Pock"et (?), n. Any hollow place
suggestive of a pocket in form or use; specif.:
(a) A bin for storing coal, grain, etc.
(b) A socket for receiving the foot of a post,
stake, etc. (c) A bight on a lee
shore.
Pock"et (?), n. [OE. poket, Prov.
F. & OF. poquette, F. pochette, dim. fr. poque,
pouque, F. poche; probably of Teutonic origin. See
Poke a pocket, and cf. Poach to cook eggs, to plunder,
and Pouch.] 1. A bag or pouch; especially;
a small bag inserted in a garment for carrying small articles,
particularly money; hence, figuratively, money; wealth.
2. One of several bags attached to a billiard
table, into which the balls are driven.
3. A large bag or sack used in packing various
articles, as ginger, hops, cowries, etc.
&fist; In the wool or hop trade, the pocket contains half a
sack, or about 168 Ibs.; but it is a variable quantity, the articles
being sold by actual weight.
4. (Arch.) A hole or space covered by a
movable piece of board, as in a floor, boxing, partitions, or the
like.
5. (Mining.) (a) A
cavity in a rock containing a nugget of gold, or other mineral; a
small body of ore contained in such a cavity.
(b) A hole containing water.
6. (Nat.) A strip of canvas, sewn upon
a sail so that a batten or a light spar can placed in the
interspace.
7. (Zoöl.) Same as
Pouch.
&fist; Pocket is often used adjectively, or in the formation
of compound words usually of obvious signification; as, pocket
comb, pocket compass, pocket edition, pocket
handkerchief, pocket money, pocket picking, or
pocket-picking, etc.
Out of pocket. See under Out,
prep. -- Pocket borough,
a borough "owned" by some person. See under Borough.
[Eng.] -- Pocket gopher (Zoöl.), any
one of several species of American rodents of the genera
Geomys, and Thomomys, family Geomydæ. They
have large external cheek pouches, and are fossorial in their habits.
they inhabit North America, from the Mississippi Valley west to the
Pacific. Called also pouched gopher. -- Pocket
mouse (Zoöl.), any species of American mice
of the family Saccomyidæ. They have external cheek
pouches. Some of them are adapted for leaping (genus
Dipadomys), and are called kangaroo mice. They are
native of the Southwestern United States, Mexico, etc. --
Pocket piece, a piece of money kept in the
pocket and not spent. -- Pocket pistol, a
pistol to be carried in the pocket. -- Pocket
sheriff (Eng. Law), a sheriff appointed by the
sole authority of the crown, without a nomination by the judges in the
exchequer. Burrill.
Pock"et (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Pocketed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Pocketing.] 1. To put, or conceal, in the
pocket; as, to pocket the change.
He would pocket the expense of the
license.
Sterne.
2. To take clandestinely or
fraudulently.
He pocketed pay in the names of men who had long
been dead.
Macaulay.
To pocket a ball (Billiards), to drive
a ball into a pocket of the table. -- To pocket an
insult, affront, etc., to receive an
affront without open resentment, or without seeking redress. "I
must pocket up these wrongs." Shak.
Pock"et (?), n. Any hollow place
suggestive of a pocket in form or use; specif.:
(a) A bin for storing coal, grain, etc.
(b) A socket for receiving the foot of a post,
stake, etc. (c) A bight on a lee
shore.
