Posh

The term posh, used particularly in Britain to describe those with social pretensions. Popular Folk etymology states the expression originated from the phrase "Port Out, Starboard Home", referred to the most desirable cabin location on ships travelling to and from British colonies in the Far East.

However extensive searching of shipping company records and tickets from that period has failed to reveal any evidence for this claim. The fact that this folk etymology is only recorded 17 years after the terms earlist known appearance (in the 25th September 1918 issue of Punch) also lends weight to the theory that this etymology is apocryphal.

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POSH is a song, on this very subject, from the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. In the original film, it was performed by Lionel Jeffries[?].