Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a coarse term of endearment used to a woman.

c.1386		Chaucer Miller’s Tale line 160: She was a prymerole, a piggesnye, For any lord to leggen in his bedde, Or yet for any good yeman to wedde.
a.1400		Chaucer Remedie of Loue (Ency. Dict.) n.p.: Come hither, ye piggesnye, ye little babe [F&H].
c.1495		Skelton Mannerly Margery Mylk and Ale line 16: What, wolde ye frompill me now! Fy, fy! ‘What, and ye shal be my piggesnye?’ Be Crist, ye shall not!
1550		Udall Ralph Roister Doister I iii: Then is’t mine own pigsny, and blessing on my heart!
1562		Jacke Juggler Eii: But goo we in pignesnie that you may suppe.
1578		Lyly Euphues and his England (1916) 101: Neither water thou thy plants, in that thou departest from thy pigsney.
1590		Sidney Arcadia III (1912) 430: Miso, mine own pigsnie, thou shalt heare news o’ Damaetas.
1598		Florio Worlde of Wordes n.p.: Pincia, a favourite, a minion, a sweete hart, a pigsneye, a darling.
1607		G. Wilkins Miseries of an Enforced Marriage Act V: Thou art my sweet rogue, my lamb, my pigsny.
1611		Middleton & Dekker Roaring Girle II ii: Ay, to Hogsdon, pigsnie.
1621		R. Burton Anatomy of Melancholy (1850) 509: Pleasant names may be invented; bird, mouse, lamb, puss, pigeon, pigsney, kid, honey, love, dove, chicken, &c. he puts on her.
1624		R. Davenport City-Night-Cap (1661) II 13: Oh my sweet birds-nie!
1631		J. Shirley School of Complement II i: Looke you Pages, where our Sweet-hearts and Pigsnies be.
1656		Mennis & Smith et al. Wit and Drollery 5: My pretty duck, my pigsnie.
1664		S. Butler Hudibras Pt II canto 1 line 560: Now in close hugger-mugger pent, [...] With that one, and that other pigsney.
1672		J. Phillips Maronides (1678) VI 28: My pretty Pigsnie Doves, quo he.
1681		Otway Soldier’s Fortune III i: Poor birdsnies! poor lambkin!
1686		Dorset ‘A Faithful Catalogue of our most Eminent Ninnies’ Works of Rochester, Roscommon, Dorset (1720) 38: His ogling Pigsnies dote on Lady Di.
1690		‘Teague’ Teagueland Jests I 120: Farewell Pigshneys.
1699		Farquhar Love and a Bottle I i: The little Pigsnye has Mamma’s Mouth.
1700		in Wit’s Cabinet 90: A Drolling Letter to his Mistress. My pretty little Pigsnye!
1725		New Canting Dict. n.p.: Pigsnie, a word of Love.
1727		Pope ‘Art of Sinking in Poetry’ Misc. II (1751) 127: You may call a young woman sometimes [...] Pigs-pigs-eyes, and sometimes Snotty-nose and Daggel-tail.
1751		W. Kenrick Falstaff’s Wedding (1766) V vii: Where goest thou, my pigsneye?
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: pigsnyes, [...] a vulgar term of endearment to a woman.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.