▪ I. poop, n.1
(puːp)
Forms: 5 pouppe, pope, poppe, 5–7 powpe, 6 pupe, pewpe, 6–7 poup(e, poope, puppe, pup, (7 pub), 7– poop.
[ME. a. OF. pupe, pope (c 1400 in Godef. Compl.), F. poupe = It. poppa, Prov., Sp., Pg. popa:—late L. *puppa for L. puppis poop, stern.]
1. a. The aftermost part of a ship; the stern; also, the aftermost and highest deck, often forming the roof of the cabin built in the stern.
| 1489 Caxton Faytes of A. ii. ii. 93 The pouppe whiche is the hindermost partye of the shippe. 1495 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 195 In the poppe of the seid shipp. 1496 Ibid. 176 The dekke ovyr the somercastell & the pope. 1497 Ibid. 227 The powpe abaft. 1555 Eden Decades 203 The highest parte of the Castel of the poope. 1558 T. Phaer æneid i. A ij b, There fell a sea that made the puppe to yelde. 1566 J. Partridge Plasidas 492 The lusty fish begin at paynted pupe to toy. 1573 Twyne æneid x. E e j, She with right hand pup did shoue. 1581 J. Bell Haddon's Answ. Osor. 452 The chief prore and pewpe (as the Proverbe is) and shooteanker of their whole Idolatrous Sacrifice. 1606 Shakes. Ant. & Cl. ii. ii. 197 The Poope was beaten Gold. 1643 Prynne Sov. Power Parl. App. 209 Those are equally safe who are in the fore part, as those who are in the puppe. 1674 tr. Scheffer's Lapland xxi. 101 Made in the fashion of half a boat having..the poupe of one flat board. 1704 J. Harris Lex. Techn. I, Poop of a Ship, is the Floor or Deck over the Round-house or Master's Cabbin, being the highest part or uppermost part of her Hull astern. 1776 Mickle tr. Camoens' Lusiad 53 High on the poop the skilful master stands. 1868 Regul. & Ord. Army §1305 When the prisoners are on deck, the detachment of Troops is to be on the poop. |
† b. at poop, in (the, one's) poop, of the wind: Astern. Hence fig. Obs.
| 1567 Golding Ovid xii. 148 b, The thousand shippes had wynd at poope. 1588 Hickock tr. Frederick's Voy. 31 They goe to Pegu, with the winde in powpe. 1598 R. Barckley Felic. Man (1631) 411 They continue with him so long as the wind bloweth in the poope. 1621 Molle Camerar. Liv. Libr. iv. ix. 255 When they saw the wind blew merrily in their poope. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 16 We bore away to the starboard..with a Wind in Poop. |
c. transf. A cabin built on the after part of the quarter-deck; a round-house. rare.
| 1551 Acts Privy Counc. (1891) III. 257 The covering of clothe of golde belonging to the captaines cabane or powpe of the Gallie. |
† 2. transf. The dickey or seat at the back of a coach; the hinder part of a man or animal, the posteriors, rump. colloq. or vulgar. Obs.
| c 1614 Fletcher, etc. Wit at Sev. Weap. iv. i, If you..meet a footman by the way, in orange-tawny ribbands, running before an empty coach, with a buzzard [the bare⁓headed lackey] i' th' poop on't. c 1645 Howell Lett. (1650) II. 25 She took a mouthfull of claret, and spouted it into the poope of the hollow bird. 1706 E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) 96 While he manages his Whip-staff with one Hand, he scratches his Poop with the other. |
3. attrib. and Comb., as poop-cabin, poop-deck, poop-end, poop-ladder, poop-rail, poop-staff; poop-break, the front of the poop of a ship; poop-lantern, -light, a lantern or light carried at the stern to serve as a signal at night; poop-ornament Naut. slang, a ship's apprentice; poop-royal, the deck forming the roof of the poop-cabin; a top-gallant-poop.
