flummuxed
Preserved but no longer current.
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.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “flummuxed” mean?
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.
Is “flummuxed” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.