• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Phrase “Pony Up” Come From and Why Does it Mean “Show Us Your Money”?

Where Did the Phrase “Pony Up” Come From and Why Does it Mean “Show Us Your Money”?

February 9, 2020 by Karen Hill

Gamblers understand that “pony up” means to put your money into the ante to start a poker game or to make good on your losses.

Pone, pronounced like pony, is from the Latin verb ponere meaning “to seize”.

Its current use came from a legal writ of common law instructing a bailiff to seize a defendant’s goods or obtain security to ensure his appearance at trial.

This writ of pone is more commonly known as bail.

Related Facts

  • Where Did the Term "Lucky Stiff" Come From, What Does the Phrase Mean, and Why Is it an Insult?
  • What Does the Expression "Until the Cows Come Home" Mean and Where Did the Phrase Come From?
  • Where does the phrase "to come to the end of one's rope" come from and What does it mean?
  • What does the phrase "come hell or high water" mean and Where does it come from?
  • When and why did the Phrase "I'll be a Monkey's Uncle" become Popular and what does it mean?
  • Where does the phrase "touch and go" come from and What does touch and go mean?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « What Does the Power of Attorney Mean and Where Did the Term Come From?
Next Post: What Does the Word “Bailiwick” For Private Property Mean and How Did the Term “Bailiff” Originate? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy