Green’s Dictionary of Slang

pong n.1

[ety. unknown; ? ext. of SE pong, the sound of a blow, or negative stereotyping of pong n.2 (1), i.e. a Chinese person; usu. reserved for use in mass-market children’s comics or by society speakers who retain much juv. vocabulary from school]

a smell.

Show quotations
[UK]Marvel 21 Dec. 15: The pong of fride addocks.
[Aus]Bulletin (Sydney) 17 Oct. 11/3: [T]he menagerie odors are still clinging and bold. That is to say, the ‘pong’ of the tiger and the ‘hum’ of the bear remain the audience’s inseparable companions as heretofore.
[Aus]C.J. Dennis ‘’Ave a ’Eart!’ Rose of Spadgers 78: Through one last orful pong, then up a stair / Into clean air.
[UK]M. Marples Public School Slang 160: SMELL. Some forceful synonym is generally preferred to the simple word — e.g. hum, niff (adj. niffy), pong, stink, whiff [ad], whiffy).
[UK]J. Braine Room at the Top (1959) 40: Lord, what a pong.
[NZ]R. Helmer Stag Party 57: When it warms up the pong is terrific.
[[UK]A. Burgess Enderby Outside in Complete Enderby (2002) 306: Now, the pongalorum of a dunny is that bad that you'd lay out a yard in full view if you drew it in in the way of normality].
[UK]A. Burgess 1985 (1980) 154: Take your non-unionized pong away.
[UK]Beano Comic Library No. 79 14: Phew! What a pong!
[Ire]R. Doyle Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha 114: Terence Long Terence Long – / Wears no socks – / What a pong.
[Aus](con. 1964-65) B. Thorpe Sex and Thugs and Rock ’n’ Roll 4: A mischievous schoolboy who’s just shit in the teacher’s drawer and [...] waits for the pong to hit.
[UK]N. Griffiths Grits 418: . . . terrible fuckin pong.
[UK]R. Fortey Dry Store Room No. 1 151: It could be argued that alcohol was necessary to help him survive a life in the whale room with its overwhelming pong.
[UK]K. Richards Life 33: London to me when I grew up was horse shit and coal smoke [...] London Pong.
[Aus](con. 1943) G.S. Manson Coorparoo Blues [ebook] There was a slight pong from the chookshit on his trouser leg.
[UK]A. Wheatle Crongton Knights 41: The rank pong of cat piss invaded my nostrils.
[UK]J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 187: An elephant squatted to dump a lavish knoll of droppings [...] Never mind the pong!

In phrases

just the pong

(Aus., mainly Vic.) used pos., just what is wanted.

Show quotations
[Aus]Wkly Times (Melbourne) 2 Oct. 5/3: Alice (that’s our girl) said the ‘sangwidges’ (she’s awful uneducated) was just the pong.
[Aus]Nathalia Herald (Vic.) 1 Apr. 2/6: Mr, Walker [...] was just ‘the pong’ as the clerk of the course.
[Aus]Footscray Chron. (Vic.) 1 Aug. 3/1: [advert] ‘Just the Pong!’ 8 day Nickel American Alarm Clocks, 12/6 with 12 month guarantee.
[Aus]Bendigo Indep. (Vic.) 1 Dec. 5/4: This is an English hospital, but there are a few Australians in it. The nurses here are very nice, so I am set like a jelly. Everything is just the pong, so don't worry about me. I am as right as a bank.
[Aus]Ballarat Star (Vic.) 22 July 10/1: Better our dear own flapper girls / Than the boasted ones, of U.S.A. / For why?—for why?—sure I don't know / [...] / Why are our flappers ‘just the pong?’ / Well—mm!—oh, ask me something easy.
[Aus]Live Wire (Yallourn, Vic.) 3 July 3/2: [advert] Gloves, all sizes, for bike riders, just the pong, for 1/11 pr.