1848. Burton, Waggeries, etc., p. 65. I’m darned if I don’t streak
it to the Squire’s foot-hot.
Footing, subs. (common).—Money paid on entering upon new duties, or on
being received into a workshop or society: as at sea when a comrade
first goes aloft. Formerly foot-ale: cf., Garnish. Fr., arroser ses
galons = to christen one’s uniform.
1777. Howard, State of Prisons in England and Wales, quoted in J.
Ashton’s The Fleet, p. 295. A cruel custom obtains in most of our
Gaols, which is that of the prisoners demanding of a new comer
garnish, footing, or (as it is called in some London Gaols)
chummage.
1781. G. Parker, View of Society, I., 48; I must instantly pay down
two shillings for my footing.
1788. G. A. Stevens, Adv. of a Speculist, i., 211. I was drove from
street to street by women of my own profession, who swore I should
not come in their beats until I had paid my footing.
1830. Carleton, Collegian’s Colleen Bawn, 94. ‘Pay your footing
now, Master Kyrle Daly, before you go farther,’ said one.
1840. Haliburton, Clockmaker, 3 S., ch. iii. ‘Waiter, half-a-dozen
of iced champagne here, to pay for Mr. Slick’s footin’.’
1891. Clark Russell, An Ocean Tragedy, p. 86. I was going aloft and
wished to pay my footing.
Footle, verb., and Footling, adj. (colloquial).—To dawdle, trifle,
potter; dawdling, trifling, pottering; messing about (q.v.).
Footlicker, subs. (old).—A servant: a lickspittle.
1609. Shakspeare, The Tempest, IV., 1. Do that good mischief which
may make this island Thine for ever, and I, thy Caliban, For aye
thy foot-licker.
Footlights. To smell the footlights, verb. phr. (theatrical).—To
acquire a taste for theatricals. [Footlights = the float (q.v.); the
row of burners in front of the stage.]
To smell of the footlights. To carry theatrical concerns and
phraseology into private life; to talk shop (q.v.).
Footman’s Inn, subs. phr. (old).—A poor lodging; a jail. Fr., Hôtel de
la modestie = the Poor Man’s Arms.
1608. Penniles Parliament of Threedbare Poets. Those that depend on
destiny, and not on God, may chance look through a narrow lattice
at Footman’s Inn.
1612. Rowland, Knave of Hearts. Which at the heeles so hants his
frighted ghost, That he at last in Footman’s-inne must host, Some
castle dolorous compos’d of stone, Like (let me see) Newgate is
such a one.
Footman’s Maund, subs. phr. (old).—An artificial sore, as from a
horse’s bite or kick. The fox’s bite of schoolboys. Also the Scaldrum
Dodge, or Maund (q.v.). Maund = a cadger’s sale-basket. Cf., Masons’
Maund.
1690. B. E., Dict. of the Canting Crew, s.v. An artificial sore
made with unslacked lime, soap, and the rust of old iron, on the
back of a beggar’s hand, as if hurt by the bite or kick of a horse.
1785. Grose, Dict. of the Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Foot-riding, subs. (cyclists’).—Walking and wheeling one’s machine
instead of riding it.
1887. T. Stevens, Round the World on a Bicycle. Already I realise
that there is going to be as much foot-riding as anything for the
first part of my journey.
Foot-scamp, subs. (old).—A foot-pad.—G. Parker.
Footstool. See Angels’ Footstool.
Foot-wobbler, subs. (old, soldier’s’).—An infantryman. For synonyms,
see Mudcrusher.
1785. Grose, Dict. of the Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Footy, adj. (old).—Contemptible; worthless. Fr., foutu.—Grose.
1836. Michael Scott, Tom Cringle’s Log, ch. v. My eye, Captain, no
use to dodge from her; it is only dat footy little King’s cutter on
de Jamaica station.
Foozle, subs. (common and sporting).—1. A boggle; a miss.
2. (common).—A bore; a fogey; and (in America) a fool; a green ’un. For
synonyms, see Buffle, Cabbage-head, and Sammy soft.
1867. Rhoda Broughton, Cometh up as a Flower, ch. xxvi. Frumps and
foozles in Eaton Square.
Verb. (common).—To miss; to boggle; to muff (q.v.).
1888. Field, 25 Feb. Park foozled his second stroke.
Foozled (or Foozley), adj. (colloquial).—Blurred in appearance and
effect; fuzzy; muffed (q.v.). Often said of badly painted pictures, or
parts of pictures.
Fop-doodle, subs. (old).—An insignificant man; a fool.
1689. Shadwell, Bury Fair. Come come, you brace of fop-doodle.
Fop’s Alley, subs. phr. (old).—See quot. 1883.
1782. D’Arblay, Cecilia, bk. II., ch. iv. Sir Robert Floyer,
sauntering down fop’s alley.
1883. Sala, Echoes of the Year, p. 369. Fop’s alley was the gangway
running parallel to the footlights, between the last row of the
stalls and the first row of the pit in Her Majesty’s Theatre, and
in its palmiest days it was always graced by the presence of a
subaltern of the Guards in full uniform, daintily swinging his
bearskin.
Forakers, subs. (Winchester College).—The water-closet. [Formerly spelt
foricus and probably a corruption of foricas, an English plural of the
Latin forica.] For synonyms, see Mrs. Jones.
Foraminate, verb. (venery).—To copulate. For synonyms, see Greens and
Ride.
Force, subs. (colloquial).—The police; properly a body of men trained
for action. For synonyms, see Beak and Copper.
1868. Braddon, Trail of the Serpent, bk. IV., ch. vi. ‘I should
like to ... bring a child up from the very cradle to the police
detective line, to see whether I couldn’t make that ’ere child a
ornament to the force.’
