Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a woman.

c.1597		Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor IV ii: Out of my door, you witch, you rag, you baggage, you polecat, you ronyon! out! out!
1607		Dekker & Webster Northward Hoe I i: Your captaines were wont to take their leaues of their London Polecats, (their wenches I mean Sir) at Dunstable.
1616		W. Haughton English-Men For My Money I 2: Heere’s an old Ferret Pol-cat.
1630		J. Taylor ‘Superbiae Flagellum’ in Works (1869) I 34: Good bread, and oatmeale hath bin spilt like trash, / My Lady Polecats dainty hands to wash.
1640		Fletcher Night-Walker Act V: Farewell Tom, commend me to thy Polcat.
1654		Citie Matrons 2: There were seen this Week three Matron Polecats at the Committee for the Election of a Matron Governess of Bridewell.
1797		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘Ode To the Livery of London’ Works (1801) V 44: No, they are not polecats, pretty creatures!
1857		Paul Pry (London 15 Aug. n.p.: THE BRISTOL POLE-CAT. [...] You will see the ugly, beast; you cannot mistake her. [...] Age 28 to 30, exceedingly dirty-looking, about 3ft. 6in. in height and has been on the shelf some time. Persons seeing the animal are requested not to touch her, for she is a Methodist, and consequently very vicious.

2. a lecherous man.

1608

Middleton Mad World II i: Most welcome, good Sir Andrew Polecat.

3. an untrustworthy, violent, dangerous man.

1813		Holloway (printer) Vere Street Coterie 63: It is equally unfortunate for the poor woman, that this Parochial Pole-cat lives in the neighourhood of the Fleet-prison, and is continually insulting her.
1841		J. Mills Old Eng. Gentleman (1847) 156: That polecat, Fiddylee, I saw to-day [...] the weasel couldn’t look me in the face.
1855		W.G. Simms Forayers 173: Wha’ you tink, tis him let dat d---d polecat, Debbil Dick, out ob de hitch I mek.
1887		H. Caine Deemster II 143: I’ll go bail the ould polecat’s got summat to answer for.
1902		O. Wister Virginian 111: Stand on your laigs, you polecat, and say you’re a liar!
1911		C.E. Mulford Bar-20 Days 29: Throw up yore hands, you pole-cat!
1924		C.E. Mulford Hopalong Cassidy Returns 200: We ain’t leavin’ nothin’ behind for these polecats to grab.
1933		(con. 1900s) C. McKay Banana Bottom 262: But this is a different black girl, you disgusting polecat.
1949		R. Park Poor Man’s Orange 37: You muzzn’t ever talk to strange men. Plenty of polecats about.
1955		R. Bissell High Water 91: That will teach you some manners, maybe, you Chicago polecat.
1969		B. Jackson Thief’s Primer 147: I know that this person is a good person and not a polecat.
1986		P. Slabolepszy ‘Boo to the Moon’ in Mooi Street (1994) 134: We dirt. We scumbags. We the polecats a’ the fucken world.

4. (US black) a dirty, untrustworthy woman.

1983

R. Klein Jailhouse Jargon and Street Sl. [unpub. ms.].