pony
/ˈpoʊni/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.81 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A small horse; specifically, any of several small breeds of horse under 14.2 hands at the withers.
noun
A small serving of an alcoholic beverage, especially beer.
Example Sentences
- "The pony won three times in one month and as I had backed it on each occasion I collected a ‘bank’ of over £400."
- "1879, “Some Queer Interviews: Interview with a Pony of Beer”, Puck, Vol. 5–6, p. 435"
- "‘I’m on the inside track,’ said a pony of beer as it went galloping down a man’s throat."
- "Demon popped into his mouth a last morsel of black bread with elastic samlet, gulped down a last pony of vodka and took his place at the table with Marina facing him across its oblong length."
- "I did not even know what a ‘pony’, a small chaser of beer, was. But of course I could not admit that. So putting on an air of nonchalance, and a deep voice, I strolled into a pub with one of the other equally naive guys and we ordered two ponies of beer. ‘McEwans?’ asked the barman. ‘Naw - ponies’ said I."
- "“You said a pony,” interposed Clavering; “my dear fellow, you said a pony, and I’ll be eternally obliged to you; and I’ll not take it as a gift—only as a loan, and pay you back in six months. I take my oath, I will.” “Well—well—there’s the money, Sir Francis Clavering. […] Here’s five-and-twenty for you."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- Proto-Indo-European *polH-on- Proto-Italic *polnos? Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w-? Proto-Indo-European *put-der.? Latin pullus Late Latin pullanus Old French poulenetder.? Scots powny English pony From Scots powny, apparently from Middle French poulenet (“little foal”), ultimately from Late Latin pullanus (“young of an animal”), from pullus. First attested in 1659. Doublet of foal and pullus. Sense “small serving of alcohol” from 19th century, both for small sizes generally and for a quarter pint specifically, from the small size.
Origin
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpoʊni/
- British English: /ˈpəʊni/
Usage
- Australian usage
- British usage
- Slang
- American usage
- Derogatory
- Transitive verb
- Uncountable
Inflected Forms
ponies (plural)
ponies (present, singular)
ponying (participle, present)
ponied (participle, past)
ponied (past)
Ponys (plural)
Ponyes (plural)