FF,être de l’—— (popular), that is,être fichu,flambé,foutu,fricassé,frit,fumé,to be lost, ruined, “cracked up,” “gone to smash.”Fabricant,m.(popular),de culbutes, orde fourreaux,tailor, “rag-stabber.”Je me suis carmé d’une bath pelure chez le —— de culbutes,I have bought a fine coat at the tailor’s.Fabrication,f.(thieves’),passer à la ——, orêtre fabriqué,to be apprehended.Faire passer à la ——,to apprehend.Fabriquer(thieves’),to apprehend, “to smug;”to steal, “to claim;”—— un gas à la flan,à la rencontre, orà la dure,to rob from the person with violence, “to jump;”—— un poivrot,to rob a drunkard.Façade,f.(popular),head, or “nut;”face, or “mug.” (Cocottes’)Se faire la ——,to paint one’s face, in other words, “to stick slap”on one’s face.Face,f.(popular and thieves’),a sou.Je ne donnerais pas une face de ta sorbonne si l’on tenait l’argent.—Balzac.Face du Grand Turc,the behind.Face!an exclamation used when a smash of glass or crockery is heard, the word being the French rendering for the exclamation “heads!” at pitch and toss.Facile à la détente(popular),is said of one who readily settles a debt, or opens the strings of his purse.Factionnaire,m.(popular),poser un ——,to ease oneself.Relever un ——,to slip out of a workshop in order to go and drink a glass of wine kept ready by a comrade at a neighbouring wine-shop.Facturier,m.(theatrical),one whosespécialitéis to produce songs termed“couplets de facture,”for the stage or music halls.Fadage,m.(thieves’),the act of sharing the plunder, or “cutting it up.”Fadard,adj.andm.(popular),dandy, or “gorger.” For synonyms seeGommeux.Fade,m.(popular),a fop or empty swell, a “dundreary;”one’s share in the reckoning, or “shot;”a workman’s wages.Toucher son ——,to receive one’s wages. (Thieves’) Fade,a rogue’s share in the proceeds of a robbery, or “whack;”money, or “pieces.”Puisque je ne l’ai plus, elle, pas plus que je n’ai du fade, Charlot peut aiguiser son couperet, je ne regrette plus ma tête.—Mémoires de Monsieur Claude.Fadé,adj.(popular),drunk, or “screwed.” SeePompette.Etre bien ——,to be quite drunk, or “scammered;”to have received a good share;to be well treated by fate. Is used also ironically or sorrowfully:Me voilà bien ——!a bad job for me! Here I am in a fine plight!(Thieves’)Etre ——,to have received one’s share of ill-gotten gains;to have had one’s“whack.”Fader(thieves’),to divide the booty among the participators in a robbery, “to nap the regulars,” or “to cut up.”Fadeurs,f. pl.(popular),des ——!nonsense!“all my eye!” Concerning this English rendering the supplementaryEnglish Glossarysays: “All my eye,nonsense, untrue. Sometimes ‘All my eye and Betty Martin.’ The explanation that it was the beginning of a prayer, ‘O mihi beate Martine,’ will not hold water. Dr. Butler, when headmaster of Shrewsbury, ... told his boys that it arose from a gipsy woman in Shrewsbury named Betty Martin giving a black eye to a constable, who was chaffed by the boys accordingly. The expression must have been common in 1837, as Dickens gives one of the Brick Lane Temperance testimonials as from ‘Betty Martin, widow, one child, and one eye.’—Pickwick,ch. xxxiii.”Fafelard,m.(thieves’),passport;bank note, or “soft;”—— à la manque,forged note, or “queer soft;”—— d’emballage,warrant of arrest.Faffe,m.(thieves’),paper;—— à roulotter,cigarette paper;bank note, or “soft.”Fafiot,m.(popular and thieves’),document, or “fakement;”shoe, or “trotter case.” SeeRipaton.Fafiot,bank note, or “soft.”Fafiot! n’entendez-vous pas le bruissement du papier de soie?—Balzac.Fafiot garaté,banknote, or “soft.” An allusion to the signature of the cashierM.Garat, which notes of theBanque de Franceformerly bore.On invente les billets de banque, le bagne les appelle des fafiots garatés, du nom de Garat, le caissier qui les signe.—Balzac.Un —— en bas âge,a one hundred franc note.Un —— femelle,a five hundred franc note.Un —— lof,a false begging petition; forged certificate, or false passport, “fakement.”Un —— mâle,a one thousand franc note.Le billet de mille francs est un fafiot mâle, le billet de cinq cents francs un fafiot femelle.—Balzac.Un —— sec,a genuine certificate or passport.Fabriquer des fafiots, ordu fafelard à la manque,to forge bank notes, “to fake queer soft.”Fafioteur,m.(thieves’),paper manufacturer or merchant;banker, “rag-shop boss;”writer; (popular)cobbler, or “snob.”Faflard. SeeFafelard.Fagaut(thieves’), the wordfautdisguised.Il ne —— dégueularder sur sa fiole,we must say nothing about him.Fagot,cotteret, orfalourde,m.(thieves’),convict, probably from his being tied up like a bundle of sticks.Un —— à perte de vue,one sentenced to penal servitude for life, or “lifer.”Un —— affranchi,a liberated convict, or “lag.”Un —— en campe,an escaped felon. (Familiar)Un ——,a candidate for theEcole des Eaux et Forêts, a government training school for surveyors of State forests and canals.Fagotin,m.