4. (gamesters').—Gambling.
Adj. (colloquial).—Trifling; trivial; fussing with nothing.
b. 1667, d. 1745. Swift [quoted in 'Annandale']. Good cooks cannot abide what they call fiddling work.
1802. C. K. Sharpe, in Correspondence (1888), i., 152. He is a mighty neat, pretty little, fiddling fellow, and exceedingly finely bred.
1880. Hawley Smart, Social Sinners, ch. xiii. I will look in at that time, and trust to find you have settled all these fiddling preliminaries.
Fid-fad, subs. (old).—A contracted
form of fiddle-faddle (q.v.);
also applied to persons.
1754. The World, No. 95. The youngest, who thinks in her heart that her sister is no better than a slattern, runs into the contrary extreme, and is, in everything she does, an absolute fidfad.
1874. E. L. Linton, Patricia Kemball, ch. xvi. The fidfads, called improvements, which were not wanted and seldom properly managed.
Fidlam-Bens or Coves, subs.
(thieves').—Thieves who steal
anything they can lay hands on.
Also St. Peter's Sons.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v.
Fie-for-shame, subs. phr. (schoolgirls').—The
female pudendum.
For synonyms, see Monosyllable.
Field. To chop the field, verb.
phr. (racing).—To win easily
[Field = the horses taking part
in a race.]
Fielder, subs. (betting).—A backer
of the field [i.e., the ruck (q.v.).
as against the favorite]. At
cricket, a player in the field as
against the team at the wickets.
1853. Wh. Melville, Digby Grand, ch. vi. I accommodate a vociferous fielder with 6 to 4 in hundreds as my concluding stake.
1883. Graphic, 11 August, p. 138, col. 2. As a batter, bowler, and fielder combined . . . he has yet no equal.
Field-lane Duck, subs. phr. (common).—A
baked sheep's head.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, s.v.
1848. Duncombe, Sinks of London, s.v.
Fient, intj. phr. (Scots colloquial).—An
expression of negation: e.g.,
fient a hair care I = Devil a hair
I care.
Fieri Facias. To have been
served with a writ of fieri
facias, verb. phr. (legal).—Said
of a red-nosed man. [A play
upon words.]
1594. Nashe, Unf. Traveller, in wks. v., 44. Should I tell you how many pursenants with red noses, and sargeants with precious faces, shrunke away in this sweat, you would not belieue me . . . a pursenant or a sargeant at this present, with the verie reflexe of his firie facias, was able to spoile a man a farre of.
1608. Penniles Parl, in Harl. Misc. (ed. Park), I., 182. They that drink too much Spanish sack, shall, about July, be served with a fiery faces.
1663. Dryden, Wild Gallant, Act ii. Vour. You are very smart upon one another, gentlemen. Fail. This is nothing between us; I was to tell him of his title, fiery facias; and his setting dog, that runs into ale-houses before him.
Fiery Lot, subs. phr. (common).—Fast
(q.v.); rollicking; applied
to a hot member (q.v.).
Fiery Snorter, subs. phr. (common).—A
red nose.
Fifer, subs. (tailors').—1. A waistcoat
'hand.'
