po·ny

[poh-nee] noun, plural po·nies, verb, po·nied, po·ny·ing.
noun
1.
a small horse of any of several breeds, usually not higher at the shoulder than 14½ hands (58 in./146 cm).
2.
a horse of any small type or breed.
3.
Slang. a literal translation or other text, used illicitly as an aid in schoolwork or while taking a test; crib.
4.
something small of its kind.
5.
a small glass for liquor.
6.
the amount of liquor it will hold, usually one ounce (29.6 ml).
7.
a small beverage bottle, often holding seven ounces (196 grams): We bought a dozen ponies of Mexican beer.
8.
Older Slang. a diminutive chorus girl.
10.
British Slang. the sum of 25 pounds.
verb (used with object)
11.
Slang. to prepare (lessons) by means of a pony.
12.
Racing Slang.
a.
to be the outrider for (a racehorse).
b.
to exercise (a racehorse) by having a rider mounted on another horse lead it at a gallop around a track.
00:10
Pony is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
to spend time idly; loaf.
verb (used without object)
13.
to prepare a lesson or lessons with the aid of a pony.
14.
pony up, Informal. to pay (money), as in settling an account: Next week you'll have to pony up the balance of the loan.

Origin:
1650–60; earlier powney < obsolete French poulenet, diminutive of poulain colt < Medieval Latin pullānus (Latin pull(us) foal + -ānus -an); see -et

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
pony (ˈpəʊnɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl ponies
1.  any of various breeds of small horse, usually under 14.2 hands
2.  a.  a small drinking glass, esp for liqueurs
 b.  the amount held by such a glass
3.  anything small of its kind
4.  slang (Brit) a sum of £25, esp in bookmaking
5.  slang (US) Also called: trot a literal translation used by students, often illicitly, in preparation for foreign language lessons or examinations; crib
 
[C17: from Scottish powney, perhaps from obsolete French poulenet a little colt, from poulain colt, from Latin pullus young animal, foal]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

pony
1659, powny, from Scottish, apparently from Fr. poulenet "little foal" (1444), dim. of O.Fr. poulain "foal," from L.L. pullanus "young of an animal," from L. pullus "young of a horse, fowl, etc." German, sensibly, indicates this animal by attaching a dim. suffix to its word for "horse," which might yield
Mod.Eng. *horslet. Meaning "crib of a text as a cheating aid" (1827) and "small liquor glass" (1849) both are from notion of "smallness" (the former also "something one rides"). As the name of a popular dance, it dates from 1963. Pony Express began 1847. Ponytail, girls' hairstyle, first recorded 1952.

pony
1824, in pony up "to pay," said to be from slang use of L. legem pone to mean "money" (first recorded 16c.), because this was the title of the Psalm for March 25, a Quarter Day and the first payday of the year (the Psalm's first line is Legem pone michi domine viam iustificacionum "Teach me, O Lord,
the ways of thy statutes").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

pony

In addition to the idioms beginning with pony, also see dog-and-pony show.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
Perhaps they could also get taxpayers to buy them a pony.
Pony rides are available on the weekends for an additional fee.
What the world needs now is some time to sit back and make their own pony.
He was twenty-seven years old and rode about town on a grey pony.
Idioms & Phrases
Images for pony
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