(popular),vagrant,tramp, “abraham-man,” or “piky.”Faiblard,m.(popular),sickly looking, weak person. Called in English slang “barber’s cat,” a term used in connection with an expression too coarse to print, according to theSlang Dictionary.Faignant,m.(popular),coward. A corruption offainéant,idle fellow.Failli chien,m.(sailors’),scamp.Un —— de terrien,a lubberly landsman.Le bateau va comme en rivière une gabarre,Sans personne au compas, et le mousse à la barre,Il faudrait n’être qu’un failli chien de terrien,Pour geindre en ce moment et se plaindre de rien.Richepin,La Mer.Faîne,f.(popular),a sou.Fainin,m.(popular),a centime.Faire(general),to steal, “to prig.” SeeGrinchir.Non qu’ils déboursent rien pour entrer, car ils fontLeur contre-marque aux gens qui sortent....Richepin,La Chanson des Gueux.Faire son nez,to look crestfallen,to look“glum;”—— son beurre,to benefit by;to make profits.Il m’a assuré que le général de Carpentras avait plus de quatre millions de rente. Je gagne bien de l’argent, moi, mais je ferais bien mon beurre avec ça.—E.Monteil.(Thieves’)Faire banque,to kill, seeRefroidir;—— un poivrot,to pick the pockets or steal the clothes of a drunken man, “bug-hunting;”—— des yeux de hareng,to put a man’s eyes out;—— flotter un pante,to drown one;—— du ragoûtorregoût,to talk about another’s actions, and thus to awaken the suspicions of the police.Ne fais pas du ragoût sur ton dab! (n’éveille pas les soupçons sur ton maître!) dit tout bas Jacques Collin.—Balzac.Faire la balle élastique,to go with an empty belly, “to be bandied.” Literallyto be as light as an india-rubber ball;—— la console, or consolation,one of a series of card-sharping games, termed as follows, “arranger les pantres,” or “bonneteau,” “un coup de bonnet,” or “parfaite,” “flambotté aux rotins,” or “anglaise;”—— la bride,to steal watch-guards, “to buz slangs;”—— la fuite,la jat jat,la paire,le patatrot,faire cric,faire vite,to run away, “to make beef, or to guy.” SeePatatrot.Faire la grande soulasse sur le trimar,to murder on the highway;—— la grèce, orplumer le pantre,to entice a traveller from a railway station into a café, where he is robbed of his money at a swindling game of cards;—— la retourne des baguenaudes,to pickthe pockets of a helpless man, “to fake a cly;”—— la souris,to rob stealthily, “to nip;”—— la tire,to pick pockets, generally by means of a pair of scissors delicately inserted, or a double-bladed penknife, “to fake a cly;”—— la tire à la chicane, explained by quotation:—Ils font la tire à la chicane, en tournant le dos à celui qu’ils dépouillent.—Du Camp.Faire la tortue,to go without any food;—— le barbot dans une cambriolle,to steal property from a room, “to do a crib;”—— le bobe,to steal watches, “toy getting;”—— l’égard,to retain for oneself the proceeds of a robbery;—— le gaf,to watch, “to nark, to give a roasting, to nose, to lay, or to dick;”—— le lézard,to decamp, “to guy,” seePatatrot;—— le morlingue,to steal a purse, “to buz a skin or poge;”—— le mouchoir,to steal pocket-handkerchiefs, called “stook hauling, fogle hunting, or drawing the wipe;”—— le pantre,to play the fool;—— le rendème or rendémi,to swindle a tradesman by picking up again from his counter a gold coin tendered for payment, and making off with both coin and change;—— nonneis said of accomplices, or “jollies,”who form a small crowd so as to facilitate a thief’s operations;—— la balle à quelqu’un,to carry out one’s instructions.Fais sa balle! (suis ses instructions), dit Fil-de-Soie.—Balzac,La Dernière Incarnation de Vautrin.Faire son temps,to undergo a full term of imprisonment;—— sauter la coupe,to place, by dexterous manipulation, the cut card on the top, instead of at the bottom of the pack, termed by English card-sharpers “slipping;”—— suer un chêne,to kill a man, “to cook his goose.” SeeRefroidir.Faire sur l’orgue,to inform against, “to blow the gaff;”—— un coup à l’esbrouffe,to pick a person’s pockets while hustling him, “to flimp;”—— un coup d’étal,to steal property from a shop. A shoplifter is termed in English cant “buttock and file;”—— un coup de fourchette,to pick a pocket by delicately inserting two fingers only;—— coup de roulotte,to steal property from a vehicle;—— un rancart,to procure information;—— une maison entière,to break into a house and to massacre all the inmates; (artists’)—— chaud,to use warm tints in a painting, after the style of Rembrandt and other colourists;—— culotte,—— rôti,comparative and superlative offaire chaud;—— cru,to use crude tints in a picture, for instance, to use blue or red without any adjunction of another colour;—— cuire sa toile,to employ very warm tints in the painting of a picture;—— transparent,to paint inclair obscur, or “chiaro oscuro;”—— lanterne,to exaggerate the “chiaro oscuro;”—— grenouillardorcroustillant,to paint in masterly, bold, dashing style, with“brio.” The expression is used also in reference to the statuary