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A prickly tropical shrub (Cæsalpinia, formerly Poinciana, pulcherrima), with bipinnate leaves, and racemes of showy orange-red flowers with long crimson filaments.

That which pricks or pierces; the sharp end of anything, esp. the sharp end of a piercing instrument, as a needle or a pin.

dishonest management to secure the success of political candidates or parties; political trickery. When we say that two men are talking politics, we often mean that they are wrangling about some mere party question. F. W. Robertson.

A mineral usually occurring in fibrous masses, of a brick-red color, being tinged with iron, and consisting chiefly of the sulphates of lime, magnesia, and soda.

dogs having curly hair, and often showing remarkable intelligence in the performance of tricks.

, etc. He that killed my king . . . Popp'd in between the election and my hopes. Shak. A trick of popping up and down every moment. Swift.

a. & n. from Pop. Popping crease. (Cricket) See under Crease.

s cut from poppy petals for the lining of its cells; -- called also upholsterer bee. -- Prickly poppy (Bot.), Argemone Mexicana, a yellow-flowered plant of the Poppy family, but as prickly as a thistle. -- Poppy seed, the seed the opium poppy (P. somniferum). -- Spatling poppy (Bot.), a species of Silene (S. inflata…

the fun of which consists in something done, in distinction from something said; esp., a trick played upon a person.

A gay or sportive action; a ludicrous, merry, or mischievous trick; a caper; a frolic. Spenser. The harpies . . . played their accustomed pranks. Sir W. Raleigh. His pranks have been too broad to bear with. Shak.

To forewarn; to admonish beforehand. [R.] Herrick. To teach, and to premonish. Bk. of Com. Prayer.

Delusion; illusion; trick. [Obs.] The sophisms of infidelity, and the prestiges of imposture. Bp. Warburton.

Practicing tricks; juggling. [Obs.] Cotton Mather.

Mean; despicable; contemptible; -- used ironically; as, a pretty trick; a pretty fellow.

imp. of Prick. Chaucer.

A pointed instrument for pricking or puncturing, as a goad, an awl, a skewer, etc.

beg; to seek food or other supplies by low arts; to seek for advantage by mean shift or tricks. [Low] A perfect artist in progging for money. Fuller. I have been endeavoring to prog for you. Burke.

To prick; to goad. [ Scot. & Local, U. S.].

A sharp-pointed instrument. Prick it on a prong of iron. Sandys.

A chief notary or clerk. " My private prothonotary." Herrick.