flimsy
A bank-note. Bank of Elegance notes are sometimes called soft flimsies. In this particular case two good terms make a bad one, as both "soft" and "flimsies" used separately refer to good notes.
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Where will you be? Anywhere UK & IrelandUnited StatesOnline slangBusiness jargon
Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
flint
An operative who works for a "society" master, i.e., for full wages.
flints
Journeymen taylors, who on a late occasion refused to work for the wages settled by law. Those who submitted, were by the mutineers styled dungs, i.e. dunghills.
flip
Small beer, brandy, and sugar: this mixture, with the addition of a lemon, was by sailors, formerly called Sir Cloudsly, in memory of Sir Cloudsly Shovel, who used frequently to regale himself with it.
flip
Corruption of FILLIP, a light blow. Also a hot drink. See FLANNEL.
flip-flap
A peculiar rollicking dance indulged in by costermongers when merry or excited—better described, perhaps, as the "double-shuffle" danced with an air of extreme abandon. Also, a kind of somersault, in which the performer throws himself over on his hands and feet alternately.
flipper
The hand; "give us your FLIPPER," give me your hand.—Sea. Metaphor taken from the flipper or paddle of a turtle.
floater
A small suet dumpling put into soup.—Whitechapel.
flogger
A whip.—Almost obsolete. FLOGGER is still the term applied to a number of strips of cloth attached to a handle, and used in theatrical painting rooms to beat off the dust of the charcoal used in sketching a scene.
flogging cove
The beadle, or whipper, in Bridewell.
flogging cully
A debilitated lecher, commonly an old one.
flogster
One addicted to flogging. William IV., who was accused of unduly and excessively punishing the sailors whom he commanded when in the navy, was nicknamed in the newspapers "Prince William Henry FLOGSTER."
floor
To knock down.—Pugilistic.
floored
When a picture is hung on the lowest row at the Exhibition of the Royal Academy, it is, in artistic slang, said to be FLOORED, in contradistinction to "skyed," which see.
floorer
A blow sufficiently strong to knock a man down, or bring him to the floor. Often used in reference to sudden and unpleasant news.
flop
To plump; "to go FLOP down," to fall suddenly, with violence and noise.
flounder and dab
(two kinds of flat fish), a cab.
flourish
To take a flourish; to enjoy a woman in a hasty manner, to take a flyer. See FLYER.
flowery
Lodging, or house entertainment; "square the omee for the FLOWERY," pay the master for the lodging.—Lingua Franca.
fluff
Railway ticket clerks’ slang for short change given by them. The profits thus accruing are called "fluffings," and the practice is known as "fluffing."
fluff it
A term of disapprobation, implying "take it away, I don’t want it."
fluke
At billiards, playing for one thing and getting another. Hence, generally what one gets accidentally, as an unexpected advantage, "more by luck than judgment."
flummery
Oatmeal and water boiled to a jelly; also compliments, neither of which are over-nourishing.
flummery
Flattery, gammon, genteel nonsense. In American ships a peculiar kind of light sweet pudding.
flummux
To perplex or hinder.
flummuxed
Done up, sure of a month in quod, or prison. In mendicant freemasonry, the sign chalked by rogues and tramps upon a gate-post or house corner, to express to succeeding vagabonds that it is unsafe for them to call there, is known as ⦿, or FLUMMUXED, which signifies that the only thing they would be likely to get upon applying for relief would be a "month in quod."—See QUOD.
flunkey
A footman or other man-servant.
flunkeyism
Blind worship of rank, birth, or riches, or of all three; toadyism.
flush
The opposite of "hard up," in possession of money, not poverty-stricken.—Shakspeare.
flush in the pocket
Full of money. The cull is flush in the fob. The fellow is full of money.
flute
The recorder of a corporation; a recorder was an antient musical instrument.
flutter
To try hard in defence or pursuit of an object. "I’ll have a FLUTTER for it," means I’ll have a good try for it. Also to toss for anything. Probably from the spinning of the coin.
fly
Knowing. Acquainted with another's meaning or proceeding. The rattling cove is fly; the coachman knows what we are about.
fly
Knowing, wide-awake, fully understanding another’s meaning.
fly slicers
Life-guard men, from their sitting on horseback, under an arch, where they are frequently observed to drive away flies with their swords.
fly the kite
Or RAISE THE WIND, to obtain money on bills, whether good or bad, probably in allusion to tossing paper about as children do kites.
fly-boys
Men employed to clear the printed copies from the Hoe machines, on which daily papers are "worked." So called to distinguish them from the "machine boys," a superior grade of labourers who "lay on" the sheets.
fly-by-night
You old fly-by-night; an ancient term of reproach to an old woman, signifying that she was a witch, and alluding to the nocturnal excursions attributed to witches, who were supposed to fly abroad to their meetings, mounted on brooms.
fly-flapped
Whipt in the stocks, or at the cart's tail.
flyer
To take a flyer; to enjoy a woman with her clothes on, or without going to bed.
flying camps
Beggars plying in a body at funerals.
flying house
A lock in wrestling, by which he who uses it throws his adversary over his head.
flying mare
A throw in wrestling.
flying mess
"to be in FLYING MESS" is a soldier’s phrase for being hungry and having to mess where he can.
flying pasty
Sirreverence wrapped in paper and thrown over a neighbour's wall.
flying porters
Cheats who obtain money by pretending to persons who have been lately robbed, that they may come from a place or party where, and from whom, they may receive information respecting the goods stolen from them, and demand payment as porters.
flying stationer
A paper-worker, hawker of penny ballads; "Printed for the Flying Stationers" is the imprimatur on hundreds of penny histories and sheet songs of the last and present centuries.
flying stationers
Ballad-singers and hawkers of penny histories.
flymy
Knowing, cunning, roguish.—Seven Dials and Low Life.
fob
A cheat, trick, or contrivance, I will not be fobbed off so; I will not be thus deceived with false pretences. The fob is also a small breeches pocket for holding a watch.
fobbed
Old slang for robbed. From FOB, the ancient breeches-pocket for the watch.
fogey
Old Fogey. A nickname for an invalid soldier: derived from the French word fougeux, fierce or fiery.
fogey
Or OLD FOGEY, a dullard, an old-fashioned or singular person. Grose says it is a nickname for an invalid soldier, from the French fougueux, fierce or fiery, but it has lost this signification now.
fogger
Old word for a huckster.
fogle
A silk handkerchief,
fogle
A silk handkerchief,—not a clout, which is of cotton. It has been hinted that this may have come from the German Vogel, a bird, from the bird’s-eye spots on some handkerchiefs, but a more probable derivation is the Italian slang (Fourbesque), FOGLIA, a pocket, or purse; or from the French Argot, FOUILLE, also a pocket.
fogram
An old fogram; a fusty old fellow.
fogus
Tobacco. Tip me a gage of fogus; give me a pipe of tobacco. CANT.
fogus
Tobacco.—Ancient Cant. FOGO, old word for stench.
follow-me-lads
Curls hanging over a lady’s shoulder.