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Wednesday September 08, 2010

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pule [PYOOL]

intransitive verb

1. To whimper; to whine.

• I see the paragon of pule, Clarence Thomas, has delivered a long and self pitying whine about the disrespectful treatment inflicted on him by his colleagues. Justice Thomas says his colleagues appear to not be able to read. More likely the problem is they read all to well, and know the author.
  "Mailbag sampler", Las Vegas Review - Journal, Aug 9, 1998
• It was probably my imagination, but I think I recognised a pathetic pule from a pile of plastic that had determined the date and realised that it was about to come in for some heavy abuse.
  Paul McElroy, "Visions of debtors' gaol dance in his head", The Vancouver Sun, Dec 7, 1991
• The great men of this world never did; it's only the little people and the young who pule and whine about human life.
  Ernest William Hornung (1866 - 1921) An English author. The Camera Fiend (1911)

Origin of the Word

Pule, approximately 1530, from French piauler "to cheep, chirp."