pokerish

English

Etymology

poker +‎ -ish. See poker (“evil spirit”).

Adjective

pokerish (comparative more pokerish, superlative most pokerish)

1. (US, archaic, colloquial) unsafe, dangerous
   • 1860, William Taylor Adams, Little By Little‎^[1]:

     John even went so far as to admit that it "looked kind of pokerish," and he was glad they were in so comfortable a place.

2. (archaic, colloquial) nervous, uneasy
   • 1894, Edward S. Ellis, Brave Tom‎^[2]:

     I wish Uncle Jed hadn't said what he did," he mused, when fairly beyond the town, "it makes me feel kind of pokerish; why didn't I think to bring my gun along?

3. Stiff, like a poker.