art. The works of the painterDelacroixand those of the sculptorPréaultare executed in that style;—— sa cimaise sur quelqu’un. SeeCimaise.Faire un pétard,to paint a sensational picture for the Salon. TheSaloméofH.Regnault, his masterpiece, may be termed a “pétard;”—— des crêpes,to have a grand jollification, or “flare up;” (freemasons’)—— feu,to drink; (theatrical)—— feu,to lay peculiar stress on words; (mountebanks’)—— la manche,to make a collection of money among the public, or “nobbing;” (popular)—— à la redresse,to set one right,to correct one;—— danser un homme sur une pelle à feuis said of a woman who freely spends a man’s money; (familiar and popular)—— brûler Moscou,to mix a large bowl of punch;—— cabriolet,to drag oneself along on one’s behind;—— cascader, seeCascader;—— de cent sous quatre francs,to squander one’s money;—— de la musique,to make audible remarks about a game which is proceeding;—— de la poussière,to make a great fuss,to show off;—— de l’épate,to show off.Ces jeunes troupiers font de l’épate, des embarras si vous aimez mieux.—J. Noriac.Faire du lard,to sleep;to stay in bed late in the morning;—— du suif,to make unlawful profits, such as those procured by trade assistants who cheat their employers;—— faire à quelqu’un blanc de sa bourse,to draw freely on another’s purse,to live at his expense, “to sponge”on him;—— flanelle,to visit a brothel with platonic intentions;—— godard,to be starving;—— la place pour les pavés à ressort,to pretend to be looking for employment with a secret hope of not finding any;—— la retape, orle trottoir,to be a street-walker;—— l’écureuil,to give oneself much trouble to little purpose;—— le plongeon,to confess when on the point of death;to be ruined, “to be smashed up;”—— mal,to excite contemptuous pity.Tiens, tu me fais mal!well, I pity you!I am sorry for you!Faire passer le goût du pain,to kill, “to give one his gruel;”—— patrouille,to go on night revels with a number of boon companions, “to be on the tiles.”Quatre jours en patrouille, pour dire en folies bachiques.—Cabarets de Paris.Faire peau neuve,to get new clothes;—— petite chapelleis said of a woman who tucks up her clothes;—— pieds neufs,to be in childbed, or “in the straw;”—— pleurer son aveugle,to void urine, “to pump ship.” SeeLascailler.Faire saluer le polichinelle,to be more successful than others. An allusion to certain games at fairs, when a successful shy brings out a puppet-head like a Jack-in-the-box;—— sa Lucie, orsa Sophie,to play the prude,to give oneself conceited or disdainful airs;—— sa merde, orsa poire,to have self-satisfied, conceited airs;to take up an arrogant position;assuming an air of superiority;to be on the“high jinks;”—— sa tatais said of a talkative person, or of one who assumes an air of importance; of a girl, for example, who plays the little woman;—— ses petits paquets,to be dying;—— son Cambronne,an euphemism for a coarse expression, “faire sa merde” (which see);—— son lézard,to be dozing during the daytime, like a lizard basking in the sun;—— un bœuf,to guillotine;to give cards;—— suer,to annoy;to disgust.Ainsi, leur politique extérieure, vrai! ça fait suer depuis quelque temps.—Zola,L’Assommoir.Faire un tassement, orun trou,to drink spirits in the course of a meal for the purpose of getting up a fresh appetite, synonymous of “faire le trou du Normand;”—— une femme,to succeed in finding a woman willing to give her favours;—— son fendant,to bluster;to swagger;to look big.Ne fais donc pas ton fendant, “come off the tall grass!” (an Americanism).Faire une entrée de ballet,to enter a room without bowing to the company.En —— sonbeurre,to put to good use, to good profit.Et, si ton monsieur est bien nippé, démande-lui un vieux paletot, j’en ferai mon beurre.—Zola,L’Assommoir.La —— à quelqu’un,to deceive, “to bamboozle”one.Faut pas m’la faire!may be rendered by “I don’t take that in;” “no go;” “not for Joe;” “do you see any green in my eye?” “Walker!”Vas-tu t’ taire, vas tu t’ taire,Celle-là faudrait pas m’la faire,As-tu fini tes façons?Celle-là nous la connaissons!Parisian Song.La —— à,to seek to impose upon by an affected show of some feigned sentiment.La —— à la pose,to show off;to pose.J’ pense malgré moi à la gueule dégoûtée que f’rait un décadent, ou un pessimiste au milieu de ce méli-mêlo.... Y nous la f’rait diantrement à la pose.—Trublot,Cri du Peuple, Sept., 1886.La —— à la raideur,to put on a distant manner,to look“uppish.”La —— à l’oseille,to treat one in an off-hand manner;to annoy one, or “to huff;”to play a scurvy trick;to exaggerate, “to come it too strong.” According toDelvan, the origin of the expression is the following:—A certain restaurant keeper used to serve up to her clients a mess of eggs and sorrel, in which the sorrel was out of all proportion to the quantity of eggs. One day one of the guests exclaimed in disgust, “Ah! cette fois, tu nous la fais trop à l’oseille!” (Popular)Se —— caramboleris said of a woman who gives her favours.Elle sentit très bien, malgré son avachissement, que la culbute de sa petite, en train de se faire caramboler, l’enfonçait davantage ... oui, ce chameau dénaturé lui emportait le dernier morceau de son honnêteté.