Pop

subs. (American).—1.  A father; ‘papa’: also POPPA and POPPER.

  1888.  Detroit Free Press, 22 Dec. Jerry wants a new POP right bad.

  1899.  The Sporting Times, 15 April, 2, 1. Say, Van, why should we fret? It was POPPA’S house.

  1901.  Free Lance, 16 Nov., 171, 2. The young lady has an independent fortune, and POPPER happened to be at the other end of a cable, three thousand miles away, at the moment she was getting married!

  2.  (common).—A popular concert: as ‘The Saturday (or Monday) POPS.’

  1869.  Orchestra, 19 Nov. How beautiful is the behaviour of our eminent artists at the Monday POPS!

  1891.  W. S. GILBERT, Patience, ii. Who thinks suburban hops more fun than Monday POPS.

  1898.  Daily Telegraph, 13 Dec., 7, 5. Probably never before did the experienced director of the POPS. give a special concert on account of a particular artist.

  3.  (Eton College).—A club chiefly confined to Oppidans though Collegers are sometimes elected: otherwise “The Eton Society” for reading and debates. [Supposed to be a contraction of ‘Popina,’ the rooms having been for many years over a cook-shop or confectioner’s.—See FARMER, Public School Word-Book.]

  1865.  Etoniana, 207. The chief attraction of POP lies in its being a sort of social club … and as the members are strictly limited (originally twenty-two, since increased to twenty-eight), to be elected into the society gives a boy a certain degree of prestige in the school.

  Verb., with subs. and adv. (old).—Generic for more or less quick, unexpected, and explosive action. Whence, (1) = to shoot: as subs. (or POPPER) = (1) a shop, and (2) a firearm: spec. a pistol, but in quot. 1383, a dagger (HALL, 1714; GROSE, 1785; VAUX, 1819; and BEE, 1823); (2) = to crack—as a whip; (3) = to explode—as a hat when sat on, or a cork when drawn: as subs. = (a) a drink which fizzes from the bottle when opened—spec. ginger-beer, but in quot. 1836 = champagne (GROSE, 1785; BEE, 1823), and (b) the noise made in drawing a cork; and (4) = to rap out one’s words: whence POPPING = babbling. Also, as adv. = suddenly or unexpectedly. See also many allied colloquialisms infra.

  1383.  CHAUCER, The Canterbury Tales, 3929, ‘The Reeve’s Tale.’ A joly POPPERE baar he in his pouche.

  1621.  FLETCHER, The Pilgrim, iii. 2.

  1724.  J. HARPER, ‘Frisky Moll’s Song’ in THURMOND’S Harlequin Sheppard [FARMER, Musa Pedestris (1896), 42].

  1748.  SMOLLETT, Roderick Random, viii. A pair of POPS silver mounted … I took them from the captain. Ibid. (1749), Gil Blas [ROUTLEDGE], 345. We were startled out of our sleep by the report of musketry POPPING so near.

  1821.  D. HAGGART, Life, 98. I plunged my fam into my sack, as if for a POP.

  1829.  W. T. MONCRIEFF, Giovanni in London, ii. 1. Made up your mind to have a POP at him.

  1830.  BULWER-LYTTON, Paul Clifford (1854), 296. Lord love ye, they says as ’ow you go to all the fine places in ruffles, with a pair of silver POPS in your waistcoat pocket!

  1834.  W. H. AINSWORTH, Rookwood, III. v., ‘The Game of High Toby.’

  1834.  BUCKSTONE, Agnes de Vere, ii. 3. I’ve an excellent case of POPPERS here that I always keep loaded for such occasions.

  1836.  H. M. MILNER, Turpin’s Ride to York, i. 3. It is not even safe to hunt without POPS in your pocket. Ibid. Damn the POPPER! we must be off to Yorkshire now.

  1836.  HOOD, Miss Kilmansegg and Her Precious Leg [Works (1846), i. 246]. Home-made POP that will not foam.

  1837.  R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends, ‘Barney Maguire’s Account of the Coronation,’ I. 277. With wine and nagus, and Imparial POP!

  1844.  MARRYAT, The Settlers, I. vi. 103. “Fowling-pieces,—they are bird-guns, I believe,—no use at all; muskets are soldiers’ tools,—no use; pistols are POPS, and nothing better.”

  1845.  BROWNING, Dramatic Romances, ‘The Englishman in Italy.’

  1847.  W. T. PORTER, ed., A Quarter Race in Kentucky, etc., 95. He’d POP his whip, and stretch his chains, and holler ‘wo, gee!’

