Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US tramp) a professional, fulltime vagrant; thus the world of tramping.

[1878		Besant & Rice By Celia’s Arbour III 185: Pro-fesh burglar. Cracker of cribs. That’s what I am].
1896		Pop. Science Dec. 253: Josiah Flynt, in his articles on tramps, has taken only the elite of the ‘profesh’.
1897		J. London ‘The Road’ in Hendricks & Shepherd Jack London Reports (1970) 311–21: The Simon-pure tramp, hence professional, calls himself ‘The Profesh.’.
1905		Sun. Times (Perth) 8 July 5/2: Baker is alleged to be the best amateur stousher in the profesh.
1907		J. London Road 114: He was a true ‘profesh,’ a ‘blowed-in-the-glass’ stiff.
1916		‘A-No. 1’ Snare of the Road 12: One of the profesh? A reglar blown-in-the-glass stiff?
1927		‘Jargon of the Und.’ in DN V 459: Profesh, The professional tramp of the highest grade.

2. a profession, esp. the criminal or theatrical profession.

1879		Cincinnati Enquirer 7 Sept. 10/7: Slush and German Decoction—Greet the ears of our Teutonic saloon-keepers when any of the ‘profesh’ [i.e. actors] call for beer.
1888		L.A. Dly Herald 15 Nov. 5/3: Small boy (at theater door)- ‘Do ye admit de profesh to dis show fer nothin?’ Door keeper- ‘What profesh, Johnny?’ Small boy- ‘Why, de teatrical profesh of course’.
1889		Music Hall & Theatre Rev 16 Feb. 11/1: Can you tell us anything about the [...] cornstalkers’retreat [and] the profesh in Melbourne and Sydney?
1896		Herald (Los Angeles) 15 Mar. 18/6: In this era in pugdom [...] the putting up of props is now considered proper by the ‘profesh’.
1905		Bulletin (Sydney) 10 Aug. 22/4: The profesh in Australia’s going to the deuce, dear boy. I’m off to London.
1905		Seattle Repub. (WA) 11 Aug. 37/1: That might look too much like wanting to make an honest living, and it would never do for such an impression to get out among the perfesh.
1912		E. Pugh City Of The World 262: But that ain’t what you might call his regular profesh.
1916		O.O. McIntyre N.Y. Day by Day 1 Nov. [synd. col.] They will be taught how to horn in [...] and other little knick knacks of the profesh.
1925		D. Hammett ‘Corkscrew’ Story Omnibus (1966) 221: I never could learn to take ’em down there. That’s what beat me in the profesh.
1940		L. Pound ‘Guide to Variety’ AS XV:2 205/1: profesh. Profession.
1951		W. Winchell On Broadway 13 May [synd. col.] Mrs Eugene Mayer’s stiff-arm job on professional Allkan Zoll [...] is still the talk of the literary profesh.

3. a professional, e.g. a politician.

1896		Louisiana Populaist (Nachitoches, LA) 28 Feb. 2/2: If white supremacy were really settled the masses would get together on real live issues and the ‘profesh’ in politics would be knocked out.
1903		E.W. Townsend ‘Chimmie fadden’ 12 Nov. [synd. col.] The shuffer wasn’t a profesh but a gent what owned it [i.e. am automobile].