pi-jaw en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
- /ˈpaɪdʒɔː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From pi (“pious, sanctimonious”) + jaw.
Meanings
-
(archaic, slang, uncountable) Lecturing or patronizing talk, especially from an adult to a child.
I'll admit for the moment that you aren't giving me pi-jaw.
1924 April, Ford Madox Ford, chapter II, in Some Do Not … […] (Parade’s End; 1), 2nd edition, London: Duckworth and Company […], published June 1924, →OCLC, part 1, page 45:Adrian thought it worth while to try out his new slang. ‘I say, you fellows, here's a rum go. Old Biffo was jolly odd this morning. He gave me a lot of pi-jaw about slacking and then invited me to tea. No rotting! He did really.’
1991, Stephen Fry, chapter III, in The Liar, London: William Heinemann, →ISBN, page 26: