all. Also 'to no more
purpose than to beat your heels
against the ground (or wind).'—Ray
(1670).
Purse, subs. (venery).—1. The
female pudendum: see Monosyllable:
Fr. bourse-à-vits: cf.
Prick-purse. Also (2) = the
scrotum. Hence, no money in
his purse = impotent; purse-proud
= lecherous; purse-finder
= a harlot; &c.
c. 1620. Beaumont and Fletcher, Little French Lawyer, v. 3. And put a good speed-penny in my purse that has been empty these thirty years.
c.1720. Broadside Song, 'The Turnep Ground' [Farmer, Merry Songs and Ballads (1897), i. 224]. [When] gently down I L'ayd her, She Op't a Purse as black as Coal, To hold my Coin.
2. (colloquial).—A sum of money: a prize, a collection, a gift. Also (generic) = money; resources.