| 1912 J. Masefield in Eng. Rev. Oct. 353 Under the *poop break, sheltering from the rain. |
| 1851 W. Colton Deck & Port i. 16 Another order soon came for the construction of a *poop-cabin. |
| 1840 R. H. Dana Bef. Mast xvii, A large, clumsy ship,..with her top⁓masts stayed forward, and high *poop-deck. |
| 1839 Marryat Phant. Ship x, Philip remained on deck by the *poop-ladder. |
| 1727–41 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Ship, Plate, Hull..*Poop Lanthorns. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1789), Aiguille de fanal, an iron crank or brace, used to sustain the poop-lanthorn. |
| 1836 E. Howard R. Reefer lvii, We carried..the customary *poop-light of the commodore. |
| 1902 Athenæum 8 Feb. 177/1 He [sc. the apprentice in the merchant service] was and is emphatically the ship's loblolly-boy..miscalled ‘a blarsted *poop ornament’, the drudge even of ordinary seamen. 1934 J. Masefield Taking of Gry 75, I looked at these fellows, and concluded that the lieutenant was a young poop-ornament and that the men were slacking. |
| 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., *Poop-rails, the stanchions and rail-work in front of the poop. |
| 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1789), Dunette sur Dunette, the *poop-royal. 1800 Naval Chron. III. 274 The poop royal, in our present first rates is omitted. |
| 1847 Grote Greece ii. xxxvi. IV. 472 Kynegeirus..in laying hold on the *poop-staff of one of the vessels, had his hand cut off by an axe. |
▪ II. poop, n.2
(puːp)
Also 6 poope; (S. Afr.) ‖ poep.
[Echoic, or f. poop v.1 Cf. LG. pup, pūp, Du. poep crepitus ventris.]
1. A short blast in a hollow tube, as a wind instrument; a toot; a gulping sound. Also, the report of a gun.
| a 1553 Udall Royster D. ii. i. (Arb.) 32 Then to our recorder with toodleloodle poope As the howlet out of the yuie bushe should hoope. c 1580 J. Jeffere Bugbears v. vii. in Archiv Stud. Neu. Spr. (1897), I taught them thier lerrie, and thier poop to, for their knacking. 1674 Ray N.C. Words 37 Poops, Gulps in drinking. 1772 Ann. Reg. 99/1 When this captain [frog] gives the signal for stopping, you hear a note like poop coming from him. 1908 K. Grahame Wind in Willows vi. 128, I faithfully promise that the very first motor-car I see, poop-poop! off I go in it! 1919 W. Deeping Second Youth xxviii. 240 The faint ‘poop-poop’ of distant anti-aircraft guns..brought Laverack sharply back to the immediate present. |
2. slang (orig. children's). An act of breaking wind or of defecation; faeces. Also fig.
Quot. c 1744 is an interj.
| c 1744 [see hole n. 8]. 1937 Partridge Dict. Slang 648/2 Poop,..a breaking of wind. 1948 Amer. Speech XXIII. 264 We used the words poop and poot with their onomatopoeic significance in regard to bodily discharges. 1974 Amer. Speech 1971 XLVI. 82 Fart,..poop. 1976 Telegraph (Brisbane) 7 June 9/2 A young woman claims a ‘bird poop treatment’ has cured her of a chronic dandruff... She's been free of dandruff since a mynah bird relieved himself on her head during lunch one day. 1977 J. McClure Sunday Hangman x. 105 Ja, we scared the poop out of him that time. 1977 Listener 22–29 Dec. 842/3 That's just a set-up... He just says all that kind of poop about you in the beginning. |
3. attrib. and Comb., as poop-butt (see quot.); poophead U.S. (see quot.); poop-hole (in quot. S. Afr.), anus; poop-pusher (see quot.); poop-scared a. (in quot. S. Afr.), extremely frightened, = shit-scared adj.; poop scoop joc., an implement used for clearing up faeces; so pooper scooper; poop-stick, a fool, ineffectual person (cf. poop n.4).
