Fancy-house, subs. (venery).—A brothel; also a house of accommodation
(q.v.). For synonyms, see Nanny-Shop.
Fancy-Joseph, subs. (venery).—A prostitute’s boy, or apple-squire, or
cupid (q.v.). For synonyms, see Bully and Fancy-man.
Fancy-lay, subs. (old).—Pugilism. [From Fancy (q.v.) + Lay (q.v.) = an
undertaking or pursuit.]
1819. Moore, Tom Crib’s Memorial, p. 36. We, who’re of the
fancy-lay, As dead hands at a mill as they, And quite as ready,
after it, To share the spoil and grab the bit.
Fancy-man or Bloke, subs. (venery).—A prostitute’s lover, husband, or
pensioner. [There are two suggested derivations; (1) that fancy here
bears its face value; (2) that it is a corruption of the Fr. fiancé.]
Fancy-woman = a mistress or keep (q.v.). For synonyms, see Bully and
infra.
1821. P. Egan, Tom and Jerry, p. 20. Although ‘one of the fancy,’
he was not a fancy man.
1839. Harrison Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard [1889], p. 70. ‘And me,’
insinuated Mrs. Maggot. ‘My little fancy man’s quite as fond of me
as of you, Bess. Ain’t you, Jacky darling?’
1851–61. H. Mayhew, Lon. Lab. and Lon. Poor, vol. I., p. 186. The
women of the town buy of me, when it gets late, for themselves and
their fancy men.
1857. Snowden, Mag. Assistant. (3rd ed.), p. 446, s.v.
1885. Indoor Paupers, p. 38. The most degraded are the men who
subsist by fastening upon street harlots and sharing their wretched
earnings. When their mistresses come to grief, and are placed under
lock and key, which happens frequently, the fancy man generally
manages to skulk out of the mischief and escape scot-free.
English Synonyms. Apple-squire; faker; bully; ponce; pensioner;
Sunday-man; fancy-Joseph; squire of the body; fucker; apron-squire;
cunt-pensioner; petticoat pensioner; prosser; twat-faker; twat-master;
stallion; mack; bouncer; bruiser; buck.
French Synonyms. Un Des Grieux (popular: the hero of Manon Lescaut); un
aquarium (pop.: an assembly of fancy-men; cf., maquereau = a mackerel);
un cousin de Moïse (pop.: a ‘fast’ man who has married a demi-mondaine;
Delvau says, ‘dans l’argot du peuple, qui fait allusion aux deux lignes
de feu dont sont ornées les tempes du législateur des Hébreux’); un
caprice (pop.: un caprice sérieux = a man who keeps a mistress); un
paillasson (pop.: = a mattress); un dos; un marlou.
German Synonyms. Balhoche (from Hebrew baal, a man + hocho, here,
there. Literally, one in possession but removable); Strichler or
Strichbube (Strich = a fast locality); Strawes; Straweszunder
(Viennese: from strizeln = to run quickly).
Italian Synonym. Bramoso.
Spanish Synonyms. Comblezado (obsolete: applied to a married man whose
wife lives in adultery with another); mandilejo (vulgar).
Fancy-piece, subs. (venery).—A prostitute. For synonyms, see
Barrack-hack and Tart.
Fancy-work. To take in fancy work, verb. phr. (popular).—To play the
prostitute on the sly; in the language of venery, ‘to work for one’s
living and do the naughty for one’s clothes.’ Said of women (as
milliners, dressmakers, shop girls, and so forth) in receipt of low
wages yet dressing well and having plenty of money. ‘How does she do
it?’ ‘Oh! she takes in fancy-work!’ Cf., Fancy-house and Ride.
Fang-faker, subs. (common).—A dentist. [From Fang, a long pointed tooth
+ Faker (q.v.).] Fang-chovey = a dental establishment.—See Chovey.
Fanning, verb. subs. (thieves’).—1. Stealing; Cross-fanning = robbery
from the person, the arms of the manipulator being folded.