pea-warmer/pee-warmer

[Cohen, Gerald Leonard]

  I think I see a plausible guess (speculative, but still...). Let's start from "pee-warmer" and consider that one of things it can refer to is a shot of liquor. Also, there are various references available to liquor warming one's insides. So someone being offered a real good shot of liquor on a very cold day could be told by the offerer, "Here, take this, it's a real pee-warmer."  I.e, yes, you're freezing now, but this will warm up your insides straight through to the urinary tract.

   Hence by extension, something really excellent, a humdinger, something very pleasant.

   Below my signoff are two items I found on Google.

Gerald Cohen

The Immaculate Deception
... What is a pee-warmer? a hot plate. a jock strap. something pleasant. a shot of liquor. 9. What does it mean to be racked out? to have large breasts ...
www.deceiveme.com/quiz/vocab/ - 64k - Cached - Similar pages

Re: Re: Montreal Ice Storm "Accident"
... By the way, the snowsuit also kinda keeps the pee warmer longer when you are outside because of the insulating effect of the snowpants. ...
www.wetset.net/watersports-bbs/messages/9491.htm - 5k - Supplemental Result - Cached - Similar pages

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> Date:    Sat, 2 Apr 2005 22:38:19 -0500
> From:    "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
> Subject: Re: pea-warmer / pee-warmer
>
> >"Pea- / pee-warmer" appears to mean "humdinger," if we can believe theroughly half-dozen citations found in print between 1877 and 1901.  Naturally, all are spelled as "pea-," not "pee-."
> >
> >The earliest ex. is as the name of a mine in the Dakota Territory.
> >
> >There are no independent cites known after 1901, except for the one on the Net that claims a "pea-warmer " to be a little brassiere.  Right.
> >
        <snip>