Feint, subs. (old).—A pawnbroker. For synonyms, see My Uncle.
1848. Duncombe, Sinks of London, s.v.; 1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, or
Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v.
Feker, subs. (American thieves’).—Trade; profession; cf., Feck.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, or Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v.
Fell a Bit on, verb. phr. (tailors’).—To act craftily; in an underhand
manner.
Fell-and-didn’t, phr. (tailors’).—Said of a man walking lame.
Fellow.—See Old fellow.
Fellow-Commoner, subs. (university).—An empty bottle. For synonyms, see
Dead man.
1794. Gent. Mag., p. 1084. One [student at Cambridge] was a Harry
Soph; another a fellow-commoner and senior Soph, and occasionally
jocularly called an empty bottle, whilst è contrà, a bottle
decanted was, from time to time, denominated a fellow-commoner.
Felt, subs. (old).—A hat of felted wool. For synonyms, see Golgotha.
1609. Dekker, Gul’s Horne-Booke, chap. iv. For, in my opinion, ye
braine that cannot choose his Felt well (being the head ornament)
must needes poure folly into all the rest of the members.
1614. J. Cooke, Green’s Tu Quoque, in Anc. Brit. Drama (1810), ii.,
567. Sir Lion. Aye, but son Bubble, where did you two buy your
felts? Scat. Felts! by this light mine is a good beaver.
1823. W. T. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, Act ii., Sc. 5. Don’t nibble
the felt, Jerry.
1841. Thynne, Deb. between Pride and Lowliness. A faire cloke on
his backe, and on his head a felt.
Fem.—See Famble.
Fen, subs. (thieves’).—A prostitute or procuress.—Grose [1785].
Verb (schoolboys’).—(also Fend, Fain, Fainits, etc.). A term of
warning, or of prohibition: as to prevent any change in the existing
conditions of a game; e.g., at marbles, Fen-placings = no alteration in
position of marbles is permissible; fen-clearances = removal of
obstacles is forbidden. [Fend = M. E. defend in sense of ‘to forbid.’]
Fain, Fain I, (with which cf., Bags I) are corruptions. At Winchester,
Fingy you or Fingy that are analagous; but at Christ’s Hospital Fin =
‘I won’t have,’ the reverse of Bags I.
ante. 1815. E. C. Harrington, in N. and Q., 5 S., vii., 98.
Respecting the word fen ... I can testify to the use of the term by
schoolboys prior to the battle of Waterloo ... meaning that we
protested against an exceptional action.
1852. Dickens, Bleak House. ‘I’m fly,’ says Jo. ‘But fen larks, you
know.’
1877. Notes and Queries, 5 S., vii., 178. A comical application,
was, I remember well, ‘Fen live lumber’! which, if pronounced in
time, would disable your opponent from moving a bystander out of
the way of his shot.
Fence, subs. (common).—1. A purchaser or receiver of stolen goods.—See
verbal sense, and Thieves.
English Synonyms. Fencing master, or cully; billy-fencer; angling cove;
stallsman; Ikey; family-man; father.
French Synonyms. Une crosse (thieves’); un carreur (thieves’); un
attriqueur or une attriqueuse (thieves’); un franc de maison (also =
landlord of a thieves’ lodging-house or ‘flash ken’); un fourgue,
fourgat, or fourgasse (thieves’); une nourrice (a female fence; =
nurse); un meunier (= a miller; porter au moulin = to fence the swag);
un ogre (thieves’).
German Synonyms. Pascher or Verpascher (from paschlnisenen = to peddle
illegally); Sarser, or Sasser (= a go-between); Tschorrgoi (gypsy).
Portuguese Synonym. Entrujão.
1714. Memoirs of John Hall (4th ed.), p. 3. The Fence and he [a
thief], are like the Devil and the Doctor, they live by one
another.
1748. T. Dyche, Dictionary (5th ed.). Fence (s.) ... and in the
Canting Language, signifies one who receives and disposes of stolen
goods for the robbers.
1834. W. H. Ainsworth, Rookwood, p. 171 (ed. 1864). The fence and
he are like the devil and the doctor, they live by one another;
and, like traitors, ’tis best to keep each other’s counsel.
1837. Dickens, Oliver Twist, p. 60. What are you up to?
Ill-treating the boys, you ... insatiable old Fence.
1851. Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor, vol. II., p. 106.
In one of my inquiries among the young thieves and pickpockets in
the low lodging-houses, I heard frequent accounts of their selling
the metal goods they stole to fences, and in one particular
instance to the mistress of a lodging house, who had conveniences
for the melting of pewter pots (called ‘cats and kittens’ by the
young thieves according to the size of the vessels).
1883. Daily Telegraph, 13 June, p. 7, col. 2. The criminal who,
without the aid of the professional fence, would experience much
difficulty in disposing of his booty.
1885. Indoor Paupers, p. 73. The articles bore the workhouse stamp,
were much worn, and would not have brought the thief more than a
couple of pence, even supposing that he could find a fence, who
would venture to purchase.
2. A place where stolen goods are purchased or received. [From sense
1.] Also a Dolly-, leaving-, or swag-shop—(q.v.); Fencing-crib. Fr., un
moulin.
1847. Illus. Lon. News, 2 May. The keeper of the fence loves to set
up in business there [Clerkenwell]—low public-houses abound, where
thieves drink and smoke—Jew receivers work the corners.
1848. Punch, vol. xiv., p. 149. If Citizen Blanc hold to his
opinions of 1839, we may expect no law of international copyright
from the Republic. Let M. Galignani rejoice; and let his
Bibliotheque in the Rue Vivienne still remain the greatest literary
fence in Europe.
Verb (old).—1. To purchase or receive stolen goods.
1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-all, p. 38 (H. Club’s Repr., 1874). To
fence property, to sell any thing that is stolen.
1789. Geo. Parker, Life’s Painter, p. 153. Fenced. Is disposing of
anything stolen for a quarter of the value.
1828. Jon Bee, Picture of London, p. 212. Even though he be a thief
himself, or more harmfully engaged in fencing others’ thefts.
1830. Bulwer Lytton, Paul Clifford, p. 298, ed. 1854. Vell, ven ve
came out, you minds as on the voman had a bundle in her arms, and
you spake to her, and she answered you roughly, and left us all and
vent straight home; and ve vent and fenced the swag that wery
night, and afterwards napped the regulars.
1885. Chamb. Journal, 21 Feb., p. 126. Moreover, he was strongly
suspected of fencing—that is, purchasing stolen property.