Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK Und.) porridge.

c.1566		Harman Caveat for Common Cursetours in Viles & Furnivall (1907) 83: poppelars porrage.
1592		Groundworke of Conny-catching A3: She hath a Cackling Chete, a gruntinge chete, ruffe peck, cassan, and popelars of yarum.
1608		Dekker Lanthorne and Candle-Light Ch. 1: If we mawnd Pannam, lap, or Ruff-peck, / Or poplars of yarum; He cuts, bing to the Ruffmans.
1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle V i: A gage of ben rom-bouse [...] Is benar then a caster, / Peck, pennam, lap, or popler.
1641		R. Brome Jovial Crew II i: Here’s Pannam and Lap, and good Poplars of Yarrum, / To fill up the Crib, and to comfort the Quarron.
1665		Head Eng. Rogue I 51: Paplar, Milk-Pottage.
1674		Head Canting Academy (2nd edn) 177: Paplar Milk pottage.
1688		R. Holme Academy of Armory Ch. iii item 68c: Canting Terms used by Beggars, Vagabonds, Cheaters, Cripples and Bedlams. [...] Poplar, Pottage.
c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Paplar, c. Milk-pottage.
1707		Rum-Mort’s Praise of Her Faithless Maunder in Dodsley (1826) 36: Grannam ever fill’d my sack / With lap and poplars held I tack.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1741		Canting Academy, or the Pedlar’s-French Dict. 116: Pottage Poplars.
1754		Scoundrel’s Dict.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Papler, milk pottage. [Ibid.] Poplers, pottage, (cant).
1811		Lex. Balatronicum [as cit. 1785] .
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1835		G. Kent Modern Flash Dict. 25: Poplers – mess of pottage.
1848		Flash Dict. in Sinks of London Laid Open [as cit. 1835].