—Zola,L’Assommoir.Se —— relicher,to get kissed.Ah! bien! qu’elle se laissât surprendre à se faire relicher dehors, elle était sûre de son affaire.... Dès qu’elle rentrait, ... il la regardait bien en face, pour deviner si elle ne rapportait pas une souris sur l’œil, un de ces petits baisers.—Zola,L’Assommoir.S’en —— éclater le péritoine, orpéter la sous-ventrière,to eat or drink to excess, “to scorf.”Tu t’en ferais péter la sous-ventrière, ortu t’en ferais mourir,expressive of ironical refusal;don’t you wish you may get it?or, as the Americans have it, “Yes, in a horn.”Se —— baiser, or choper,to get abused;to be apprehended. SeePiper.Se —— la débinette,to run away, “to guy,” “to slope.” SeePatatrot.La —— belle,to be happy;to lead a happy life.Faire des petits pains,du plat, ordu boniment,to eulogize;to try and persuade one into complying with one’s wishes; (military)—— suisse,to drink all by oneself at a café or wine-shop. The cavalry maintain that infantry soldiers alone are capable of so hideous an offence; (printers’)—— banque blèche,to get no pay; (Sodomists’)—— de la dentelle, the explanation is furnished by the following quotation:—Tantôt se plaçant dans une foule, ... ils provoquent les assistants derrière eux en faisant de la dentelle, c’est à dire en agitant les doigts croisés derrière leur dos, ou ceux qui sont devant à l’aide de la poussette, en leur faisant sentir un corps dur, le plus souvent un long bouchon qu’ils ont disposé dans leur pantalon, de manière a simuler ce qu’on devine et à exciter ainsi les sens de ceux qu’ils jugent capables de céder à leur appel.—Tardieu,Etude Médico-légale sur les Attentats aux Mœurs.(Card-sharpers’)Faire le Saint-Jean,to cough and spit as a signal to confederates.L’invitation acceptée, l’amorceur fait le Saint-Jean, c’est-à-dire qu’atteint d’une toux subite, il se détourne pour expectorer bruyamment. A ce signal deux complicesse hâtent de se rendre à l’endroit convenu d’avance.—Pierre Delcourt,Paris Voleur.Faire le saut de coupe,by dexterous manipulation to place the cut card on the top, instead of at the bottom of the pack, “to slip”a card;—— la carte large,to insert a card somewhat larger than the rest, and easily recognizable for sharpers’ eyes, this card being called by English sharpers “old gentleman;”—— le pont,cheating trick at cards, by which any particular card is cut by previously curving it by the pressure of the hand, “bridge;”—— le filage,to substitute a card for another, “to slip”it;—— la carte à l’œil,to prepare a card in such a manner that it shall be easily recognized by the sharper. English card-sharpers arrange cards into “concaves and convexes” and “longs and shorts.” By cutting in a peculiar manner, a “concave” or “convex” is secured at will; (thieves’ and cads’)—— la jactance,to talk;to question, or “cross-kid;”—— la bourrique,to inform against, “to blow the gaff.”Le curieux lui a fait la jactance, il a entravé et fait la bourrique,the judge examined him; he allowed himself to be outwitted, and peached.Faire le saut,to leave without paying for one’s reckoning.Se —— enfiler,to be apprehended, or “smugged.” SeePiper.Se —— enturer,to be robbed, swindled;to lose one’s money at a game, or “to blew it.”La —— à l’anguille,to strike one with an eelskin or handkerchief filled with sand.Ah! gredins, dit-il, vous me l’avez faite à l’anguille.... L’anguille ... est cette arme terrible des rôdeurs de barrière qui ne fournit aucune pièce de conviction, une fois qu’on s’en est servi. Elle consiste dans un mouchoir qu’on roule après l’avoir rempli de terre. En tenant cette sorte de fronde par un bout, tout le poids de la terre va à l’autre extrémité et forme une masse redoutable.—A. Laurin,Le Million de l’Ouvrière.Rabelaishas the expression “donner l’anguillade,” with the signification ofto strike. (Military schools’)Faire une brimade, or brimer,to ill-treat,to bully, termed “to brock” at Winchester School.Fais(popular),j’y ——,I am willing;I consent.Faisan,m.SeeBande noire.Faisander(popular),se ——, of persons,to grow old,to become rickety, of things,to be decayed,worn out, “seedy.”Faisanderie,f., orbande noire,swindling gang composed of the“frères de la côte, orde la flotte,”denominated respectively“grands faisans,” “petits faisans,” “fusilleurs.” SeeBande noire.Faiseur d’œil,m.(popular),Lovelace.Faiseuse d’anges,f.(familiar),woman who makes a living by baby-farming, or one who procures a miscarriage by unlawful practices.Faitré,adj.(thieves’),lost;safe for a conviction, “booked,” or “hobbled.”Falot,m.(military),military cap.Falourde,f.