Flogging Cully, subs. phr. (venery).—A man addicted, whether from
necessity or choice, to flagellation; a whipster (q.v.).
1690. B. E., New Dict. of the Canting Crew. Flogging, c. a Naked
Woman’s whipping (with rods) an Old (usually) and (sometimes) a
young Lecher.
Flogging Stake, subs. phr. (old).—A whipping post.
1690. B. E., New Dict. of the Canting Crew, s.v.
1785. Grose, Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.
Flogster, subs. (old).—One addicted to flogging. Specifically (naval),
a nickname applied to the Duke of Clarence (afterwards William IV).
Floor, verb. (colloquial).—1. To knock down. Hence to vanquish in
argument; to make an end of; to defeat; to confound. See Floored and
Dead-beat.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue. Floor the pig, knock down the
officer.
1821. Haggart, Life, p. 15. That moment the farmer let fly at the
drover, which floored him.
1857. G. A. Lawrence, Guy Livingstone, ch. xxi. ‘When I saw him so
floored as not to be able to come to time, I knew there had been
some hard hitting going on thereabouts, so I kept clear.’
1821. Egan, Tom and Jerry, p. 10. Then (apostrophising ‘Maga’)
floor me not. Ibid., p. 60, The Corinthian, being no novice in
these matters, floored two or three in a twinkling.
1835. Coleridge, Table Talk (published posthumously). The other day
I was what you may called floored by a Jew.
1836. C. Dickens, Pickwick Papers, p. 425 (Ed. 1857). Even Mr. Bob
Sawyer ... was floored.
1862. Mrs. H. Wood, The Channings, ch. v. ‘So if the master is
directing his suspicions to the seniors, he’ll get floored.’
1870. L. Oliphant, Piccadilly, Pt. V., p. 196. ‘Whenever the mammas
object to asking her on account of that horrid Lady Wylde,’ I floor
all opposition by saying, ‘Oh, Lady Jane Helter will bring her.’
1888. Sportsman, 28 Nov. Pope, who was the fresher, started at a
terrific pace and drove his man all over the ring, ending by
flooring him.
To floor the odds (betting men’s).—Said of a low-priced horse that
pulls off the event in face of the betting.
1882. Daily Telegraph, 16 Nov. The odds were, nevertheless, floored
from an unexpected quarter.
1889. Echo, 24 Jan. As the odds betted on Miss Jessie II. were
easily floored by Marsden.
2. (drunkards’).—To finish; to get outside of. E.g., ‘I floored three
half-pints and a nip before breakfast.’
1837. Punch, 31 Jan. Dear Bill, this stone jug.... Is still the
same snug, Free-and-easy old hole, Where Macheath met his blowens,
and Wylde floored his bowl.
18(?). Macmillan’s Magazine (quoted in Century Dict.). I have a few
bottles of old wine left: we may as well floor them.