percolate v.
1. (US, also perculate) to stroll, to wander around; thus percolating, walking around looking for sexual conquests [misuse of SE perambulate].
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Bossier Banner (Bellevue, LA) 16 Dec. 1/6: ‘The charge against you is vagrancy.’ [...] ‘Why do I percolate?’ demanded the prisoner at last. ‘I don’t know,’ replied the court [...] ‘You can now percolate out doors’. | |
 | Of Many Moods and Mters 84: ‘Well, you bes’ percolate!’ / ‘All right, goodbye,’ the tramp replies. | |
| Bar-20 xi: Let me see you perculate so lively that yore back’ll look like a ten-cent piece in five seconds. | |
| ‘Story in Harlem Sl.’ in Novels and Stories (1995) 1001: Then he would give the pimp’s sign, and percolate on down the Avenue. | |
| Really the Blues 29: ‘Perculate you filthy bitch,’ some sweet man yelled to his partner. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Argus (Melbourne) 15 Nov. 7/1: I’ll have to polish up the pie-plate and start percolatin’. | |
| Flesh Peddlers (1964) 82: I’ll mull it over. James has hit the oil. Let’s all think [...] Meanwhile let’s percolate for tomorrow’s meeting. | |
| Portable Promised Land (ms.) 49: Negroes percolatin everywhere, shoppin, drivin, sellin ice cream. |
2. (US) uses of SE.
(a) (also perk) to run smoothly, esp. of an engine, by meton. used of a the pilot who is flying without problems.
| [Teddy Darby] ‘Don’t Like the Way You Do’ 🎵 Now see you last night when you got in that Cadillac-8 / You know you done something wouldn’t percolate / Now listen here, baby, don’t like the way you do. | |
| (con. WW1) Great Adventure 43: [I]n anything but the most favorable combination of circumstances, such as a perfectly perking motor (a great rarity) [...] keeping a Blériot under perfect control presented somewhat of a problem [Ibid.] 63: Much to my pleased surprise, I perked along without trouble until I got there. | |
| (con. 1920s) Sometimes I Wonder 154: It [home brew] seems to percolate your insides. | |
| Brother Ray 241: Gin lubricates me. Reefer mellows me. And between the two of them and some strong, black coffee, I perk along just fine. |
(b) (also perk) to penetrate the mind.
| ‘Above the Law’ in Coll. Stories (1994) 30: You’re the prize bonehead. Honey, does that begin to percolate? | |
| Another Mug for the Bier 42: I let these thoughts percolate while I drove through Washington. | |
| About Three Bricks Shy of a Load 17: You don’t have to drink too many shots and beers [...] before you begin to feel the frustrations perking all around you. |
(c) to do something well.
| Hy Lit’s Unbelievable Dict. of Hip Words 30: percolate – [...] doing it extremely well. |
(d) to happen.
| (con. 1920s) Hoods (1953) 92: What’s up? What’s percolating, Max? | |
| Chili 11: Dice game percolatin’ to the left rear, slick talk popping out of everybody’s neck. |