rush of four men from the inner room, who had to use a vulgar expression, funked following the valiant scoundrel Sykes, but who now tried to make their escape, and found themselves hand to hand with the policemen.
1871. Morning Advertiser, 11 Sept. 'Holy Abr'ham!' mused he vauntingly, 'shall British sailors funk, While tracts refresh their spirits, tea washes down their junk?'
1890. Pall Mall Gazette, 17 Oct. p. 2, col. 1. They wanted badly to get one steamer loaded and sent to New Zealand. The non-union men funked loading her on account of the union men.
1891. Licensed Vict. Gazette, 13 Feb. Smith's friends thought he was funking, and shouted to Tom to go in and punch him.
5. (schoolboys').—To move the hand forward unfairly in playing marbles; to fudge (q.v.).
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum. Funk, to use an unfair motion of the hand in plumping at taw.
1851-61. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, i., p. 144. I've noticed them, too, playing at ring-taw, and one of their exclamations is 'Knuckle down fair, and no funking.'
To funk the cobbler, verb. phr. (schoolboys').—To smoke out a schoolmate: a trick performed with asafœtida and cotton stuffed into a hollow tube or cow's horn; the cotton being lighted, the smoke is blown through the keyhole.
1698-1700. Ward, London Spy, Pt. IX., p. 197. We smoak'd the Beans almost as bad as unlucky schoolboys us'd to do the coblers, till they sneak'd off one by one, and left behind 'em more agreeable Company.
1785. Grose, Dict. of the Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
See also Peter Funk.
Funker, subs. (old).—1. A pipe; a
cigar; a fire. [From funk = to
smoke + er.]
2. (thieves').—A low thief.
1848. Duncombe, Sinks of London, etc., s.v.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, or Rogue's Lexicon. Funkers, the very lowest order of thieves.
3. (colloquial).—A coward.
4. (prostitutes').—A girl that shirks her trade in bad weather.
Funking-room, subs. (medical).—The
room at the Royal College of
Surgeons where the students
collect on the last evening of their
final during the addition of their
marks, and whence each is summoned
by an official announcing
failure or success.
1841. Punch, I., p. 225, col. 2. On the top of a staircase he enters a room, wherein the partners of his misery are collected. It is a long, narrow apartment, commonly known as the funking-room.
Funkster, subs. (Winchester
College).—A coward; one that
funks (q.v.).
Funky, adj. (colloquial).—Nervous;
frightened; timid.
1845. Naylor, Reynard the Fox, 46. I do seem somewhat funky.
1863. C. Reade, Hard Cash, I., 143. On his retiring with twenty-five, scored in eight minutes, the remaining Barkingtonians were less funky, and made some fair scores.
1876. Hindley, Life and Adventures of a Cheapjack, p. 237. The second round commences with a little cautious sparring on both sides, the bouncing Elias looking very funky.
1891. Hume Nisbet, Bail Up! p. 51. 'I'll noy funky,' returned the China-*man impressively.
Funnel, subs. (common).—The
throat. For synonyms, see Gutter
Alley.
