The queer prig of a doctor. --Macaulay.
[1913 Webster]
2. A thief; a filcher. [Cant] --Shak. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
prig — prig·ger; prig·gery; prig·gish; prig·gish·ly; prig·gish·ness; prig; prig·gism; … English syllables
prig — [prıg] n [Date: 1600 1700; Origin: Probably from prig showy man (17 19 centuries), perhaps from prig tinker, thief (16 19 centuries)] someone who behaves in a morally good way and shows that they disapprove of the way other people behave used to… … Dictionary of contemporary English
prig — [ prıg ] noun count someone who thinks they are better than other people because they always obey strict moral rules ╾ prig|gish adjective ╾ prig|gish|ness noun uncount … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
Prig — Prig, v. t. 1. To cheapen. [Scot.] [1913 Webster] 2. [Perhaps orig., to ride off with. See {Prick}, v. t.] To filch or steal; as, to prig a handkerchief. [Cant] [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
prig — prig1 [prig] n. [< 16th c. cant < ?] 1. a person who is annoyingly smug in his or her moral behavior, attitudes, etc. 2. a person who is annoyingly fastidious about rules, small details, etc. priggery n. priggism priggish adj. priggishly… … English World dictionary
Prig — Prig, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Prigged}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Prigging}.] [A modification of prick.] To haggle about the price of a commodity; to bargain hard. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
prig — index steal Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
prig — 1753, precisian in speech or manners, of unknown origin; earlier dandy, fop (1670s), thief (c.1600, in form prigger recorded from 1560s), also a thieves cant word for a tinker (1560s), though connection of this with the other meaning is uncertain … Etymology dictionary
prig — ► NOUN ▪ a self righteously moralistic person. DERIVATIVES priggish adjective. ORIGIN originally in the sense «tinker, petty thief», later «disliked person»: of unknown origin … English terms dictionary
Prig — A prig (IPAEng|ˈprɪg, sometimes spelled prigg) is someone who shows an inordinately zealous approach to matters of form and propriety; especially where the prig has the ability to show his/her superior knowledge to those who don t know the… … Wikipedia
