or poking, adj. (colloquial).—Cramped; stuffy; shabby; stupid: a general depreciative. Also POKE-HOLE.
d. 1771. GRAY, Works, II. Letter 36. Bred to some POKING profession.
1850. C. KINGSLEY, Alton Locke, xxiv. I shall be shoved down into some POKING little country-curacy, without a chance of making play before the world, or getting myself known at all.
1855. THACKERAY, The Newcomes, lvii. The ladies were in their POKIEST old headgear and most dingy gowns.
1856. H. B. STOWE, Dred, I. xi. That ’s the way we girls studied at school, except a few ‘POKY’ ones, who wanted to be learned, or meant to be teachers.
1864. INGELOW, Studies for Stories, I. 67. Amelia made me believe that there was plenty of property in their family, but that her sisters had a natural liking for living in that POKEY way, and for having no footman.
1882. T. A. GUTHRIE (‘F. Anstey’), Vice Versâ, iv. They’ve a POKY little house in Brompton somewhere, and there was no dancing.