| 1973 C. & R. Milner Black Players ii. 42 A poop-butt is a lazy person. |
| 1977 Amer. Speech 1975 L. 64 Poophead, person regarded as dull or stupid. |
| 1969 A. Fugard Boesman & Lena i. 26 That tickey deposit heart of his is tight like his poephol and his fist. |
| 1966 ‘L. Lane’ ABZ of Scouse 83 Poop-pusher, a laxative, especially one of satisfactory violence. 1976 in J. Branford Dict. S. Afr. Eng. (1978) 188/1 OK so they give up at last, but..never been so poep-scared in my whole entire life before or since. |
| 1976 Maclean's Mag. 12 Jan. 34/1 A man on a motor-cycle with a pooper-scooper would be dispatched to clean up. 1977 J. Wambaugh Black Marble (1978) viii. 112 Bring your pooper-scoopers, boys. The dogs are covering the red carpet in a sea of shit. 1978 Daily Tel. 24 July 13/6 It may soon be common to see people holding a dog lead in one hand and a ‘poop scoop’ in the other. 1978 Daily Tel. 17 Aug. 3/3 The ‘pooper-scooper’ law in New York requires dog-owners to pick up anything their dogs drop. |
| 1930 ‘Hay’ & Wodehouse Baa, Baa, Black Sheep ii. 55, I believe she really does care for that poop-stick... Fancy loving a man called Osbert Bassington-Bassington! 1932 P. MacDonald Rope to Spare viii. 100 ‘You make me sick!’ he said. ‘Let a little poop-stick like that walk all over you!’ |
▪ III. † poop, n.3 Obs.
In 6 pope, 7 poope.
[Origin unascertained.]
Some part of the furniture of a church bell: ‘perh. the {oqq}stay{cqq} by which the swing of a bell is regulated, moving against the {oqq}slider{cqq}’ (Gloss. to work cited for quot. 1625).
| 1507–8 Rec. St. Mary at Hill 264 Item, payd for v bell popys for the bell Ropys xv d. 1625 Churchw. Acc. St. Mary, Reading (1893) 137 Paid for a board for the treble poope to save it 11 d. 1631 Ibid. 147 Paid to willis for poopes and strapes for the bell this yeire, 9s. 9d. |
▪ IV. poop, n.4 colloq.
(puːp)
[Perh. abbrev. of nincompoop.]
A stupid or ineffectual person; a fool, a bore.
| 1915 V. Woolf Voyage Out iii. 51 They talk about art, and think us such poops for dressing in the evening. 1924 ‘Sapper’ Third Round vii. 189 The genuine Professor Scheidstrun appeared to be a harmless old poop, who was more sinned against than sinning. 1936 C. S. Forester General xv. 155 Every little poop of a temporary major-general. 1942 Wodehouse Money in Bank (1946) xx. 169 For God's sake, don't put your trust in that poop. 1952 S. Kauffmann Philanderer (1953) iii. 42 Yes, yell for your father. I'd like to get a look at the poop. I'd like to pick you up and throw you at him. 1966 H. Marriott Cariboo Cowboy ix. 86 It seemed to me that a real snotty-nosed poop like him was a poor character to have in that sort of job. 1971 R. Dentry Encounter at Kharmel xii. 211 Those stupid bloody Yankee poops blew the panic whistle and the whole shebang went sky-high. 1972 D. Delman Sudden Death iv. 95 ‘Honey, I do declare you've turned into nothing but an old poop,’ she said. |
▪ V. poop, n.5 slang (orig. and chiefly U.S.).
(puːp)
[Origin obscure.]
Up-to-date or ‘inside’ information, ‘low-down’. Freq. attrib. in poop-sheet, a written notice, bulletin, or report.
| 1941 Amer. Speech XVI. 167/2 Poop sheet, drill schedule or any written announcement. 1947 Ibid. XXII. 216 The word poop, which indicated the latest information, whether official or unofficial, was also incorporated into poop sheet, denoting the latest bulletin or directive. 1950 ‘D. Divine’ King of Fassarai ii. 14 Have you picked up any poop about where the ship's going..? Ibid. xxiv. 205 ‘Have you seen the poop sheet anywhere?..’ ‘Aw, hell... There ain't any news anyway.’ 1961 B. Malamud New Life (1962) 300, I sent out a poop sheet this afternoon..with the names of the nominees. 1963 H. Slesar Bridge of Lions (1964) v. 84 I've asked Sandy to send me a poop sheet on him, but may be you can add something. 1973 R. Hayes Hungarian Game xxi. 130 How did you get the poop on Kovács? 1974 ‘M. Allen’ Super Tour vii. 264 He sends in a report—straight facts, no frills, and a minimum use of adjectives. What he says is included in the mimeographed poop sheet the organization sends out every month. 1976 Sounds 11 Dec. 33 (heading) Hot poop on old punks. |
▪ VI. poop, v.1
(puːp)
Forms: 5 poupe, powpe, pope, 6– poop, (9 dial. pup).