(thieves’),a returned transport, a “lag;” (players’)double six of dominoes; (popular)—— engourdie,corpse, “cold meat.”Falzar,m.(popular),trousers, “kicks, sit-upons, hams, or trucks.”Sans —— autour des guibolles,without any trousers, or with trousers in tatters.Familières,f. pl.,female prisoners employed as assistants at the prisonofSaint-Lazare, and who, in consequence, are allowed more freedom than their fellow-convicts.Fanal,m.(popular),throat, “gutter lane.”S’éclairer le ——,to drink, or “to wet one’s whistle.” SeeRincer.Colle-toi ça dans l’——,eat or drink that.Altérer le ——,to make one thirsty.Ceux-ci insinuent que cette opération a pour but d’altérer le fanal et de pousser simplement à la consommation.—P.Mahalin.Fanande,m.(thieves’), abbreviation offanandel,m.,comrade, or “pal.”V’là les fanand’s qui radinent,Ohé! tas d’ pochetés.J.Richepin.Fanandel,m.(thieves’),comrade,friend, “pal.”Ce mot de fanandel veut dire à la fois: frères, amis, camarades. Tous les voleurs, les forçats, les prisonniers sont fanandels.—Balzac.Faner(popular).Mon verre se fane,my glass is empty. (Thieves’)Fourche à ——,horseman.Fanfare,f.(popular),sale truc pour la ——!exclamation of disgust,a bad look-out for us!Fanfe,f.SeeFauve.Fanfouiner(thieves’),to take snuff.Fanfouineur,m.,fanfouineuse,f.(thieves’),person who is in the habit of taking snuff.Fantabosse, orfantasboche,m.(military),infantry soldier, “beetle-crusher,” or “grabby.”Fantasia,f.(familiar),noisy proceeding more brilliant than useful. An allusion to the fantasia of Arab horsemen.Donner dans la ——,to be fond of noisily showing off. (Popular)Une ——,a whim, or “fad.”Fantassin,m.(military),bolster.Faoen(Breton),riddle.Faraud,m.(thieves’),gentleman, “nib cove.”Faraude,f.(thieves’),lady, or “burerk.”Faraudec,faraudette,f.(thieves’),young girl, or “lunan.”Farce,f.(general),en avoir la ——,to be able to procure.Pour deux sous on en a la ——,an expenditure of one penny will procure it for you.Une —— de fumiste,a practical joke.Veut-on savoir d’où vient l’origine de cette locution: une farce de fumiste? Elle provient de la manière d’opérer d’une bande de voleurs fumistes de profession, ... ils montaient dans les cheminées pour dévaliser les appartements déserts et en faire sortir les objets les plus précieux par les toits.—Mémoires de Monsieur Claude.Farceur,m.(artists’),human skeleton serving as a model at theEcole des Beaux Arts, or the Paris Art School, thus called on account of its being put to use for practical joking at the expense of newcomers.Farcher(thieves’), forfaucher dans le pont,to fall into a trap; to allow oneself to be duped, or“bested.”Fard,m.(popular),falsehood, or “swack up.”Sans ——,without humbug, “all square.”Avoir un coup de ——,to be slightly intoxicated, or “elevated.” SeePompette. (Familiar and popular)Piquer un ——,to redden,to blush.Fard, properlyrouge. Termed “to blow” at Winchester School.Fardach(Breton),worthless people.Farder(popular),se ——,to get tipsy, “to get screwed.” For synonyms seeSculpter.Fare,f.,heap of salt in salt-marshes.Farfadet,m.(popular and thieves’),horse, or “prad.”Far-far,farre(popular and thieves’),quickly,in a“brace of shakes.”Farfouiller(popular),le —— dans le tympan,to whisper in one’s ear.Fargue,m.(thieves’),load.Farguement,m.(thieves’),loading;deposition of a witness for the prosecution.Farguer(thieves’),to load.Si vous êtes fargués de marchandises grinchies (si vous êtes chargés de marchandises volées).—Vidocq.Farguer à la dure,to pounce upon a person and rob him, “to jump”him.Il fagaut farguer à la dure le gonsarès pour lui dégringolarer son bobinarès,we must attack the fellow to ease him of his watch.Fargueur,m.(thieves’),man who loads;witness for the prosecution.Faridole,f.(prostitutes’),female companion.Faridon,f.(popular),poverty.Etre à la ——,to be penniless, or a “quisby.”Farineux,adj.(popular),excellent,first class, “tip top, out and out, clipping, slap up, real jam, true marmalade, nap.”Farnandel, forFanandel(which see).Farrago,m.(literary),manuscript with many alterations and corrections.Fassolette,f.(thieves’),handkerchief, “stook,” or “madam.”Fatigue,f.(thieves’),certain amount of labour which convicts have to do at the penal servitude settlement.Faubert,m.(marines’),epaulet. Properlya mop.Faubourg,m.(popular),le —— souffrant,theFaubourg Saint Marceau, one of the poorer districts of Paris.Détruire le —— à quelqu’un,to give one a kick in the breech, “to root,” “to hoof one’s bum,” or “to land a kick.”Fauchants,faucheux,m. pl.(thieves’),scissors.Fauché,adj.(thieves’),être ——,être dans la purée, orêtre molle,to be penniless, or a “quisby.”Etre ——,to be guillotined. The synonyms are: “être raccourci,être buté,mettre la tête à la fenêtre,éternuer dans le son, ordans le sac,épouser la veuve,jouer à la main chaude,embrasser Charlot,moufionner son mufle dans le son,tirer sa crampe avec la veuve,passer sa bille au glaive,aller à l’Abbaye de Monte-à-regret,passer à la voyante,être mécanisé,être glaivé.”Fauche-ardent,m.