prig

Etymology

UK 16th century. Of unknown origin. Earlier noun senses ("tinker" and "thief"), as hyponyms of "undesirable person", may have informed later senses ("conceited person").

noun

1. A deliberately superior person; a person who demonstrates an exaggerated conformity or propriety, especially in an irritatingly arrogant or smug manner.
   What spruce prig is that? 1676, George Etherege, The Man of Mode, act 3, scene 3
   I have always had a regard for dunces; — those of my own school-days were amongst the pleasantest of the fellows, and have turned out by no means the dullest in life; whereas many a youth who could turn off Latin hexameters by the yard, and construe Greek quite glibly, is no better than a feeble prig now, with not a pennyworth more brains than were in his head before his beard grew. 1849, William Makepeace Thackeray, “A Hopeless Case”, in Doctor Birch
2. (archaic) A conceited dandy; a fop.
   A rap now at the door made all resound, / And in two bouncing blowings did rebound, / With two flash-men, a dandy, and a prig', / With whom they had been running of the rig. 1822, Thomas Dolby, Benchiana, page 67
   The manner of the scholar had nearly disappeared; still more the manner of the drawing-room young man. A prig would have said that he had lost his culture, and a prude that he had become coarse. 1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, page 140
3. (Britain, archaic, thieves' cant) A tinker.
   These droncken Tynckers, called also Prygges. 1566, Thomas Harman, A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursitors
4. (Britain, archaic, thieves' cant) A petty thief or pickpocket.
   But a policeman captur'd the naughty boy, / And gave the goose to Smiggs, / And said he was greatly bother'd / By a set of juvenile prigs. a. 1890, William McGonagall, The Christmas Goose

verb

1. (slang, dated) To filch or steal.
   to prig a handkerchief
   Now, this Trailer he bestrides the horse which he priggeth, and saddles and bridles him as orderly as if he were his own, and then carieth him far from the place of his breed, and ther sels him. 1591, Robert Greene, The Second and Last Part of Conny-catching
   Higgen hath prig'd the Prancers in his Days 1622, John Fletcher, Beggars' Bush, published 1706, Scene 2, page 71
   If she'd ha' taken herself off and stopped at that I dunno as I should have any occasion to grumble; but she prigged the furniture that I'd laid in agin getting married. 1890, William Clark Russell, An Ocean Tragedy, volume 1, page 204
2. To ride.
3. To copulate.
   Wapping thou I know does love, / Else the ruffin cly the mort; / From thy stampers then remove, / Thy drawers, and let's prig in sport. 1707, “The Maunder's Praise of his Strowling Mort”, in Farmer, John Stephen, editor, Musa Pedestris, published 1896, page 34