Heading
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.
2. (common).—To spend money.
1728. Bailey, Dict., s.v.
To be, sit, or ride on the fence, verb. phr. (American).—To be neutral; to be ready to join the winning side; to wait 'to see how the cat will jump.' Also, To sit on both sides of the hedge. [Cf., Latin prævaricato = straddling with distorted legs.]—See Jumping Cat.
1862. J. Russell Lowell, Biglow Papers, II., p. 97. A kind o' hangin' round an' settin' on the fence, Till Providence pinted how to jump an' save the most expense.
1887. 'Political Slang,' in Cornhill Mag., June, p. 626. Those who sit on the fence—men with impartial minds, who wait to see, as another pretty phrase has it, 'how the cat will jump.'
1888. Texas Siftings, 7 July. While Democratic papers will claim that Judge Thurman is as hearty and well at seventy-five as he was at fifty-five, journals on the other side of the fence will represent him to be a weak, feeble old man, much better fitted for the invalid than the vice-presidential chair.
Those who thus seek to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds are called fence-men. The operation is fence-riding, which sometimes qualifies for rail-riding (q.v.).
1848. New York Herald, 14 Oct. All the fence-men, all the doubters, all the seekers after majorities, will now bustle up, come out, and declare that General Taylor is the most popular man in the country, and that he was always their first choice.
1868. Congressional Globe, 17 July, This question is one of clear right and wrong, and there can be no fence-riding, when the rights of four millions of men are at stake.
Fencer, subs. (tramps').—A
hawker of small wares; a tramp:
generally used in connection
with another word; thus, driz-fencer
(q.v.) = a pedlar of lace.
Fencing-Crib or Ken, subs.
(thieves').—A place where stolen
goods are purchased or secreted.—See
Fence, subs., sense 2.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
1839. W. H. Ainsworth, Jack Sheppard, p. 277, ed. 1840. 'It only leads to the fencing crib,' replied Wild. 'There's no outlet that way.'
Fencing-Cully, subs. (thieves').—A
receiver of stolen goods.—See
Fence.
1720. Bailey, Dict., s. v.
Fen-Nightingale, subs. (common).—A
frog. Also Cambridgeshire,
and Cape Nightingale.
Ferguson. You can't lodge
here, Mr. Ferguson, phr.
(street).—A street cry, popular
about 1845-50; used in derision or
denial. [Mr. J. H. Dixon, writing
to Mr. John Camden Hotten, under
date Nov. 6, 1864, says the phrase
originated thus:—A young Scotsman,
named Ferguson, visited
Epsom races, where he got very
drunk. His friends applied to
several hotel keepers to give him
