Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (UK society) a high stiff collar, which resembles a medical poultice.

1840		Flash Mirror 18: He has got such a slap up assortment of dickies, donky’s ears, frills, fogles, wipes, neck quids, warm poultices for the winter [etc].
1909		(ref. to 1882) in J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

2. (UK society) a fat woman.

1909

(ref. to 1880) J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.

3. a Bohemian.

1898

Binstead & Wells A Pink ’Un and a Pelican 182: I was myself regarded as something of a social poultice, which only meant that I had a great disinclination to regular hours and routine drudgery and had developed several traits of character which now go to constitute what is called a ‘Bohemian’.

4. (Aus.) a large sum of money; a bribe.

1902		Sporting News (Launceston, Tasmania) 22 Nov. 3/1: The connections of the stable which shelters the son of Tostig followed the nag, and put a good ‘poultice’ on him [OED].
1906		Sun. Times (Perth) 30 Sept. 4/8: ’Er Nabobness in Vic. / Drors a poultice every day / Only fancy livin’ near / Sixty Thousand Quid a Year!
1932		Truth (Sydney) 7 Feb. 5/3: [He] had been told by the popular mentor to open the purse and pop a decent poultice on to Ptolemy [...] those ribbed up should bet like ‘The Watsons’.
1951		(con. 1941) E. Lambert Twenty Thousand Thieves 154: It’s only two days to pay day and I’ve got a poultice in that pay-book of mine.
1957		‘Nino Culotta’ They’re a Weird Mob (1958) 73: ‘Reckon ’e pulled ’im?’ ‘That’s wot I reckon.’ ‘Yer can’t prove ut.’ ‘Somebody slung in a poultice, I bet.’ ‘They’re all crooked.’.
1957		D. Niland Call Me When the Cross Turns Over (1958) 33: I got paid off, and it was a whacking big poultice.
1979		Sun-Herald (Sydney) 24 June 143: A bloke who made a poultice in recent weeks when he sold Rupert a quarter of a million Channel Ten shares [OED].
1986		R. Beckett Dinkum Aussie Dict. 41: Poultice: If one ‘puts a poultice’ on something one has invested a serious amount of money (usually on a horse).
1996		J. Byrell Lairs, Urgers & Coat-Tuggers 21: And they collect a poultice on the winner, which was Skerry at a succulent 30-1.
2007		S. Maloney Sucked In 155: Save the taxpayer the expense of further buggering around. Those forensic tests cost a poultice.

5. (Ulster) an unpleasantly persistent person.

1977

(con. 1930s) S. McAughtry Sinking of the Kenbane Head 38: She was brisk and matter-of-fact and she wasn’t a poultice, like the other girls in our street.

6. (UK Und.) a heavy blow.

1906

E. Pugh Spoilers 227: I’ve ’urt my arm, lucky for you [...] or I’d put such a poultice on you, you’d think it was your birthday.

7. (US Und.) a story designed to deceive.

1929

Hostetter & Beesley It’s a Racket! 234: poultice—Story devised to allay a victim’s suspicions, or keep him from becoming suspicious.

8. (US tramp) a dish of bread and gravy.

1927		‘Jargon of the Und.’ in DN V 459: Poultice route, A railway which passes through Mormon territory. A poultice is a slice of bread covered with gravy or preserves.
1931		Irwin Amer. Tramp and Und. Sl. 150: Poultice.–A dish of bread and gravy. [...] Poultice Route.–Any rail line through Utah, where the inhabitants are generally hospitable, and where bread and gravy is always to be had even though, on account of poverty, meat may be scarce.
1962		Ragen & Finston World’s Toughest Prison 813: poultice – A dish of bread and gravy.

9. (US prison) a sandwich spread with butter and jam or any other two ingredients.

1931–4

D. Clemmer Prison Community (1940) 334/2: poultice, n. A bread spread with butter and jam or any two types of spread.

10. a mortgage.

1932		K.S. Prichard ‘Dark Horse of Darran’ in Kiss on Lips 184: Mick Mallane [...] sayin’ if the bank wanted his farm, poultice or no poultice, it’d have to go out and take it from him, and he’d be waitin’ for ’m with his gun loaded [OED].
1934		T. Wood Cobbers 134: Men talked about their blister, or poultice, which means a mortgage, with complacency.
1955		N. Pulliam I Travelled a Lonely Land (1957) 237/2: poultice – a debt, especially a mortgage on a house.

11. (US Und.) a money belt.

1949

Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).

12. (Aus.) a large number.

1986

R. Fitzgerald Pushed from the Wings (1989) 70: They say he used to fuck his students. A poultice of students! Lucky bastard.

13. (N.Z.) a very large sandwich with multiple ingredients.

1988		McGill Dict. of Kiwi Sl. 87/2: poultice a large sandwich using everything in the fridge or pantry.
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. [as cit. 1988].