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.
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