# posh
## English
### Etymology

Unknown.
Most likely derived from Romani posh (“half”), either because posh-kooroona (“half a crown”) (originally a substantial sum of money) was used metaphorically for anything pricey or upper-class, or because posh-houri (“half-penny”) came to refer to money generally.
A period slang dictionary defines "posh" as a term used by thieves for "money : generic, but specifically, a halfpenny or other small coin". An example is given from James Payn's The Eavesdropper (1888): "They used such funny terms: 'brads,' and 'dibbs,' and 'mopusses,' and 'posh' ... at last it was borne in upon me that they were talking about money."
Evidence exists for a slang sense from the 1890s meaning dandy, which is quite possibly related.
A popular folk etymology holds that the term is an acronym for "port out, starboard home", describing the cooler, north-facing cabins taken by the most aristocratic or rich passengers travelling from Britain to India and back. However, there is no evidence for this claim.
It could also possibly be a clipping of polished.
See also the articles mentioned in the References section below for additional discussion.

### Pronunciation

* (General American) IPA: /pɑʃ/
* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /pɒʃ/, IPA: /pəʊʃ/ (humorous or upper-class)
* Audio (UK):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɒʃ

### Adjective

posh (comparative posher or more posh, superlative poshest or most posh)
* Associated with the upper classes.
    Synonym: upper-crust
    She talks with a posh accent.
* Stylish; elegant; exclusive; luxurious; expensive.
    Synonym: high-end
    Near-synonym: plush
    After the performance, they went out to a very posh restaurant.
* (usually offensive, especially in Ireland, Scotland, Northern England) Snobbish, materialistic, prejudiced, under the illusion that one is better than everyone else.
    Synonym: stuck-up
    We have a right posh git moving in next door.

#### Quotations

* 1919: "Well, it ain't one of the classic events. It were run over there." Docker jerked a thumb vaguely in the direction of France. "At a 'Concours Hippique,' which is posh for 'Race Meeting.' — Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, June 18, 1919

#### Derived terms

* posh nosh
* posh wank
* poshen
* poshdom
* poshly
* poshness
* posho
* poshy
* too posh to push

#### Translations
### Interjection

posh
* An exclamation expressing derision.
** 1889: "The czar! Posh! I slap my fingers--I snap my fingers at him." — Rudyard Kipling, The Man Who Was

#### Derived terms

* pish posh

### Noun

posh (countable and uncountable, plural poshes)
* (uncountable) fragments produced by an impact
* (uncountable) slush
* (countable, UK, slang, obsolete) A halfpenny or other coin of little value.
* (uncountable, UK, slang, obsolete) Money.

### Verb

posh (third-person singular simple present poshes, present participle poshing, simple past and past participle poshed)
* (normally in the phrasal verb posh up) To make posh, or posher.
    Synonym: poshen

### References

* “posh”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
* (halfpenny; money): John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary
* ↑ Slang and its Analogues Past and Present, volume 5 (London, 1902), John S. Farmer and W.E. Henley (editors), page 261
* ↑ James, Payn (1888) The Eavesdropper: An Unparalleled Experience‎, New York: Harper & brothers, page 78
* ↑ Michael Quinion (1996–2024) “Posh”, in World Wide Words.
* ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22378819
* ↑ snopes.com,
* ↑ Martin, Gary (2011 May 9) POSH‎
* ↑ Jennings, Ken (2012) The Debunker: Is The Word "Posh" An Acronym?‎

### Anagrams

* Hosp., OHPs, PHOs, Soph, hops, hosp, phos, shop, soph

## Maricopa
### Noun

posh
* cat

## Romani
### Alternative forms

* push

### Etymology

From Old Armenian փոշի (pʻoši). Doublet of poshík.

### Noun

posh
* dust

### References

* Ačaṙean, Hračʻeay (1979) “փոշի”, in Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran [Armenian Etymological Dictionary] (in Armenian), 2nd edition, a reprint of the original 1926–1935 seven-volume edition, volume IV, Yerevan: University Press, page 517a
* Vaillant, Jean-Alexandre (1868) “pos'”, in Grammaire, dialogues et vocabulaire de la langue des Bohémiens ou Cigains (in French), Paris: Maisonneuve, page 123a