[ME. poupen, of echoic origin: cf. MLG., LG. pūpen, MDu., Du. poepen.]
1. † a. intr. To make an abrupt sound as by blowing a horn; to blow, toot; to gulp in drinking.
| c 1386 Chaucer Nun's Pr. T. 579 Of bras they broghten bemes and of box Of horn of boon in whiche they blewe and powped [v.rr. poupid, pouped, poped]. c 1386 ― Manciple's Prol. 90 And whan he hadde pouped in this horn To the Manciple he took the gourde agayn. 1593 R. Barnes Parthenophil & P. Ode xi. in Arb. Garner V. 457 The Shepherds poopen in their pipe. |
b. (See quots.) dial. and vulgar.
| 1721–36 Bailey, To Poop, to break Wind backwards softly. 1903 Eng. Dial. Dict., Poop, v., Cacare, used of and by children. 1937 Partridge Dict. Slang 648/2 Poop,..to defecate..mostly of and by children. 1972 L. Hancock There's a Seal in my Sleeping Bag vii. 165 The joys of motherhood were considerably lessened when a baby murre pooped with regularity between my shirt and bare warm skin. 1974 Cape Times 1 Aug. 11/5 Five-year-old eyes grow round with wonder at the memory of the elephant ‘pooping’ on the carpet. |
2. a. trans. To fire (a bullet, shell, or other missile); to discharge (a gun); to shoot (a person or animal). Freq. with off. Also transf. and fig.
| 1917 W. Owen Let. 6 Dec. (1967) 514, I shall continue to poop off heavy stuff at you, till you get my range at Scarborough, and so silence me. 1929 [see heat n. 12 b] 1937 P. B. Hawk Off Racket ii. 99 At any rate he pooped the ball into the [tennis] net. 1940 Manch. Guardian Weekly 5 Apr. 277 An old wildfowler..earns a precarious living by stealing down the estuaries with a home-made blunderbuss or duck-gun and pooping it off at..sea-fowl. 1940 ‘N. Shute’ Landfall 142 ‘Can't we fly it over a known ship and poop it off?’ he said. ‘Poop off half a dozen of them.’ 1960 Guardian 9 Nov. 7/7 The emergency code word has just been flashed through... Is it all right by London if they poop off their Polarises? 1974 A. Price Other Paths to Glory ii. vi. 187 There was this Jerry prisoner..and this Aussie comes up..and he poops him... Kills him—shoots him. |
b. intr. Of a person: to fire a gun, to shoot; also in weakened sense: to go. Of a gun or similar device: to go off, to fire. Usu. with adv., as away, off, etc.
| 1919 Chambers's Jrnl. Jan. 43/1 As soon as the artillery opens up, poop off for all you're worth. Let 'em have a hurricane. 1928 Blunden Undertones of War ii. 22 A field battery glaring brutally out would ‘poop off’. 1930 R. Pertwee Pursuit 59, I arrived about eight last night and the guns were pooping away like mad. 1931 N. Coward Post Mortem i. 13 If it only stays quiet the way it has the last three nights, and that machine-gun from the sunken road doesn't start pooping at us—we'll get through it in a few hours. 1942 T. Rattigan Flare Path i. 112 What in hell was the idea of pooping off the Station like that? They told you this morning something still might come through. 1945 Tee Emm (Air Ministry) V. 40 It will not..poop off automatically. 1956 ‘Taffrail’ Arctic Convoy xxiii. 237 See to it you don't open up on anything unless you've a damn good chance of hitting. No wild pooping off at targets out of range—understand? 1961 Encounter June 21/1 Take getting up in the morning. ‘I arise,’ he says..‘and poop along..to the end of the passage..to get in the milk and the papers.’ |
▪ VII. † poop, v.2 Obs.
Forms: 6 powp(e, 6–7 poup(e, poop(e.
