pogey
(Canada, slang, uncountable, often with the) Government financial assistance, particularly employment insurance.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1891 · no dated citations yet19th centurySee decade cohort →
Definitions
#1·Apr 27, 2026
(Canada, slang, uncountable, often with the) Government financial assistance, particularly employment insurance.
: There were no jobs for the unemployed, however. And thus many hundreds of thousands went “on the pogey,” although all available evidence indicates that they loathed doing so. To accept relief was an admission of defeat and failure, a h…
Was this helpful?
Comments
#2·Apr 27, 2026
(chiefly, historical, countable) A poorhouse, workhouse, welfare office, charity hostel, etc.
Origin: 1891, meaning "poorhouse", possibly from British hobo slang. 1954 assistance. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Was this helpful?
Comments
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "pogey".
🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "pogey" (P)
poet laureatePOETS daypo-facedPOFMAPOGPogChamppogey baitpoggerspoggers codedpoggers energypoggers modepoggers szn
Browse all slang words starting with P.