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Citation Information
Hendrickson, Robert. "kitty." Writer's Reference Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 14 July 2025. <http://fofweb.infobase.com/wrc/Detail.aspx?iPin=EWPO06471>.
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kitty

Definition 
Willard Espy offers the following humorous explanation for kitty, the pot to which poker players contribute, in Thou Improper, Thou Uncommon Noun (1978): "[The name] Catherine turned to Kate, and Kate to Kitty. Some Kittys were no better than they should be, and Kitty became one of the many epithets applied to prostitutes. Spirited Johns—not yet lowercased for a prostitute's customer—used to amuse themselves by tossing coins into the laps of Kittys, as poker players today throw their antes or bets into a kitty in the hope of getting a winning hand. The sequence cannot be proved—no one will talk—but it seems plausible." See john; no better than she should be.

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