(thieves’),snuffers.Faucher(popular),le persil,to be a street-walker. (Thieves’)Faucher,to deceive, “to best;”to steal, “to claim.” For synonyms seeGrinchir. Faucher,to guillotine. SeeFauché.Aussitôt les forçats, les ex-galériens, examinent cette mécanique ... ils l’appellent tout à coup l’Abbaye de Monte-à-Regret! Ils étudient l’angle décrit par le couperet d’acier et trouvent pour en peindre l’action, le verbe faucher!—Balzac,La Dernière Incarnation de Vautrin.Faucher dans le pont,to fall into a trap;—— le colas,to cut one’s throat;—— le grand pré,to be undergoing a term of penal servitude at a convict settlement. The convicts formerly were made to work on galleys, the long oar they plied being compared to a scythe and the sea to a large meadow.Lesage, in hisGil Blas,terms this “émoucher la mer avec un éventail de vingt pieds.” A more recent expression describes it as “écrire ses mémoires avec une plume de quinze pieds.”Fauchettes,f. pl.(popular and thieves’),scissors.Faucheur,m.(thieves’),thief who steals watch-chains, “slang or tackle-buzzer;” executioner. Properlyreaper.Rabelaiscalled him “Rouart,” orhe who breaks on the wheel; (journalists’)dandy. From his peculiar gait.Faucheux,m.(thieves’),scissors; (popular)man with long thin legs, or “daddy long-legs.” Properlya field spider.Fauchon,m.(popular),sword, “toasting-fork.”Un —— de satou,a wooden sword.Fauchure,f.(thieves’),a cut inflicted by some sharp instrument or weapon.Fauconnier,m.(thieves’),confederate of the proprietor of a gaming-house.Faussante,f.(thieves’),false name,alias.Fausse-couche,f.(popular),man without any energy,a“sappy”fellow. Properlya miscarriage.Fausse-manche,f.,fatigue jacket worn by the students of the military school ofSaint-Cyr.Fauve,f.(thieves’),snuff-box, or “sneezer.”Fauvette,f.(thieves’),à tête noire,gendarme.Faux-col,m.(familiar),head of a glass of beer.Garçon, trop d’faux-col à la clef!Waiter, too much head by half!Fédéré,m.(popular),avoir un —— dans la casemate,orun polichinelle dans le tiroir,to be pregnant, or “lumpy.”Fée,f.(popular and thieves’),love;young girl, or “titter.”La —— n’est pas loffe,the girl is no fool.Gaffine la ——,look at the girl, “nark the titter.”Féesant,m.(thieves’),lover. Fromfée,love.Féesante,f.(thieves’),sweetheart, or “moll.”Fêlé,adj.(popular),avoir le coco ——,to be crazy,to be“a bit balmy in one’s crumpet.”Fêler(popular),se ——,to become crazy.Felouse, orfenouse,f.(thieves’),meadow.Felouse,felouze, orfouillouse,f.(thieves’),pocket, or “cly;”—— à jeun,empty pocket.Il demanda à sezière s’il n’avait pas quelques luques de son babillard; il répondit qu’oui, et mit la louche en sa felouze et en tira une, et la ficha au cornet d’épices pour la mouchailler.—Le Jargon de l’Argot.(He asked him whether he had any pictures from his book. He said yes, and put his hand in his pocket, drew one out, and gave it to the friar to look at.)Femme,f.(familiar),de Breda,gay girl.Quartier Bredais the ParisSt.John’s Wood; (popular)—— au petit pot,rag-picker’s consort;—— de terrain,low prostitute, or “draggle-tail.” SeeGadoue. (Thieves’ and cads’)Femme de cavoisi,dressy prostitute who frequents theBoulevardcafés; (military)—— de l’adjudant,lock-up, “jigger,” or “Irish theatre;”—— de régiment,big drum; (familiar)—— pur faubourg,is said of a lady with highly polished manner, or ironically of one whose manners are anything but aristocratic.Fenasse,f.(popular),man without energy,a lazy man. Old wordfen,hay.Fendante,f.(thieves’),door, “jigger.” Termed also “lourde.”Fendart,m.(popular),braggart,swaggerer, or “swashbuckler.” Termed formerly “avaleur de charrettes ferrées.”Faire son ——,to brag,to swagger,to look big,to bluster, “to bulldoze” (American).Ne fais donc pas ton ——, “come off the tall grass,” as the Americans say.Fendre(thieves’),l’ergot,to run away. Literallyto split the spur. The toes being pressed to the ground in the act are naturally parted. For synonyms, French and English, seePatatrot. (Card-sharpers’)Fendre le cul à une carte,to notch a card for cheating purposes; (military)—— l’oreille,to place on the retired list. An allusion to the practice of splitting the ears of cavalry horses no longer fit for service and put up for auction, termed “cast” horses. (Popular)Fendre l’arche à quelqu’un,to bore one to death. Literallyto split one’s head. (General)Se ——,to give oneself or others an unusual treat.Je me fends d’une bouteille,I treat myself to (or I stand treat for) a bottle of wine.Zut! je me fends d’un supplément!... Victor, une troisième confiture!—Zola,Au Bonheur des Dames.Se —— à s’écorcher,to be very generous with one’s money.Fenêtre,f.(popular), boucher une—— à quelqu’un,to give one a black eye, “to put one’s eyes in half-mourning.”Faire la ——,is said of a prostitute who lies in wait at a window, and who by sundry alluring signs seeks to entice passers-by into entering the house.Mettre la tête à la ——,to be guillotined. An allusion to the passing the head through the lunette or circular aperture of the guillotine.Fenêtrière,f.