Part 377

Prior.

Poke, n. 1. The act of poking; a thrust; a jog; as, a poke in the ribs. Ld. Lytton.

2. A lazy person; a dawdler; also, a stupid or uninteresting person. [Slang, U.S.] Bartlett.

3. A contrivance to prevent an animal from leaping or breaking through fences. It consists of a yoke with a pole inserted, pointed forward. [U.S.]

Poke bonnet, a bonnet with a straight, projecting front.

Poke"bag` (?), n. [So called in allusion to its baglike nest.] (Zoˆl.) The European long- tailed titmouse; -- called also poke-pudding. [Prov. Eng.]

Pok"er (?), n. [From Poke to push.] 1. One who pokes.

2. That which pokes or is used in poking, especially a metal bar or rod used in stirring a fire of coals.

3. A poking-stick. Decker.

4. (Zoˆl.) The poachard. [Prov. Eng.]

Poker picture, a picture formed in imitation of bisterwashed drawings, by singeing the surface of wood with a heated poker or other iron. Fairholt.

Pok"er, n. [Of uncertain etymol.] A game at cards derived from brag, and first played about 1835 in the Southwestern United States. Johnson's Cyc.

Pok"er, n. [Cf. Dan. pokker the deuce, devil, also W. pwci, a hobgoblin, bugbear, and E. puck.] Any imagined frightful object, especially one supposed to haunt the darkness; a bugbear. [Colloq. U. S.]

Pok"er*ish, a. Infested by pokers; adapted to excite fear; as, a pokerish place. [Colloq. U. S.]

There is something pokerish about a deserted dwelling.

Lowell.

Pok"er*ish, a. Stiff like a poker. [Colloq.]

Pok"et (?), n. A pocket. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Poke"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) See Poke, the plant.

Pok"ey (?), a. See Poky.

Pok"ing (?), a. Drudging; servile. [Colloq.]

Bred to some poking profession.

Gray.

Pok"ing-stick` (?), n. A small stick or rod of steel, formerly used in adjusting the plaits of ruffs. Shak.

Pok"y (?), a. [Written also pokey.] 1. Confined; cramped. [Prov. Eng.]

2. Dull; tedious; uninteresting. [Colloq.]

Po*lac"ca (?), n. [It. polacca, polaccra, polacra; cf. F. polaque, polacre, Sp. polacre,] [Written also polacre.] 1. (Naut.) A vessel with two or three masts, used in the Mediterranean. The masts are usually of one piece, and without tops, caps, or crosstrees.

2. (Mus.) See Polonaise.