subs. (common).—Food.—B. E. (c. 1696); DYCHE (1748) ‘a cant word for provisions, goods, or money laid up in store’; JOHNSON (1755) ‘a low word’; GROSE (1785). Also as verb. = to beg; PROG-BASKET = a beggar’s wallet; PROG-SHOP = an eating-house: see GRUB.

1

  1440.  Promptorium Parvulorum, 414. PROKKYN or styfly askyn, procor, procito.

2

  1622.  FLETCHER, The Spanish Curate, iii. 3.

        And that man in the gown, in my opinion,
Looks like a PROGUING knave.

3

  1655.  FULLER, The Church History of Britain, v. 290. The Abbot also every Saturday was to visit their beds, to see if they had not shuffled in some softer matter or purloyned some PROGGE for themselves. Ibid. Pandulf, an Italian and Pope’s legate, a perfect artist in PROGGING for money.

4

  1688.  SHADWELL, The Squire of Alsatia, ii. 1. Cheat. So, here’s the PROG, here’s the dinner coming up.

5

  1730.  SWIFT, Directions to Servants, ii. You can junket together at nights upon your own PROG, when the rest of the house are a-bed.

6

  1795.  R. CUMBERLAND, The Jew, ii. 2. Jabal. I have not had a belly-full since I belong’d to you. You take care there shall be no fire in the kitchen, master provides no PROG upon the shelf, so between you both I have plenty of nothing but cold and hunger.

7

  1818.  T. MOORE, The Fudge Family in Paris [Works (1854), 406].

                        There’s nothing beats feeding;
And this is the place for it, Dicky, you dog,
Of all places on earth—the head-quarters of PROG!

8

  1837.  R. H. BARHAM, The Ingoldsby Legends, ‘Barney Maguire’s Account of the Coronation’ (1862), 191. Och! the Count Von Strogonoff, sure he got PROG enough.

9

  1845.  B. DISRAELI, Sybil; or, The Two Nations, III. vii. Ayn’t you lucky, boys, to have reg’lar work like this, and the best of PROG!

10

  1871.  Morning Advertiser, 11 Sept.

        So we’ll cut down their full rations, and knock off all their grog,
Whilst I feast at home with sleek lord mayors on aldermanic PROG.

11

  1893.  MILLIKEN, ’Arry Ballads, 18, ‘On ’Igh Art.’ See old mivvies with PROG-BASKETS prowling about a South Kensington room. Ibid., 27, ‘’Arry at the Sea-side.’ Lots o’ prime PROG in the bag.

12

  Verb. (printers’).—To prognosticate.

13

  See PROG, subs.

14