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Posh

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Wetman (talk | contribs) at 11:15, 21 May 2006 (restoring deleted link to false etymology because that's what it is). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
For other uses, see Posh.

Posh is an adjective, with a dictionary meaning of "smart or fashionable[1]", "elegant, stylishly luxurious[2]", "spruced up, smart or polished[3]".

Common usage

In American English, "posh" is usually used to describe luxury objects -- the interior of a Rolls Royce, for example, might be called posh. In British English, the same meaning for objects and styles holds, but people can also be posh (although not "a posh" as in the original usage), by which it is meant that they display both wealth and upper-class tastes. Often there is some implication of ostentation or snobbery in such a description, and it is usually used in a derogatory sense.

An on-going modern redefinition of "posh" was revealed in the television series "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." Part of the wide appeal of the reality series The Osbournes was the contrast between blissfully unchanged and unpretentious rocker Ozzy Osbourne and his posh surroundings.

POSH can also be a four letter acronym, abbreviating "Parent Over Shoulder." However, this is a very rarely used internet slang term.

Etymology

The origin of the word is obscure. The first recorded use of the word was in the British satirical magazine Punch on 25 September 1918, although an earlier possible reference uses the word push [4]. The OED records a definition of the word as a noun from 1890, meaning "a dandy".

A popular but false etymology states the expression originated from the phrase "Port Out, Starboard Home", which, before air-conditioning, were allegedly the most desirable cabin locations on ships travelling to and from British colonies in the Far East because they were shaded from the sun in both directions. However, extensive searching of shipping company records and tickets from that period has failed to reveal any evidence for explicit "Port Out, Starboard Home" reservations. [1][2][4].

This false definition is not helped by a song in the musical version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The song P.O.S.H. including the lyrics:

"Whenever I'm bored I travel abroad but ever so properly,
"Port out, starboard home, posh with a capital P-O-S-H, posh."

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Dictionary.com
  2. ^ a b Compact Oxford English Dictionary
  3. ^ Chambers English Dictionary, Ed 1990
  4. ^ a b Oxford English Dictionary, BBC Wordhunt
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