1883. Daily Telegraph, 5 April, p. 2, col. 1. But in all my
experience of the force, I think I never saw a policeman’s eyes so
expressive of gratitude.
To force the voucher, verb. phr. (turf).—It is customary for sporting
tricksters to advertise selections and enclose vouchers (similar to
those sent out by respectable commission agents) for double or treble
the current odds. The correspondent is informed that, in consequence of
early investments, the extra odds can be laid; a remittance is
requested; the voucher is forced; and then the firm ‘dries up,’ and
changes its name and address.
Forcemeat Ball, subs. phr. (old)—Something endured from compulsion: as
(1) a rape: (2) going to prison; (3) transportation; (4) an affiliation
order; (5) abstention (from drink, pleasure, etc.) through
impecuniosity.
Forceps, subs. (old).—The hands. [Properly a pair of surgeon’s
pincers.]—For synonyms, see Daddle.
Fore-and-Aft, verb. (venery).—To copulate. See Greens and Ride.
Fore-and-after, subs. phr. (American).—1. See quot.
1840. Haliburton, Clockmaker, 3 S., ch. xi. ‘The way she walks her
chalks ain’t no matter. She is a regular fore-and-after.’
2. (venery).—A double-barrelled (q.v.) harlot. [As in the song
attributed to an eminent living man of letters: “Sing whore, sing
whore, Behind and before, Her price is a shilling—She never gets
more.”]
Fore-buttocks, subs. (old).—The paps.—For synonyms, see Dairy.
a. 1745. Swift, Pope, and Arbuthnot, Misc. iv., 222. Now her
fore-buttocks to the navel bare.
Forecaster, subs. (venery). The female pudendum. For synonyms, see
Monosyllable.
Fore-coach-wheel, subs. (common).—A half-crown. For synonyms, see
Caroon.
Fore-court, subs. phr. (venery).—The female pudendum. Also Fore-hatch,
Fore-castle, and Fore-room. For synonyms, see Monosyllable.
Forefoot, subs. (old).—The hand.
1599. Shakspeare, Henry V., II., 1. Give me thy fist; thy forefoot
to me give.
1785. Grose, Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
Foregather, verb. (old).—To share the sexual embrace. For synonyms, see
Ride.
Forehatch, subs. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see
Monosyllable. Also Forecastle.
Foreman, subs. (old).—1. The penis. For synonyms, see Creamstick and
Prick. [Cf., Forewoman.]
1647. Ladies’ Parliament (q.v.).
Foreman of the jury, subs. phr. (old).—A babbler; one with the gift of
the gab (q.v.).
1690. B. E., Dict. of the Canting Crew. Foreman of the jury, he
that engrosses all the talk to himself.
1785. Grose, Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v.
Foreskin Hunter, subs. phr. (venery).—A harlot. For synonyms, see
Barrack-hack and Tart.
Forest, subs. (venery).—The female pubic hair. For synonyms, see
Fleece.
1573–1631. Donne, Elegies, xviii. Yet ere thou be where thou
would’st be embayed, Thou must upon another forest set, Where many
shipwreck and no further get.
1720. Durfey, Pills, etc., vi., 146. Give me the Country lass, That
trips it o’er the field, And opes her forest to the first.
Fore-stall, subs. (thieves’).—In garotting, a look-out in front of the
operator, or ugly-man (q.v.); the watch behind is the back-stall
(q.v.). [From fore + stall (q.v.).]
Forewoman, subs. (old).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see
Monosyllable.
Fork, subs. (old). 1. A pickpocket. Fr., ‘Avoir les mains crochues = to
be a light-fingered or lime-fingered filcher; every finger of his hand
as good as a lime-twig.’—Cotgrave.
1690. B. E., Dict. of the Canting Crew, s.v.
1785. Grose, Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
2. (thieves’).—A finger. The forks = the fore and middle fingers; also
cf., (proverbial) ‘Fingers were made before forks.’
English Synonyms.—Claws; cunt-hooks (Grose); daddles (also the hands);
divers; feelers; fives; flappers; grapplers; grappling irons; gropers;
hooks; nail-bearers; pickers and stealers (Shakspeare); corn-stealers;
Ten Commandments; ticklers; pinkies; muck-forks.
French Synonyms.—Les apôtres (thieves’: = the ten Apostles); les
fourchettes, or les fourchettes d’Adam (popular: = Adam’s forks); le
peigne d’allemand (thieves’: Rabelais).
German Synonyms.—Ezba (= the finger, especially the first or
fore-finger. The names of the others are: Godel = the thumb; Ammo = the
middle-finger; Kemizo = the ring-finger; Seres, i.e., ‘span’ = the
little finger); Griffling (= also the hand. From greifen = to seize).
Spanish Synonyms.—Mandamiento (= a commandment: cf., Ten Commandments);
tijeras (= the fore- and middle fingers; Minsheu (1599) Dictionarie,
tijeras = ‘small sheares, seizers, snuffers.’).
Portuguese Synonym.—Medunhos.
1821. Haggart, Life, p. 121. My forks were equally long, and they
never failed me.
1834. Ainsworth, Rookwood. ‘Nix my Dolly.’ No dummy hunter had
forks so fly. Ibid. Jack Sheppard (1889), p. 20. I’ll give him the
edication of a prig—teach him the use of his forks betimes.
1841. Tait’s Edinburgh Mag., VIII., p. 220. My forks were light and
fly, and lightly faked away.
1891. Licensed Victuallers’ Gazette, 9 Feb. Up they came briskly
with smiling mugs, shook hands, then stepped back a pace or two,
put up their forks, and the spectators were hushed into silence,
for they saw that the battle was about to begin.