[Of obscure derivation: cf. Du. poep a clown (Franck).]
trans. To deceive, cheat, cozen, befool.
| 1575 Gamm. Gurton ii. i, But there ich was powpte indeede. 1596 Nashe Saffron Walden 134 Wee shall..trumpe and poope him well enough if..he will needes fall a comedizing it. 1608 Shakes. Per. iv. ii. 25, I, shee quickly poupt him, she made him roast-meate for wormes. a 1650 May Satyr. Puppy (1657) 26 My two Gallants, (being poopt of what they enjoyed meerly to feel misery in the losse). 1663 Dryden Wild Gallant iv. ii, Hee's poopt too. |
▪ VIII. poop, v.3 Naut.
(puːp)
[f. poop n.1]
a. trans. Of a wave: To break over the stern of (a vessel). Also transf.
| 1748 Anson's Voy. iii. ii. 319 A large tumbling swell threatened to poop us. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1789) Ll j b, The principal hazards incident to scudding are generally, a pooping sea; the difficulty of steering. 1836 Marryat Midsh. Easy xxvi, The frigate was pooped by a tremendous sea, which washed all those who did not hold on down into the waist. 1916 ‘Taffrail’ Pincher Martin xi. 210 There is a grave risk of the craft being pooped by a heavy sea. 1955 Times 3 May 5/2 The worst seas they encountered in the whole great voyage, however, were between the Start and Portland Bill. They were pooped. 1972 Daily Tel. 22 Jan. 11/4 Returning home via a less dizzy gradient (it is only 1-in-4), we [sc. the writer and his dog] faced the same sort of spate that had tried to poop us while we were descending. |
b. transf. Of a ship: To receive (a wave) over the stern; to ship (a sea) on the poop.
| 1894 Westm. Gaz. 7 Dec. 5/1 An enormous wave was pooped which demolished the hatchways and flooded the hold with several feet of water. 1898 F. T. Bullen Cruise Cachalot xxviii, The supreme test..is the length of time she will scud before a gale without ‘pooping’ a sea. |
▪ IX. poop, v.4 colloq. (orig. U.S.).
(puːp)
[Origin unknown.]
a. intr. To break down, ‘conk’ out. b. trans. To tire, to exhaust. So pooped ppl. a., exhausted, worn out. Freq. with adv., esp. out.
| 1931 Technol. Rev. Nov. 65/2 If his engine poops or konks, he will be forced down. 1932 Amer. Speech VII. 335 Pooped; all pooped, tired out; exhausted. 1934 J. T. Farrell Young Manhood xii. 187 He was tired and pooped. Ibid. xxii. 377 Studs took a large rocker, and carried it slowly downstairs... When he set it down in the alley, he was breathless, and all pooped out. 1938 ‘E. Queen’ Four of Hearts (1939) iv. 57 He ain't had a drink in five days. That would poop up any guy. 1944 E. B. White Let. 15 May (1976) 253 This would be a very bad time to pull our exhaustion on our readers, a lot of whom are pretty well pooped out themselves for one reason or another. 1949 R. Chandler Little Sister xxx. 222 ‘Tired?’ he asked. ‘Pooped.’ 1955 M. Dickens Winds of Heaven iv. 93 He'd better be..or he'll find his mother-in-law in the hospital with him. You've really pooped yourself, mother. 1957 D. Karp Leave me Alone xviii. 274, I don't think he understood me. The poor old guy is pooped out. 1959 N. Mailer Advts. for Myself (1961) 45 He remembered the old man sitting on the porch..all pooped out after work. 1960 Sunday Express 24 July 4/2 Bringing up eight kids..really has me pooped. 1966 New Scientist 22 Sept. 658/1 Lt Cdr Richard Gordon's space walk was cut short because..‘he was blinded by sweat and felt pooped’. 1967 Time 2 June 33 Paley Park offers pooped passers-by a respite at little white tables and chairs in a setting of geraniums, honey locust trees, and a 20-ft. waterfall. 1971 B. Malamud Tenants 7 If it [sc. the heating system] pooped out, and it pooped often—the furnace had celebrated its fiftieth birthday—you called the complaint number of Rent and Housing Maintenance. Ibid. 183 His electric heater has pooped out and is being repaired. 1977 Time 18 Apr. 64/3 Pheidippides..was so pooped by his performance that he staggered into Athens. |