penitentiary, adj. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

penitentiary adj.

SE in slang uses

In compounds

penitentiary agent (n.) [SAmE penitentiary agent; a prison officer who transports prisoners from a local jail to a penitentiary]

(US Und.) a lawyer who seems to be working more for the courts and police than for the defence of their client.

1931–4		D. Clemmer Prison Community (1940) 334/2: penitentiary agent, n. A shyster, or double crossing lawyer.
1962		Ragen & Finston World’s Toughest Prison 812: penitentiary agent – A public defender (A lawyer appointed by the Court).

penitentiary bait (n.)

see jailbait n. (1)

penitentiary dispatcher (n.) [the professional inadequacies of court-appointed lawyers, whose clients often end up in the penitentiary]

(US Und.) a public defender.

1990

S. Morgan Homeboy 141: No wonder they call you guys Penitentiary Dispatchers.

penitentiary highball (n.) [highball n.¹ (1)]

(US prison) home-brewed prison alcohol, based on strained shellac and milk.

1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 155/1: Penitentiary highball. (P) A mixture of strained shellac and milk. [Note: The shellac is run through cheesecloth or through the pithy part of a loaf of bread; the denatured alcohol is thus almost freed of gums and resins. Milk is added as an antidote.].
2001		Reverend Glasseye & His Wooden Legs song title on Black River Falls [album] Penitentiary Highball.

penitentiary punk (n.)

see punk n.¹ (5)

penitentiary shot (n.) (also pen shot) [pen n.² + shot n.¹ (6b)]

(US drugs/prison) an injection achieved by using a rudimentary ‘needle’, in fact a pin and a medicine dropper; the pin is pushed into the vein and the dropper, filled with a solution of heroin and water, pushed over it.

1938		D. Maurer ‘Lang. of the Und. Narcotic Addict’ Pt 2 in Lang. Und. (1981).
1959		J.E. Schmidt Narcotics Lingo and Lore 142: Penitentiary shot [...] Pen shot – The injection of a narcotic [...] using improvised equipment.

penitentiary turn-out (n.)

see jailhouse turnout under jailhouse adj.