prig

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?”

   “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.”

   “A prig is a fellow who is always making you a present of his opinions.”

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.”

   “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.”

3. (Ireland, UK, archaic)A tinker.

   “These droncken Tynckers, called also Prygges.”

4. (Ireland, UK, archaic)A petty thief or pickpocket.

   “Out upon him! Prig, for my life, prig! He haunts / wakes, fairs, and bear-baitings.”

   “Oh, why didn't he rob some rich old gentleman of all his walables, and go out as a gentleman, and not like a common prig, without no honour nor glory!”

   “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.”

verb

1. (archaic, slang)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.”

   “Higgen hath prig'd the Prancers in his Days”

   “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.”

2. To ride.
3. (obsolete)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.”