Heading
married man whose wife lives in adultery with another); mandilejo (vulgar).
Fancy-piece, subs. (venery).—A prostitute. For synonyms, see Barrack-hack and Tart.
Fancy-work. To take in fancy
WORK, verb. phr. (popular).—To
play the prostitute on the
sly; in the language of venery,
'to work for one's living and do
the naughty for one's clothes.'
Said of women (as milliners, dressmakers,
shop girls, and so forth)
in receipt of low wages yet dressing
well and having plenty of money.
'How does she do it?' 'Oh! she
TAKES IN FANCY-WORK!' Cf.,
Fancy-house and Ride.
Fang-faker, subs. (common).—A
dentist. [From Fang, a long
pointed tooth + Faker (q.v.).]
FANG-CHOVEY = a dental establishment.—See
Chovey.
Fanning, verb. subs. (thieves').—1.
Stealing; Cross-fanning =
robbery from the person, the
arms of the manipulator being
folded.
2. (old).—A beating. [From Fan (q.v.), to beat + ing.]
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
