Fanny (also Fanny-Artful and Fanny-fair), subs. (venery).—The female
pudendum. For synonyms, see Monosyllable.
Fanny Adams, subs. phr. (naval).—Tinned mutton.
Fanny Blair, subs. phr. (rhyming slang).—The hair. For synonyms, see
Top-dressing.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, or Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v.
Fantail, subs. (common).—A sort of round hat with a long leathern
fan-shaped flap at the back; worn by coal-heavers and dustmen; a
sou’-wester (q.v.).
1851–61. H. Mayhew, London Lab. and Lon. Poor, vol. II., p. 199. He
had good strong lace boots, gray worsted stockings, a stout pair of
corduroy breeches, a short smockfrock and fantail.
1877. J. Greenwood, Dick Temple, ch. xiii. I fancy I see you, for
example, with knee breeches and calves and a fantail, shouldering
an inky sack and shooting its contents into a hole in the pavement.
Fanteague. On the fanteague, adv. phr. (colloquial).—On the ‘burst,’ or
on the ‘loose.’
Far-back, subs. (tailors’).—An indifferent workman; an ignoramus.
Farden, subs. (common).—A farthing. For synonyms, see Fadge.
1880. Milliken, Punch’s Almanack, May. Otherwise don’t care one
brass farden, For the best ever blowed in Covent Garden.
Farm, subs. (common).—1. An establishment where pauper children were
lodged and fed at so much a head; also for illegitimate children. Also
verbally = to contract to feed and lodge pauper or illegitimate
children.
1838. Dickens, Oliver Twist, ch. ii. The parish authorities
magnanimously and humanely resolved, that Oliver should be farmed,
or, in other words, that he should be despatched to a branch
workhouse some three miles off, where twenty or thirty other
juvenile offenders against the poor-laws, rolled about the floor
all day, without the inconvenience of too much food or too much
clothing, under the parental superintendence of an elderly female,
who received the culprits at and for the consideration of
sevenpence-halfpenny per small head per week.
1869. Greenwood, Seven Curses of London. There can be no question
that he has a better chance ... though his treacherous ‘adopter’
deserts him on a doorstep, than if he were so kindly cruel as to
tolerate his existence at the farm.
2. (prison).—The prison infirmary. To fetch the farm = to be ordered
infirmary diet and treatment.—See Fetch.
Farmer, subs. (old).—1. An alderman.
1848. Duncombe, Sinks of London, s.v.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, or Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v.
2. (common).—One who contracts to lodge and feed pauper or illegitimate
children.
1869. Greenwood, Seven Curses of London. These are not the farmers
who append to their advertisements the notification that children
of ill-health are not objected to.
Fart, subs. (vulgar).—An eruption of wind through the anus. [A.S.
feort.] By implication a contemptible person. Also verbally = to
discharge wind through the anus. Fr., lâcher une pastille.
1383. Chaucer, The Miller’s Tale. This Nicholas anon let fleen a
fart As gret as it had been a thonder dint.
1610. Ben Jonson, The Alchemist, i., 1. Thy worst! I fart at thee.
1750. Fielding, Tom Jones. ‘I don’t give a fart for ’n,’ says the
squire, suiting the action to the word.
1785. Burns, Death and Dr. Hornbook. But Dr. Hornbook with his art
And cursed skill, Has made them baith no worth a f—t.
Fart-catcher, subs. (vulgar).—A footman. [That is, one who follows
another closely; cf., Fart.] Other names are flunkey; John Thomas;
James; catch-fart; and Calves (q.v.).
Fart-daniel, subs. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see
Monosyllable.
Farthing. Not to care a brass farthing, phr. (common).—To care nothing.
Chaucer uses the expression ‘no farthing of grease’ as equivalent to a
small quantity. [James II. debased the coinage and issued brass pence,
halfpence, and farthings.]
Fartick (also Fartkin), subs. (vulgar).—A diminutive of Fart (q.v.).
Farting-crackers, subs. (old).—Breeches. For synonyms, see Bags and
Kicks.
Farting-trap, subs. (Irish).—A jaunting car. [An allusion to the
effects of the rough-driving character of these vehicles.]
Fartleberries, subs. (vulgar).—Excrement on the hair about the anus;
also dilberries (q.v.) or clinkers (q.v.).
Fart-sucker, subs. phr. (common).—A vile parasite; an ‘arse-hole
creeper.’
