pokey

po·key ¹ also po·ky  (pk)

n. pl. po·keys also po·kies Slang

A jail or prison.

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[Origin unknown.]

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poke·y ²  (pk)

adj. Informal

Variant of poky¹.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	pokey - a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence) gaol, jail, jailhouse, poky, slammer, clink bastille - a jail or prison (especially one that is run in a tyrannical manner) correctional institution - a penal institution maintained by the government holding cell - a jail in a courthouse where accused persons can be confined during a trial hoosegow, hoosgow - slang for a jail house of correction - (formerly) a jail or other place of detention for persons convicted of minor offences lockup - jail in a local police station workhouse - a county jail that holds prisoners for periods up to 18 months
Adj.	1.	pokey - wasting time dilatory, laggard, poky slow - not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time; "a slow walker"; "the slow lane of traffic"; "her steps were slow"; "he was slow in reacting to the news"; "slow but steady growth"
	2.	pokey - small and remote and insignificant; "a jerkwater college"; "passed a series of poky little one-horse towns" jerkwater, one-horse, poky provincial - characteristic of the provinces or their people; "deeply provincial and conformist"; "in that well-educated company I felt uncomfortably provincial"; "narrow provincial attitudes"