Posh
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɒʃ
Origin
Unknown
Most likely derived from the Romani term 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" became a general term for money.
A period slang dictionary defines "posh" as a term used by thieves for "money : generic, but specifically, a halfpenny or other small coin".
Slang and its Analogues Past and Present, volume 5 (London, 1902), John S. Farmer and W.E. Henley (editors), page 261
An example is given from Page's 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 exits for a slang sense from the 1890s meaning "dandy", which is quite possibly related.
World Wide Words, "Posh", http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pos1.htm
A popular folk etymology holds that the term is an acronym for "port out, starboard home"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22378819
, 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 direct evidence for this claim.
snopes.com, http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/posh.asp
See also the articles mentioned in the References section below for additional discussion.
Full definition of posh
Adjective
posh
- Associated with the upper classes.She talks with a posh accent.
- Stylish, elegant, exclusive (expensive).After the performance they went out to a very posh restaurant.
- Snobbish, materialistic, prejudiced, under the illusion that they are better than everyone else. usually offensive. (especially in Scotland and Northern England)We have a right posh git moving in next door
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