Fast, adj. and adv. (colloquial).—1. Embarrassed; ‘hard-up’; ‘in a
tight place.’
2. (colloquial).—Dissipated; addicted to going the pace (q.v.): e.g., a
fast man = a rake-hell, or spendthrift; a fast woman = a strumpet; a
fast life = a life of debauchery; a fast house = a brothel, or a
sporting tavern; to dress fast = to dress for the town; to live fast =
to ‘go the pace,’ and so forth.
1751. Smollett, Peregrine Pickle ch. lxxxviii. He returned to his
former course of fast living among the bucks of the town.
1846. Thackeray, V. F., vol. 1., ch. xxvi. ‘He’s going it pretty
fast,’ said the clerk. ‘He’s only married a week, and I saw him and
some other military chaps handing Mrs. Highflyer to her carriage
after the play.’
1860. The Atlas, 7 July. Lord William belongs to the genus fast and
we presume to the species soft—contradictions more apparent than
real.
1870. Daily Telegraph, 11 July. Having a delightful air of being
mildly fast and decorously on the loose.
1880. G. R. Sims, Three Brass Balls, Pledge xi. She knew he could
not afford to gamble and keep fast company night after night.
3. (common).—Impudent; ‘cheeky’: e.g., ‘Don’t you be so fast’ = Mind
your own business.
To play fast and loose, verbal phr. (colloquial).—To be variable;
inconstant; to say one thing and do another. [From the ancient game now
known as prick the garter (q.v.).]
1557. Tottel’s Miscellany, p. 157 (Arber’s ed.), ‘Of a new maried
studient that plaied fast or lose’ [Title of Epigram].
1593. G. Harvey, New Letter, in wks., i., 274 (Grosart). If he
playeth at fast and loose (as is vehemently suspected by strong
presumptions) whom shall he cunny catch, or cros-bite, but his
cast-away selfe?
1599. Jonson, Ev. Man out of his Hum., I. Nor how they play fast
and loose with a poor gentleman’s fortunes, to get their own.
1632. Chapman and Shirley, The Ball, Act ii. Fr. Is’t come to this?
if lords play fast and loose, What shall poor knights and
gentlemen?
1710. Ward, Vulgus Britannicus, ch. iv., p. 50. On second Thoughts,
we should excuse, The People’s playing Fast and Loose.
1852. Dickens, Bleak House, ch. lvii., p. 477. I’m a practical one,
and that’s my experience. So’s this rule. Fast and loose in one
thing, Fast and loose in everything.
Fastener, or Fastner, subs. (old).—A warrant.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.; 1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, or
Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v.
Fast-fuck, subs. (prostitutes’).—An act of trade done standing, or at
least in quick time: as opposed to trade with an all-night lodger.
Fat, subs. (thieves’).—1. Money; Fr., de la graisse (= grease or
tallow). For synonyms, see Actual and Gilt.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, or Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v.
2. (printers’).—Composition full of blank spaces or in many lines.
Verse is fat, while this dictionary, with its constant change of type,
is lean (q.v.). Hence, work that pays well. Fr., une affaire juteuse =
a ‘fat job.’
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum. Fat amongst printers means void spaces.
1856. Notes and Queries, 2 S., I., 283, s.v.
1868. O. W. Holmes, Guardian Angel, ch. xxiv., p. 203 (Rose Lib.).
If collected and printed in large type, with plenty of what the
unpleasant printers call fat ensuring thereby blank spaces upon ...
thick paper.
1885. Athenæum, 27 June, p. 817, col. 1. With the aid of wide
margins and a liberal amount of fat, as the printers call it, the
text is doled out in pages of but nineteen lines each, and thus the
three articles are successfully expanded into a booklet of over two
hundred pages.
3. (theatrical).—A good part; telling lines and conspicuous or
commanding situations. [Cf., sense 2.] Fr., avoir des côtelettes = to
have a bit of fat (Dictionnaire Historique et Pittoresque du Theâtre.
Paris, 1884).
1883. Referee, 18 March, p. 2, col. 4. They look miserable because
they have nothing to do, all the fat having been seized by Terry.
1888. Referee, 15 April, 3, 1. I don’t want to rob Miss Claremont
of her fat, but her part must be cut down.
Adj. (general).—1. Rich; abundant; profitable.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Fat cull, a rich fellow.
1888. Puck’s Library, May, p. 25. This would make the labour so
much lighter, that every time a girl went to set a pound of candy
she would consider that she had a good fat take.