(popular),prostitute who lies in wait at a window, whence she invites passers-by to enter.Fenouse, orfelouse,f.(thieves’),meadow.Féodec,adj.(thieves’),unjust.Fer à repasser,m.(popular),shoe, or “trotter-case.” SeeRipaton.Fer-blanc,m.(familiar),de ——,worthless.Des rognures de ——,inferior theatrical company.Un écrivain de ——,author without any ability, “penny-a-liner.”Ferblanterie,f.(familiar),decorations.Ferblantier,m.(naval),official.Ferlampier, orferlandier,m.(thieves’), bandit; sharper, or “hawk;”thief, or “prig;”lazy humbug;rogue, or “bad egg.”Ferlampiéformerly had the signification ofdunce.Ferlingante,f.(thieves’),crockery.Ferloques,f. pl.(popular),rags.Fermer(popular),maillard,to sleep, “to doss.” An allusion toM.Maillard, the inventor of iron-plate shutters;—— son compas,to stop walking;—— son parapluie,to die. SeePipe.Fermer son plomb, son égout, orsa boîte,to hold one’s tongue.Ferme ta boîte, “shut up!” “hold your jaw!” A synonymous but more polite expression, “Taceis Latin for a candle,” is used by Fielding.“Tace, madam,” answered Murphy, “is Latin for a candle; I commend your prudence.”—Fielding,Amelia.Féroce,m.andadj.(familiar), être—— sur l’article,to be strict.Pas ——,made of poor stuff.Un ——,one devoted to his duty.Ferré,adj.(thieves’),être ——,to be locked up, or “put away.”Ferrer le goujon(popular),to make one swallow the bait.Fertange, orfertille,f.(thieves’),straw.Tu es un rude mion; le môme pantinois n’est pas maquillé de fertille lansquinée.—V.Hugo,Les Misérables. (You are a stunner; a child of Paris is not made of wet straw.)Fertillante,f.(thieves’),feather;pen;tail.Fertille,f.(thieves’),face, or “mug;”straw, or “strommel.”Fertilliers,m. pl.(thieves’),wheat.Fesse,f.(popular),woman, “laced mutton.”Ma ——,my better half.Magasin de fesses,brothel, or “nanny-shop.” (Bullies’)Fesse,paramour, “moll.”Ma —— turbine,my girl is at work.Fesser(popular),to do a thing quickly;—— le champagne,to partake freely of champagne, “to swig sham or boy.”Rabelaishas the expression, “fouetter un verre,”to toss off the contents of a glass to the last drop.Fouette-moi ce verre galentement.—Rabelais,Gargantua.Feston(popular),faire du ——,pincer un ——,to reel about;to make zigzags under the influence of drink.Festonnage,m.(popular),reeling about under the influence of drink.Festonner des guibolles(popular),to reel about while in a state of intoxication.Fête,f.(popular),du boudin,Christmas. (Popular and thieves’)Etre de la ——,to be lucky, “to have cocum;”to have means, or to be“well ballasted.”Moi je suis toujours de la fête, j’ai toujours bogue et bon radin.—Vidocq.Fétiche,m.(gamesters’),marker, or any object which temporarily represents the sum of money which has been staked at some game.Feu,m.(theatrical),faire ——,to lay particular stress on words; (freemasons’)to drink. (Military)Ne pas s’embêterors’embrouiller dans les feux de file,to be independent;not to stick at trifles. (Familiar)Allumer les feux,to set a game going.Il est tout et il n’est rien dans ce cercle pschutt. Sa mission est d’allumer les feux, d’où son nom bien connu: l’allumeur.—A.Sirven.Feuille,f.(popular),de chou,ear, or “wattle.”Une —— de platane,a bad cigar, or “cabbage leaf.” (Saumurschool of cavalry)Une ——,a prostitute. (Familiar)Une —— de chou,newspaper of no importance;a worthless bond, not marketable.Voir la —— à l’envers,to have carnal intercourse, is said of a girl who gives her favours. (Military)Des feuilles de chou,infantry gaiters.Feuillet,m.(roughs’),leaf of cigarette paper.Aboule-moi un —— et une brouettée d’allumettes,give me some cigarette paper and a match.Feuilletée,adj.(familiar), properlyflaky.Semelle ——,worn-out sole. Termed also “pompe aspirante.”Parfois aussi elle n’a que des bottines suspectes, à semelles feuilletées qui sourient à l’asphalte avec une gaieté intempestive.—Théophile Gautier.Fève,f.,attraper la ——. SeeAttraper.Fiacre,m.(popular),remiser son ——,to become sedate, well-behaved.Fiat,m.(thieves’),trust;confidence.Il y a aujourd’hui tant de railles et de cuisiniers, qu’il n’y a plus de fiat du tout.—Vidocq.Ficard,m.(thieves’ and cads’),police officer, “crusher,” “pig,” “copper,” “reeler,” or “bulky.” SeePot-à-tabac.Ficeler(familiar and popular),to do;to dress.Bien ficelé,carefully done;well dressed.Voilà maman Vauquer belle comme un astre, ficelée comme une carotte.—Balzac,Le Père Goriot.Ficelle,f.(familiar and popular),dodge.Etre ——,to be tricky, a“dodger.”
F,être de l’—— (popular), that is,être fichu,flambé,foutu,fricassé,frit,fumé,to be lost, ruined, “cracked up,” “gone to smash.”
Fabricant,m.(popular),de culbutes, orde fourreaux,tailor, “rag-stabber.”Je me suis carmé d’une bath pelure chez le —— de culbutes,I have bought a fine coat at the tailor’s.