  1848.  W. T. THOMPSON, Major Jones’s Sketches of Travel, 150. The rascal went to his coach, jumped on the box, POPPED his whip, and puttin his thumb on his nose, wiggled his fingers at me as he druv off in a canter.

  1848.  J. R. LOWELL, The Biglow Papers, Intro.

  1851–61.  H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, I. 187. Not above one-eighth … but sell with their POP some other article.

  1857.  O. W. HOLMES, The Autocrat of Breakfast-Table, viii. A hat which has been POPPED, or exploded by being sat down upon, is never itself again afterwards.

  1863.  ALEX. SMITH, Dreamthorp, 133. In the pit, sober people relax themselves, and suck oranges, and quaff ginger-POP.

  1871.  Morning Advertiser, 11 Sept.

  1872.  Standard, 29 Aug. ‘Autumn Manœuvres.’ Buying POP in the cheapest and selling it in the dearest market is his trade.

  1876.  G. ELIOT, Daniel Deronda, xxxix. I cannot bear people to keep their minds bottled up for the sake of letting them go off with a POP.

  1884.  HAWLEY SMART, From Post to Finish, 228. I went for this Dancing Master myself, and he don’t warrant my calling for POP (Champagne).

  1893.  P. H. EMERSON, Signor Lippo, xiv. Well, I don’t mind if I do, and old Teapot here can come and have POP, like the little boys.

  1887.  W. E. HENLEY and R. L. STEVENSON, Three Plays, 69. Another illusion gone POP.

  1893.  MILLIKEN, ’Arry Ballads, 71. I’m horf for a POP at the birds.

  5.  (common).—To pawn; ‘to put away’: whence POP-shop = a pawnbroker.—GROSE (1785); BEE (1823). See SPOUT.

  1837.  BULWER-LYTTON, Maltravers, IV. 1. As to the other cloak and shawl, don’t be afraid; they shan’t go to the POP-SHOP.

  1841.  Punch, I. 77. The eight waistcoats wanted for dinner. Peter ordered to POP accordingly—proceeds 7s. 6d. Invested in a small leg of mutton and half and half.

  1851–61.  H. MAYHEW, London Labour and the London Poor, I. 530. Knew of such a book to a sartinty, because a young ’oman took one to POP for an old ’oman what was on the spree.

  1866.  Orchestra, 10 Nov. The next day the gentleman transports it to a pawnbroker’s, and, as cognoscenti have it, POPS it.

  1880.  G. R. SIMS, Three Brass Balls, Pledge x. I am not at all sure that all congregations would act so kindly and thoughtfully as did the Bishop Ortonites if they found out that their parson was in the habit of ‘POPPING’ his surplice.

  1886–96.  MARSHALL, ‘Pomes’ from the Pink ’Un [‘Nixes in the Kick’], 63. With his nibs the luck was out, for he POPPED it up the spout.

  1889.  Answers, 13 July, 105, 1. Having, unfortunately, a very extended acquaintance with the POP SHOP, my account … may be relied upon as being accurate.

  1891.  LEHMANN, Harry Fludyer at Cambridge, iii. When your aunt Sophia was with us last week it kept on yelling something about ‘the POP-SHOP round the corner’ and ‘paying your incle a visit,’ which I did not understand.

  1898.  FERGUS NISBET, Hagar of the Pawn-shop, 54. Rosa, to get rid of the necklace until the affair of the murder was blown over, might pawn it … so I sent a printed slip to all the POP-SHOPS in London.

  1900.  KIPLING, Stalky & Co., 44. ‘Confound you! You haven’t been POPPING my Sunday bags, then?’ ‘Keep your hair on. It’s only your watch … got 13s. 7d. Here’s the ticket.’

  6.  (American university).—To get an advantage.

  OTHER COLLOQUIALISMS, mostly with the same root-idea, are:—TO POP OFF SAWS = to babble; TO POP UPON (IN, INTO, ABOVE or OUT) = (1) to come, put, spring, or thrust suddenly into view or place, and (2) to offer abruptly; TO POP WITH THE MOUTH = to smack the lips; TO POP ONE OUT (or OFF) = to deprive, with little or no warning; TO POP OFF WITH = to put off (or aside); TO POP THE QUESTION (or TO POP) = to offer marriage; TO POP UP (or DOWN) = to appear (or disappear) suddenly; TO POP OFF = (1) to die (also TO POP OFF the hooks—see POP and HOOK), and (2) to make a sudden exit; TO POP IT IN = to effect intromission; TO POP IT ON = to increase a demand: as chance offers.

