"donkey" Definition

  1. “tuppence more and up goes the DONKEY,” a vulgar street phrase for extracting as much money as possible before performing any task. The phrase had its origin with a travelling showman, the finale of whose performance was the hoisting of a DONKEY on a pole or ladder; but this consummation was never arrived at unless the required amount was first paid up, and “tuppence more” was generally the sum demanded.
  2. in printers’ slang, means a compositor. In the days before steam machinery was invented, the men who worked at press—the pressmen—were so dirty and drunken a body that they earned the name of pigs. In revenge, and for no reason that can be discovered, they christened the compositors DONKEYS.

More About donkey

Position in the dictionary: 1035 of 4022 slang words.
Next words in the dictionary: dookin, dose, doss, dossing-ken, dot and go one, double, double cross, double lines, double up, double-shuffle
Previous words in the dictionary: done!, done up, dona and feeles, don pedro, don, dominoes, domino, dominie, dollymop, dolly shop

The Slang Dictionary's Entry for donkey

Read The Slang Dictionary's historical definition of the slang word "donkey" on this page. Also learn other useful information about "donkey", including the position in the dictionary and the next and previous terms to be discovered.