fat finger
a typographical error caused by pressing wrong keys
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fat lip
a swollen lip, often from being punched
fat of the land
The best or richest part of something
Fata Morgana
A sort of mirage in which objects are reflected in the sea, and sometimes on a kind of aerial screen high above it, occasionally seen in the neighbourhood of the Straits of Messina, so named from Morgan le Fay (<?.y.) who was fabled by the Norman settlers in England to dwell in Calabria.
father
Or FENCE, a buyer of stolen property.
Father Ignatius
The Rev. Joseph Leycester Lyne (1837-1908), a deacon of the Church of England, who founded a pseudo-Benedictine monastery at Llanthony, N. Wales. He was an eloquent preacher, but his ritualistic practices brought him into conflict with his ecclesiastical superiors. He was never ordained priest in the Anglican Church but secured an irregular ordination through a dissident priest of an •Oriental rite.
Father of Choral Epode
Stesichoros of Sicily (632-552 BC). Eppur si muove! (e poor se mu 6' vi) (Ital., and yet it [i.e. the earth] does move). The phrase said by a fable that dates only from 1757 to have been uttered m an undertone by Galileo immediately after his recantation of belief in the Copermcan theory of the earth, which was made before the Inquisition in 1633. It is certainly apocryphal.
Father of Courtesy
Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick (d. 1439).
Father of English History
The Venerable Bede (q.v.). Father of his Country. Cicero was so entitled by the Roman senate. They offered the same title to Marius, but he refused to accept it.
father of his country
See FATHER. To appeal, or go, to the country. To dissolve Parliament in order to ascertain the wish of the country by a new election of representatives.
father of musicians
Jubal, "the father of all such as handle the harp and organ" (Gen. iv, 21).
Father of Roman satire
Lucilius (175-103 B.C.). Lucilius was the man who, bravely bold, To Roman vices did the mirror hold; Protected humble goodness from reproach, Showed worth on foot, and rascals in a coach. JDRYDEN: Art of Poetry, c, ii.
father of the faithful
Abraham (Rom. iv; Gal. iii, 6-9). Most Faithful King, The. The appellation by which the kings of Portugal used to be ad- dressed by the Vatican. Cp. RELIGIOUS.
Father of Waters
The Irrawaddy, in Burma, and the Mississippi, in North America.
Father Thoughtful
Nicholas Catinat (1637- 1712), a marshal of France; so called by his soldiers for his cautious and thoughtful policy.
Fathers of the Church
All those writers of the first twelve centuries whose works on Christian doctrine are considered of weight and worthy of respect. But the term is more strictly applied to those teachers of the first twelve, and especially of the first six centuries who added notable holiness and complete orthodoxy to their learning.
Fathers of the Desert
The monks and hermits of the Egyptian deserts in the 4th century from whom all Christian monasticism derives. The most famous were St.
faulkner
A tumbler, juggler, or shewer of tricks; perhaps because they lure the people, as a faulconer does his hawks. CANT.
faults are thick where love is thin
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
Faust and Marguerite
A pair of lovers doomed by circumstances
faustian bargain
An agreement that sacrifices long-term benefits for short-term gain
faustian deal
An agreement that sacrifices moral values for personal gain
faustian dilemma
A difficult choice between two undesirable options
faux queen
a drag queen who is a biological female
favorite person
a person one likes or admires more than others
favourite
The horse that has the lowest odds laid against it in the betting list. When the FAVOURITE wins, the public or backers of horses generally are the gainers. When an outsider wins, the ring, that is to say, the persons who make a business of laying against the chances of horses, are the gainers.
fawad
To come.
fawney
A finger ring. Irish, FAINEE, a ring.
fawney bouncing
Selling rings for a pretended wager. This practice is founded upon the old tale of a gentleman laying a wager that if he were to offer "real gold sovereigns" at a penny a-piece at the foot of London Bridge, the English public would be too incredulous to buy. The story states that the gentleman stationed himself with sovereigns on a tea-tray, and sold only two within the hour, thus winning the bet.
fawney rig
A common fraud, thus practised: A fellow drops a brass ring, double gilt, which he picks up before the party meant to be cheated, and to whom he disposes of it for less than its supposed, and ten times more than its real, value. See MONEY DROPPER.
feague
To feague a horse; to put ginger up a horse's fundament, and formerly, as it is said, a live eel, to make him lively and carry his tail well; it is said, a forfeit is incurred by any horse-dealer's servant, who shall shew a horse without first feaguing him. Feague is used, figuratively, for encouraging or spiriting one up.
fear and loathing
Intense dislike and hatred
fear not the loss of the bell more than the loss of the steeple
Do not worry more about a minor loss than a major one
Fear the man of one book. (Strauss 1994, p. 851)
English proverb; full definition pending editorial review.
Feast of Reason
Conversation on and discussion of learned and congenial subjects.
feast or famine
Alternating between excess and scarcity
feather in one's cap
An achievement or accomplishment to be proud of
feather merchant
A civilian.
feather one's nest
To use one's position for personal gain
feather-bed lane
A rough or stony lane.
feathered friend
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
feathered oof-bird
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
featherless biped
Recognized English idiom; full definition pending editorial review.
feathers
Money, wealth; "in full FEATHER," rich. FEATHERS is also a term applied to dress; "in full FEATHER," means very often in full costume. It also means, at times, in high spirits.
feck
To steal.
fed up
Extremely annoyed or frustrated
feddle
Federal.
federal case
A situation that is unnecessarily complicated or exaggerated
fee simple
An estate held by a person in his own right, free from condition or limitation, such as that of inheritance by any particular class of heirs. If restricted by conditions, it is called a "Conditional Fee.
fee simple absolute in possession
Complete and unconditional ownership of land
fee, faw, fum
Nonsensical words, supposed in childish story-books to be spoken by giants. I am not to be frighted by fee, faw, fum; I am not to be scared by nonsense.
fee-fees
Feelings.
feed
A meal, generally a dinner. Originally stable slang, now pretty general.
feed a cold, starve a fever
Eat when having a cold, but fast when having a fever to aid recovery
Feed of Corn
A quartern of oats, the quantity given to a horse on a journey when the ostler
feed off
to benefit or thrive at someone else's expense
feed the dragon
to supply or support a habit or addiction
feed the fire
to add fuel to a situation, making it more intense or extreme
feed the meter
to put money into a parking meter
feed the troll
to respond to or encourage someone who is posting inflammatory content
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