  1513–25.  SKELTON [T. L. KINGTON-OLIPHANT, The New English, i. 394. We see the phrase TO POP FORTH saws; at p. 235, POPPING means babbling; our POP still implies noise, as pop-gun].

  1576.  T. NEWTON, tr. Lemnius’s The Touchstone of Complexions, 124. Stil to dilate & to open his breaste with Coughinge, hawking, neesing and POPPING or smacking with the mouthe.

  1596.  SHAKESPEARE, Hamlet, v. 2.

  1600.  HEYWOOD, The First Part of King Edward IV. [PEARSON, Works (1874), i. 47]. My daughter Nell shall POP a posset VPON thee, when thou goest to bed.

  1626.  FLETCHER, The Noble Gentleman, i. 1. And do you POP me OFF with this slight answer.

  d. 1631.  DONNE, Sermons, iv. So, diving in a bottomless sea, they POP some times ABOVE the water to take breath.

  1641–2.  MILTON, Animadversions upon the Remonstrant’s Defence, etc. These our Prelates, who are the true successors of those that POPT them INTO the other world.

  1706.  WARD, The Wooden World Dissected, ‘To Reader.’ Finding … the air begin to change apace, and wet, thick, cloudy weather POP IN at once upon us.

  d. 1745.  SWIFT A Letter to a Young Clergyman. Others have a trick of POPPING UP AND DOWN every moment from their paper to the audience, like an idle school-boy on a repetition day.

  1749.  SMOLLETT, Gil Blas [ROUTLEDGE], 113. I know how to tickle a girl in a stiff gown, or an actress. You swagger … with an easy, impudent assurance, and POP THE QUESTION without making any bones about it. Ibid., 143. When they had been together long enough, IN POPPED I, with a message to the enamoured spark.

  1753.  RICHARDSON, The History of Sir Charles Grandison, vi. 103. Afraid he would … POP OUT THE QUESTION which he had not the courage to put.

  1764.  FOOTE, The Patron, i. O fie! what chance have I there? Indeed, if Lady Pepperpot should happen to POP OFF—

  1773.  GOLDSMITH, She Stoops to Conquer, ii. When company comes you are not to POP OUT and stare, and then run in again.

  1773.  THOMPSON, The Fair Quaker of Deal [Shadwell’s comedy recast], ii. 3. If I could get a lover upon the first POPPING OF THE QUESTION.

  1835.  DICKENS, Sketches by Boz, ‘Watkins Tottle.’ I suppose you POPPED THE QUESTION more than once.

  1837.  R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends (Sir Rupert the Fearless) (1862), 249.

  1841.  Punch, I. 153. A considerate old aunt, who had kindly POPPED OFF in the nick of time.

  1851.  F. E. SMEDLEY, Lewis Arundel, iii. Some of the fools about here wanted me to put up for the county if he POPPED OFF.

  1853.  BULWER-LYTTON, My Novel, V. xvii. ‘Please the pigs,’ then said Mr. Avenel to himself, ‘I shall POP THE QUESTION.’

  1855.  TOM TAYLOR, Still Waters Run Deep, i. I’ll deposit my carpet-bag in my dressing-room, and then POP IN on Emmy.

  1855.  THACKERAY, The Newcomes, l. She was so handsome, and so clever … that he had been on the point of POPPING THE fatal QUESTION ever so many times. Ibid. (1862), The Adventures of Philip, xvi. Eat your porridge now, little ones. Charlotte, POP a bit of butter IN Carrick’s porridge.

  1871.  H. B. STOWE, Oldtown Fireside Stories, 37. One o’ the sort that might POP OFF any time.

  1871.  Figaro, 18 March, The Penalty for POPPING. To Bachelors and Widowers: If you are about to POP THE QUESTION, think of Breach of Promise at Nisi Prius, and don’t. He who POPS and does not wed, By a jury will be bled.

  1876.  C. HINDLEY, ed. The Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack, 313. Travellers well know how they must put the price when doing business with Cheap John now that he is keeping a shop. It’s no use for them TO ‘POP IT ON.’

  1888.  W. BLACK, The Strange Adventures of a House-boat, viii. While some of the small fry POPPED OUT their heads to have a look.

  1892.  CHEVALIER, ‘The Little Nipper.’