pokey

American  

[poh-kee] / ˈpoʊ ki /

noun

Slang.

plural

pokeys

1. Usually the pokey a jail.

   They put him in the pokey for carrying a concealed weapon.

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Usage

What does pokey mean? Pokey is a slang term for jail. It’s typically used with the article the, as in Sal got arrested and spent a night in the pokey. Pokey can also be used to describe someone or something that moves slowly. This sense of word is intended to be negative or insulting. Less commonly, it can be used as an adjective meaning small and cramped, as in There’s no way we can have a party in this pokey little apartment. Pokey can also be spelled poky. Example: If it were up to me, all these pokey drivers would spend a night in the pokey—the pokier the cell the better.

Etymology

Origin of pokey

First recorded in 1915–20; origin uncertain; possibly a variant of pogey ( def. )

Example Sentences

Family and adult-only fun include roller disco night and open skate hours with the hokey pokey, limbo and partner skate events.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 12, 2023

While Proud Boys yelled and shoved outside the entrance, the children inside Loyalty Bookstores laughed, did the hokey pokey and danced as drag queen Charlemagne Chateau, dressed as a princess, read stories, they said.

From Washington Post • Feb. 21, 2023

"And so then what? They're going to send us to the pokey?" she questioned.

From Salon • Jun. 24, 2022

After Pickford died, in 1979, it sat unsold, too small and pokey for modern celebrities.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2022

Then Vonetta and Fern started dancing and singing: “You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around. That’s what it’s all about.”

From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia