What it means
A proper British put-down for someone acting too fancy, too precious, or a bit stuck up. It also gets used for a scrounger who's always cadging fags, drinks, cash, or a lift and somehow never putting their hand in their pocket. In poncing about, it means faffing around in a showy or useless way. It's old-school, still understood across Britain, and can carry a nasty edge, sometimes with homophobic undertones, so it's not exactly light banter.
Usage examples
"He rocked up in loafers, moaned about the bus, then tried to ponce a tenner off me. Pack it in, you ponce."
"He's a bit of a ponce about coffee, won't touch anything that isn't poured at exactly the right angle."
"Stop poncing about with the menu and just order the thing you always get."
"Look at him poncing about with that tiny scarf and oat milk flat white. We’re only going to the bookies, mate."
"Don’t be a ponce, chuck in for the taxi instead of magically forgetting your wallet again."
Where it comes from
Ponce came into English through French and Spanish routes, and early on it meant a pimp or someone living off prostitution. In British slang it later drifted into a sneer for a flashy, affected, over-fussy man, then broadened again into someone poncing about or cadging off others without shame.
Other ways to say it
This expression also appears in
