Hello. A couple of tip-of-the-tongue questions for all you wordy boffins (no offence):
*I'm sure I remember seeing a word for when Roman emperors gave a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to gladiators. It may be derived from 'pollex'.
*There's a word for the irritation in your throat that precedes a cough that I can't recall. Might begin with 'p'.

Many thanks if you can answer these.

Ben