1720. Durfey, Wit and Mirth, vi., 303. With a sober dose Of coffee funks his nose.
1578. Grose, Vulg. Tongue. Funk, to smoke, figuratively to smoke or stink through fear.
1823. Moncrieff, Tom and Jerry, ii., 2. Tom. But, I say, only see how confoundedly the dustman's getting hold of Logic—we'll funk him. (Tom and Jerry smoke Logic), Log. Oh, hang your cigars, I don't like it; let's have no funking.
1841. Punch, I,, p. 172. Look here . . . isn't it considerable clear they're a all funking like burnt cayenne in a clay pipe, or couldn't they have made a raise somehow to get a ship of their own, or borrow one to send after that caged-up coon of a Macleod.
2. (common).—To terrify; to shrink or quail through nervousness or cowardice.
1858. A. Mayhew, Paved with Gold, Bk. III., ch. vi., p. 294. Perhaps we're only funking ourselves useless, and it mayn't be the farm chaps at all.
3. (colloquial).—To fear; to hesitate; to shirk; and (among pugilists) to come it (q.v.).
1836. Smith, The Individual, 'The Thieves' Chaunt.' But dearer to me Sue's kisses far Than grunting peck or other grub are, And I never funk the lambskin men When I sits with her in the boozing ken.
1846. Punch, X., p. 163. But as yet no nose is bleeding, As yet no man is down; For the gownsmen funk the townsmen, And the townsmen funk the gown.
1848. J. R. Lowell, Biglow Papers. To funk right out o' p'lit'cal strife ain't thought to be the thing
1873. M. Collins, Squire Silchester's Whim, ch. xvii. Come along! don't funk it, old fellow.
English Synonyms.—To come it; to lose one's guts; to shit one's breeches; to get the needle (athletic).
French Synonyms.—Paniquer (thieves': Panique = sudden fright); blaguer (familiar: = to swagger: Il avait l'air de blaguer mais il n'était pas à la noce = he put on a lot of side, but he didn't like it); avec la cœur en gargousse (sailors' = with sinking heart); avoir une fluxion (popular: fluxion = inflammation); avoir la flemme (popular: also = to be idle); avoir le trac or trak (general); foirer (popular: foire = excrement); léziner (popular: also = to cheat).
Spanish Synonym.—Pajarear.
Italian Synonym.—Filare (= to run: Fr., filer).
4. (colloquial).—To be nervous; to lose heart.
1827. 'Advice to Tommy,' Every Night Book (by the author of 'The Cigar'). Do not go out of your depth, unless you have available assistance at hand, in case you should funk.
1856. Hughes, Tom Brown's School Days, ii., p. 5. He's funking; go in Williams!
1857. Moncrieff, The Bashful Man, ii., 4. Ah! Gyp, hope I sha'n't get plucked; funk confoundedly: no matter, I must put a bold face on it.
1857. Hood, Pen and Pencil Pictures, p. 144. I have seen him out with the governor's hounds: he funked at the first hedge, and I never saw him again!
1863. Reade, Hard Cash, ii., p. 135 I told him I hadn't a notion of what he meant! 'O yes I did,' he said, 'Captain Dodd's fourteen thousand pounds! It had passed through my hands.' Then I began to funk again at his knowing that. . . . I was flustered, ye see.
1865. H. Kingsley, The Hillyars and the Burtons, ch. xxxiii. The sound of the table falling was the signal for a
