To fire in the air, verb. phr. (venery).—To shoot in the bush (q.v.).
To fire a gun, verb. phr. (old).—To introduce a story by head and
shoulders; to lead up to a subject.—[Grose, 1785.]
To pass through the fire, verb. phr. (venery).—To be clapped (q.v.), or
poxed (q.v.).
To set the Thames on fire, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To be clever, or
the reverse; used in sarcasm.
Fire and Light, subs. phr. (nautical).—A master-at-arms.
Fired, adj. (American).—Arrested; turned out; and (among artists)
rejected.
Fire-eater, subs. (common).—In Old Cant a quick-worker; and in modern
English, a duellist or bully. Also Fire-eating.
1841. Savage, Dict. Art. of Printing, s.v. A quick compositor.
1854. Whyte Melville, General Bounce, ch. xii. Sir Ascot was none
of your sighing, despairing, fire-eating adorers.
1868. Ouida, Under Two Flags, ch. xv. A soldier, who ... was one of
the most brilliant fire-eaters of his regiment.
Fire-escape, subs. (common).—A clergyman. For synonyms, see
Devil-dodger.
Fire-prigger, subs. (old).—A thief whose venue is a
conflagration.—Grose [1785].
Fireship, subs. (old).—A tainted whore. For general synonyms, see
Barrack-hack and Tart.
Fire-spaniel, subs. (military).—A soldier who ‘nurses’ the barrack-room
fire. Some English synonyms are, fire-dog; fire-worshipper;
chimney-ornament; fender-guard; and cuddle-chimney.
Firewater, subs. (American).—Ardent spirits.
1861. T. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxford, ch. xiv. Yes. And awful
firewater we used to get. The governor supplied me, like a wise
man.
Fireworks, subs. (common).—A state of disturbance; mental excitement:
e.g., fireworks on the brain = to be in a fluster.
Firk, verb (old).—To beat.
1599. Shakspeare, Henry V., iv., 6. Pistol. I’ll fer him, and firk
him, and ferret him.
Firkytoodle, verb (common).—To indulge in sexual endearments. Also
Firkytoodling = preliminary caresses.
English Synonyms.—To canoodle; to fiddle; to mess (or pull) about; to
slewther (Irish); to spoon; to crooky; to fam; to dildo; to caterwaul;
to feel; to finger; to fumble; to grope; to clitorize; to touch up; to
tip the long (or middle) finger; to guddle (Scots.)
French Synonyms. Mignoter (popular); jouer de la harpe (familiar:
Leroux, in Dict. Comique, says: ‘Jouer de la harpe signifie jouer des
mains auprès d’une femme, la patiner, lui toucher la nature, la
farfouiller, la clitoriser, la chatouiller avec les doigts’); la petite
oie (= preliminary favours); faire des horreurs (popular: des horreurs
= broad or ‘blue’ talk; dire des horreurs = to talk bawd); bécoter
(popular: = to make hot love); chouchouter (familiar: chouchou =
darling).
Spanish Synonyms. Garatusa (= an act of endearment); caroca (generally
used in plural, carocas = endearments); amoricones (vulgar).
Firmed.—See Well-firmed.
First-chop, adj. (common).—First rate. [From Hind., chaap, a stamp, an
official mark on weights and measures; hence used to signify quality.]
Also second-chop (q.v.).
1855. Thackeray, Newcomes, ch. iv. ‘As for poetry, I hate poetry.’
‘Pen’s is not first-chop,’ says Warrington.
1880. A. Trollope, The Duke’s Children, ch. lxviii. Old Beeswax
thinks that if he can get me up to swear that he and his crew are
real first-chop hands, that will hit the governor hard.
First Flight. In the first flight, subs. phr. (sporting).—Those first
in at the finish; in fox-hunting those in at the death.
1852. F. E. Smedley, Lewis Arundel, ch. xxxix. Then you promise you
will dine with me at Lovegrove’s, on Thursday, and I’ll pick up
half-a-dozen fellows that I know you’ll like to meet, regular
top-sawyers, that you’re safe to find in the first flight, be it
where it may.
First-nighter, subs. phr. (journalistic).—An habitué of first
performances.
1886. G. Sutherland, Australia, p. 125. The first-nighter is almost
unknown in the colonies.
First-Night Wrecker.—See Wrecker.
Fish, subs. (common).—1. A man; generally in contempt or disparagement
as odd fish, loose fish, queer fish, scaly fish, shy fish (all of which
see). Cf., Cove.