Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a general term of abuse, lit. ‘syphilitic’.

1522		Skelton Why Come Ye Nat to Courte? line 1170: Men wene that he is pocky.
1560		Becon Early Works Parker Soc. (1843) 216: He is not ashamed to suffer kings and emperors to kiss and lick his pocky feet.
1573		‘Cambridg Libell’ in May & Bryson Verse Libel 341: If pockie Barwell’s tale be trewe, / He hath bayght on gynne.
1595		‘A Libell against some Graye’s Inn gentlemen’ in May & Bryson Verse Libel 284: The gold that he by whores and knaves doth spend, / Will bring his greatnes to a pocky end.
1598		J. Hall Virgidemiarum (1599) Bk IV 54: When ech brasse-basen can professe the trade / Of ridding pockie wretches from their paine.
1602		Dekker Satiromastix V ii: Your face full of pockey-holes and pimples.
1612		N. Field Woman is a Weathercock II i: nin.: O ’tis a pestilence knight, Mistress Lucinda. luc.: Ay, and a pocky.
1628		R. Speed Counter-Rat F2: So fast, that all their gaines boyle out, Deepe-red to dye his pockie snout.
1634		S. Rowley Noble Souldier IV i: You whorson pocky French Spawne of a bursten-bellyed Spyder.
1653		Rabelais Author’s Prologue (trans.) Gargantua and Pantagruel I 1: [To] You thrice precious Pockified blades [...] I dedicate my writings.
1656		‘Basilius Musophilus’ Don Zara Del Fogoy 91: Always drinking, alwayes whoring, you spend your lives with wag-tayl’d Wives [...] Till your proud flesh make ye pocky.
1660		Wandring Whore II 9: I won’t have her clarif’d or pockifi’d, but a pure maid.
1663		Head Hic et Ubique I i: That may be, a Doctors pocky bill, or a pocky Doctors bill.
1668		‘P.R.’ Whores Dialogue 2: It put us into such a Pocky fear, we begun all of us to smell like fish of three days catching.
c.1670		Purgatorium Hibernicum 27: Dou pocky whore.
1671		‘The Wooing Rogue’ in Ebsworth Westminster Drolleries (1875) 17: We then shall want both Shirts and Smocks, To shift each others mangy hide, That is with Itch so pockifi’d.
1672		J. Phillips Maronides (1678) V 107: Then let’s go burn those pocky Vessels.
1672		Wycherley Love in a Wood I i: Oh! if dat be all, I am very pockie.
c.1680		‘The Maiden’s Answer’ in Ebsworth Bagford Ballads (1878) II 536: When wantons play not with their tails, / And Pocky whores shall all be sound.
1685		T. Brown Odes of Horace 27 in Works (1760) IV 17: Some witchcraft I’m sure / Cou’d betray thee to th’ arms of a pockify’d whore.
1690		‘Teague’ Teagueland Jests I 126: Zounds. what a Pocky Dog is this?
1698		‘A Letter from two Gentlemen in the Country’ Poetical Remaines of Rochester, Etherege, and Others 27: Love’s a Leap, / Where he can have it sound and cheap, / But hates to waste his little Riches, / On jilting Sluts, and pocky Bitches.
1701		N. Ward ‘A Walk to Islington’ Writings (1704) 70: Till by an old Pocky Consumption he’s hurl’d / As poorly out, as he came into th’ World.
1710		J. Dunton ‘The He-Strumpets’ Athenianism – Project IV 97: Her Trade’s a sort of Pockey Death.
1728		J. Dalton Narrative of Street-Robberies 48: Together with Mother Bitchington’s crying out, Why you pocky Toad, do you think the Gentleman came here without Breeches?
1733		‘The Lady’s Dressing Room’ Dublin Mag. 15: Statira’s but some pocky Quean.
a.1749		Robertson of Struan ‘To One [...] turned Prostitute’ Poems (1752) 108: Could’st thou believe thy youthful Grace, / Expos’d in every bawdy Place, / To a contagious pocky Race.
a.1760		‘Hurlothrumbo’ Bog-house Misc. v: I have even found some of the Spectator’s Works in a Boghouse, Companion with Pocky-Bill .
1820		Pleasant Hist. of Poor Robin 18: From lowsie queans and pocky whores, Libera nos.
1833		J. Neal Down-Easters I 65: Thats what they call gettin’ the yeller-boys, I spose – I’ve been there, an’ I’ve heern ’em say so many a time; pocky tarnal shame!