Pony vs Puny - What's the difference?

As nouns the difference between pony and puny

is that pony is any of several small breeds of horse under 14.2 hands while puny is a new pupil at a school etc.; a junior student.

As adjectives the difference between pony and puny

is that pony is of little worth while puny is of inferior size, strength or significance.

As a verb pony

is to lead (a horse) from another horse.

pony

English

(wikipedia pony)

Etymology 1

1659 from (etyl) (cognate to English foal).

Noun

(ponies)

Any of several small breeds of horse under 14.2 hands.

(regional) A small serving of an alcoholic beverage.

* 1969 , Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor , Penguin 2011, p. 193:

Demon popped into his mouth a last morsel of black bread with elastic samlet, gulped down a last pony of vodka and took his place at the table with Marina facing him across its oblong length.

* 2010 , Dick Lynas, Pies Were for Thursdays: Tales from an Ordinary Glasgow East End Childhood , page 283,

I did not even know what a ‘pony'’, a small chaser of beer, was. But of course I could not admit that. So putting on an air of nonchalance, and a deep voice, I strolled into a pub with one of the other equally naive guys and we ordered two ' ponies of beer.

‘McEwans?’ asked the barman.

‘Naw - ponies ’ said I.

(Australia, New South Wales, Victoria) A serving of 140 millilitres of beer.

(UK, slang) Twenty-five pounds sterling.

(US, slang) A translation used as a study aid; loosely, a crib, a cheat-sheet.

(Cockney rhyming slang) (from "pony and trap" ) Crap; rubbish, nonsense.

Synonyms

* (l)

Derived terms

* dog and pony show * play the ponies * polo pony * pony and trap * pony chaise * pony engine * pony express * pony glass * pony keg * pony truck * pony truss * pony up * Shetland pony

Verb

To lead (a horse) from another horse.

Etymology 2

Shortened from (pony and trap), rhyming with (crap)

Adjective

(er)

(Cockney rhyming slang) Of little worth.

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puny

English

Noun

(punies)

(obsolete) A new pupil at a school etc.; a junior student.

(obsolete) A younger person.

*, II.12:

a law that the eldest or first borne child shall succeed and inherit all: where nothing at all is reserved for Punies , but obedience.

(obsolete) A beginner, a novice.

(Fuller)

(archaic) An inferior person; a subordinate.

Adjective

(er)

Of inferior size, strength or significance.

* Shakespeare

A puny subject strikes at thy great glory.

* Keble

Breezes laugh to scorn our puny speed.

Synonyms

* See also