to eat one's words
To retract in a humili- ating manner; to unsay what you have said.
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to eat the leek
To be compelled to eat your own words, or retract what you have said. Fluellen (in Henry V) is taunted by Pistol for wearing a leek in his hat. "Hence," says Pistol, "I am qualmish at the smell of leek." Fluellen replies, "I beseech you ... at my desire . . . to eat this leek." The ancient answers, "Not for Cadwallader and all his goats." Then the peppery Welshman beats him, nor desists till Pistol has swallowed the entire abhorrence.
to eat well
To have a good appetite. But "It eats well" means that what is eaten is agreeable or flavorous. To "eat badly" is to eat without appetite or too little.
to edge
To excite, stimulate, or provoke; or as it is vulgarly called, to egg a man on. Fall back, fall edge; i.e. let what will happen. Some derive to egg on, from the Latin word, AGE, AGE.
to edge away
To move away very gradually, as a ship moves from the edge of the shore.
to edge on
See EGG ON. To fall by the edge of the sword. By a cut from the sword; to be slain in battle.
to egg on
To incite, to urge on. Here egg is simply another form of edge — to edge on, i.e. to drive one nearer and nearer to the edge until the plunge is taken.
to elbow one's way in
To push one's way through a crowd; to get a place by hook or crook.
to empty the bag
To tell the whole matter and conceal nothing (Fr. vider le sac, to expose all to view).
to end in smoke
To come to no practical result. The allusion is to kindling, which smokes, but will not light a fire.
To err is human, to forgive divine. (Alexander Pope)
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
to err is human; to forgive, divine
Mistakes are inevitable, but forgiveness is a noble trait.
to face down
To withstand with boldness and effrontery.
to face it out
To persist in an assertion which is not true. To maintain without changing colour or hanging the head.
to face the music
To stand up boldly and meet a crisis without faltering.
to fag
To beat. Fag the bloss; beat the wench; Cant. A fag also means a boy of an inferior form or class, who acts as a servant to one of a superior, who is said to fag him, he is my fag; whence, perhaps, fagged out, for jaded or tired. To stand a good fag; not to be soon tired.
To faH short of
To be deficient of a supply. To fall short of the mark is a figure taken from archery, quoits, etc., where the missile falls to the ground before reaching the mark.
to fall away
To lose flesh; to degenerate; to quit a party, as "his adherents fell away one by one.
to fall between two stools
To fail, through hesitating between two choices. The French say, Etre assis entre deux chaises.
to fall flat
To lie prostrate or procumbent; to fail to interest, as "the last act fell flat.
to fall foul of one
To make an assault on someone; to quarrel with, or run up against someone. A sea term, A rope is said to be/ow/1 when it is entangled ; and one ship falls foul of another when it runs against her and pre- vents her free progress.
to fall from
To violate, as "to fall from his word*'; to tumble or slip off, as "to fall from a horse"; to abandon or go away from, as "to fall from grace," to relapse into sin.
to fall from grace
Apart from a theological implication, this means to relapse from a moral position one has attained.
to fall in
To take one's place with others; to concur with, as "he fell in with my views" — that is, his views or ideas fell into line with my views or ideas. Cp. FALL our.
to fall in with
To meet accidentally; to- co me across. This is a Latin phrase, in aliquant casu Incidere.
to fall into a snare
To stumble accidentally into a snare. This is a Latin phrase, insidias incidere. Similarly, to fall into disgrace is the Latin in offensionem cadere.
to fall out
To quarrel; also, to happen. Cp. FALL IN.
to fall through
To fail of being carried out or accomplished.
to fall to
To begin (eating, fighting, etc.). Come, Sir, fall to, then; you see my little supper is always ready when I come home, and I'll make no stranger of you. — Cotton, in WALTON'S Compleat Angler.
to fall to the ground
To fail from lack of support; to become of no account. "In view of what has happened my proposals fall to the ground," i.e. are rendered useless.
to fall together by the ears
To fight and scratch each other; to contend in strife. See EAR.
to fall under
To incur, as, "to fall under the reproach of carelessness"; to be submitted to, as, "to fall under consideration.
to fall upon
To attack, as "to fall upon the rear'*; to throw oneself on, as, "he fell on his sword," ; to happen on, as, "On what day does Easter fall?
to fall upon one's feet
To find oneself unexpectedly lucky; to find oneself in a situa- tion where everything seems to go right. Evidently from the old theory that a cat always falls on its feet and is able to get away unhurt.
to famgrasp
To shake bands: figuratively, to agree or make up a difference. Famgrasp the cove; shake hands with the fellow. CANT.
to fan
To beat any one. I fanned him sweetly; I beat him heartily.
to father a thing on one
To impute it to him ; to assert that he was the originator of it.
to fcefcp one's fingers crossed
To hope for success, to try to ensure against disaster. From the superstition that making the sign of the cross will avert bad luck.
to feather an oar
To turn the blade parallel with the surface of the water as the hands are moved forward for a fresh stroke. The oar throws off the water in a feathery spray.
to feather one's nest well
To provide for one's own interests; to secure one's own financial well-being.
to feel small
To feel humiliated, "taken down a peg or two.
to fence
To pawn or sell to a receiver of stolen goods. The kiddey fenced his thimble for three quids; the young fellow pawned his watch for three guineas. To fence invariably means to pawn or sell goods to a receiver.
to fib
To beat. Fib the cove's quarron in the rumpad for the lour in his bung; beat the fellow in the highway for the money in his purse. CANT.--A fib is also a tiny lie.
to fiddle
To manipulate accounts, etc., to one's own advantage, or to the advantage of the parties concerned. "He fiddled it,'* might indicate that he covered up a deficiency in the accounts.
to fight a crib
To make a sham fight. BEAR GARDEN TERM.
to fight for one's own hand
To uphold one's own cause, to struggle for one's own interest.
To fight like Kilkenny cats
To fight till both sides have lost their all; to fight with the utmost determination and pertinacity. The story is that during the Irish rebellion of 1798 Kilkenny was garrisoned by a troop of Hessian soldiers, who amused themselves by tying two cats together by their tails and throwing them across a clothes-line to fight.
to fight shy of
To avoid; to resist being brought into contest or conflict.
to fight with gloves on
To spar without showing animosity, like boxers, with boxing gloves. Disputants fight with gloves on so long as they preserve all the outward amenities of debate, and conceal their hostility to each other by courtesy and forbearance.
to filibuster
In U.S.A. politics, to man- oeuvre to frustrate the passing of a bill. It is based on the right of a member of Congress not to be interrupted so long as he holds the floor of the House. The member may recite or talk about any subject under the sun until the time available for passing the bill is exhausted.
to find one's own level
Said of a person who, after making an unsuccessful start, arrives at the position in society, business, etc., for which his gifts or attainments qualify him.
to fire up
To become indignantly angry; to flare up, get unduly and suddenly excited.
to fish for compliments
To try to obtain praise usually by putting leading questions.
to fish in troubled waters
To scramble for personal advantage in times of rebellion, war, etc.; to try to make a calamity a means to personal profit.
to fish the anchor
A nautical term meaning to draw up the flukes to the bulwarks after the anchor has been "catted.
to flag down
To stop someone; from motor racing, in which the stewards wave a flag at the winner or at any driver they require to stop or to warn to proceed with caution.
to floor
To knock down. Floor the pig; knock down the officer.
to flout
To jeer, to ridicule.
to flush game
A gun dog is said to flush game when he disturbs them and they take to the air.
to flux
To cheat, cozen, or over-reach; also to salivate. To flux a wig; to put it up in curl, and bake it.
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