"pussy," adj. = weak; effeminate; cowardly; unmanly; soft or easy enough for women, but unbefitting a man.

[Jim Parish]

Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> 2. I have an incredibly early 1923 ex. from Jean Toomer's novel
> _Cane_, referring to a "pussy Sunday-school masqueradin' under a
> regular name," whose appearance in print at that date seems to be
> explicable only through a presumably naive association with
> "pussycat."  Any other explanations plausible ? In other words, is
> there any reason *not* to consider this as representing current
> usage?

Is it possible that this is a typo (or a scan error, or whatever) for
"prissy"?

Jim Parish