Part 31 (1/2)

FRIBBLE. An effeminate fop; a name borrowed from a celebrated character of that kind, in the farce of Miss in her Teens, written by Mr. Garrick.

FRIDAY-FACE. A dismal countenance. Before, and even long after the Reformation, Friday was a day of abstinence, or jour maigre. Immediately after the restoration of king Charles II. a proclamation was issued, prohibiting all publicans from dressing any suppers on a Friday.

TO FRIG. Figuratively used for trifling.

FRIG PIG. A trifling, fiddle-faddle fellow.

FRIGATE. A well-rigged frigate; a well-dressed wench.

FRISK. To dance the Paddington frisk; to be hanged.

TO FRISK. Used by thieves to signify searching a person whom they have robbed. Blast his eyes! frisk him.

FROE, or VROE, A woman, wife, or mistress. Brush to your froe, or bloss, and wheedle for crop; run to your mistress, and sooth and coax her out of some money. DUTCH.

FROGLANDER. A Dutchman.

FROSTY FACE. One pitted with the small pox.

FROG'S WINE. Gin.

FRUITFUL VINE. A woman's private parts, i.e. that has FLOWERS every month, and bears fruit in nine months.

FRUMMAGEMMED. Choaked, strangled, suffocated, or hanged. CANT.

FUBSEY. Plump. A fubsey wench; a plump, healthy wench.

FUDDLE. Drunk. This is rum fuddle; this is excellent tipple, or drink. Fuddle; drunk. Fuddle cap; a drunkard.

FUDGE. Nonsense.

FULHAMS. Loaded dice are called high and lowmen, or high and low fulhams, by Ben Jonson and other writers of his time; either because they were made at Fulham, or from that place being the resort of sharpers.

FULL OF EMPTINESS. Jocular term for empty.

FULL MARCH. The Scotch greys are in full march by the crown office; the lice are crawling down his head.

FUMBLER. An old or impotent man. To fumble, also means to go awkwardly about any work, or manual operation.

FUN. A cheat, or trick. Do you think to fun me out of it? Do you think to cheat me?--Also the breech, perhaps from being the abbreviation of fundament. I'll kick your fun. CANT.

TO FUNK. To use an unfair motion of the hand in plumping at taw. SCHOOLBOY'S TERM.

FUNK. To smoke; figuratively, to smoke or stink through fear. I was in a cursed funk. To funk the cobler; a schoolboy's trick, performed with a.s.safoettida and cotton, which are stuffed into a pipe: the cotton being lighted, and the bowl of the pipe covered with a coa.r.s.e handkerchief, the smoke is blown out at the small end, through the crannies of a cobler's stall.

FURMEN. Aldermen.

FURMITY, or FROMENTY. Wheat boiled up to a jelly. To simper like a furmity kettle: to smile, or look merry about the gills.

FUSS. A confusion, a hurry, an unnecessary to do about trifles.