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Originally Posted by hillbilly  Still do not understand the word punter.  |
The usage of the word seems to have been broadened over the years. My earliest recollection is of it being used to describe people who place bets with bookmakers, typically on horse races. It was an acceptable word even used on the BBC weekend horse racing programmes.
Later, I was aware of it being used in a slightly derogatory way to describe the customers of prostitutes. In a sense, they were gambling that they would get value for money and not something that needed medical attention.
Later still, I heard it used to describe customers of a large business. They were perceived as people who bought, in that example, a service contract, hoping to get something in return for there outlay. The provider, of course, would be looking for a different result, as would the bookmaker and pimp.
So, I guess a punter is someone who pays for something to a business or individual hoping to get value for his money.
There is another use. On the River Cam in Cambridge, England, there is a kind of boat that look a bit like a flattened canoe. It's propelled by a guy in a straw hat using a long pole. His passengers pay for this experience and often take a picnic and champagne and get lashed. Some go so far as to dress in Edwardian costumes. The boat is a punt and the guy with the pole is punting. The scene is so bizarre that a local poet penned a piece entitled, 'Watching the Stunts of the ****s in the Punts'.
I hope that helps.