Fabrication,f.(thieves’),passer à la ——, orêtre fabriqué,to be apprehended.Faire passer à la ——,to apprehend.
Fabriquer(thieves’),to apprehend, “to smug;”to steal, “to claim;”—— un gas à la flan,à la rencontre, orà la dure,to rob from the person with violence, “to jump;”—— un poivrot,to rob a drunkard.
Façade,f.(popular),head, or “nut;”face, or “mug.” (Cocottes’)Se faire la ——,to paint one’s face, in other words, “to stick slap”on one’s face.
Face,f.(popular and thieves’),a sou.
Je ne donnerais pas une face de ta sorbonne si l’on tenait l’argent.—Balzac.
Face du Grand Turc,the behind.
Face!an exclamation used when a smash of glass or crockery is heard, the word being the French rendering for the exclamation “heads!” at pitch and toss.
Facile à la détente(popular),is said of one who readily settles a debt, or opens the strings of his purse.
Factionnaire,m.(popular),poser un ——,to ease oneself.Relever un ——,to slip out of a workshop in order to go and drink a glass of wine kept ready by a comrade at a neighbouring wine-shop.
Facturier,m.(theatrical),one whosespécialitéis to produce songs termed“couplets de facture,”for the stage or music halls.
Fadage,m.(thieves’),the act of sharing the plunder, or “cutting it up.”
Fadard,adj.andm.(popular),dandy, or “gorger.” For synonyms seeGommeux.
Fade,m.(popular),a fop or empty swell, a “dundreary;”one’s share in the reckoning, or “shot;”a workman’s wages.Toucher son ——,to receive one’s wages. (Thieves’) Fade,a rogue’s share in the proceeds of a robbery, or “whack;”money, or “pieces.”
Puisque je ne l’ai plus, elle, pas plus que je n’ai du fade, Charlot peut aiguiser son couperet, je ne regrette plus ma tête.—Mémoires de Monsieur Claude.
Fadé,adj.(popular),drunk, or “screwed.” SeePompette.Etre bien ——,to be quite drunk, or “scammered;”to have received a good share;to be well treated by fate. Is used also ironically or sorrowfully:Me voilà bien ——!a bad job for me! Here I am in a fine plight!(Thieves’)Etre ——,to have received one’s share of ill-gotten gains;to have had one’s“whack.”
Fader(thieves’),to divide the booty among the participators in a robbery, “to nap the regulars,” or “to cut up.”
Fadeurs,f. pl.(popular),des ——!nonsense!“all my eye!” Concerning this English rendering the supplementaryEnglish Glossarysays: “All my eye,nonsense, untrue. Sometimes ‘All my eye and Betty Martin.’ The explanation that it was the beginning of a prayer, ‘O mihi beate Martine,’ will not hold water. Dr. Butler, when headmaster of Shrewsbury, ... told his boys that it arose from a gipsy woman in Shrewsbury named Betty Martin giving a black eye to a constable, who was chaffed by the boys accordingly. The expression must have been common in 1837, as Dickens gives one of the Brick Lane Temperance testimonials as from ‘Betty Martin, widow, one child, and one eye.’—Pickwick,ch. xxxiii.”
Fafelard,m.(thieves’),passport;bank note, or “soft;”—— à la manque,forged note, or “queer soft;”—— d’emballage,warrant of arrest.
Faffe,m.(thieves’),paper;—— à roulotter,cigarette paper;bank note, or “soft.”
Fafiot,m.(popular and thieves’),document, or “fakement;”shoe, or “trotter case.” SeeRipaton.Fafiot,bank note, or “soft.”
Fafiot! n’entendez-vous pas le bruissement du papier de soie?—Balzac.
Fafiot garaté,banknote, or “soft.” An allusion to the signature of the cashierM.Garat, which notes of theBanque de Franceformerly bore.
On invente les billets de banque, le bagne les appelle des fafiots garatés, du nom de Garat, le caissier qui les signe.—Balzac.
Un —— en bas âge,a one hundred franc note.Un —— femelle,a five hundred franc note.Un —— lof,a false begging petition; forged certificate, or false passport, “fakement.”Un —— mâle,a one thousand franc note.
Le billet de mille francs est un fafiot mâle, le billet de cinq cents francs un fafiot femelle.—Balzac.
Un —— sec,a genuine certificate or passport.Fabriquer des fafiots, ordu fafelard à la manque,to forge bank notes, “to fake queer soft.”
Fafioteur,m.(thieves’),paper manufacturer or merchant;banker, “rag-shop boss;”writer; (popular)cobbler, or “snob.”
Faflard. SeeFafelard.
Fagaut(thieves’), the wordfautdisguised.Il ne —— dégueularder sur sa fiole,we must say nothing about him.
Fagot,cotteret, orfalourde,m.(thieves’),convict, probably from his being tied up like a bundle of sticks.Un —— à perte de vue,one sentenced to penal servitude for life, or “lifer.”Un —— affranchi,a liberated convict, or “lag.”Un —— en campe,an escaped felon. (Familiar)Un ——,a candidate for theEcole des Eaux et Forêts, a government training school for surveyors of State forests and canals.
Fagotin,m.(popular),vagrant,tramp, “abraham-man,” or “piky.”
Faiblard,m.(popular),sickly looking, weak person. Called in English slang “barber’s cat,” a term used in connection with an expression too coarse to print, according to theSlang Dictionary.
Faignant,m.(popular),coward. A corruption offainéant,idle fellow.
Failli chien,m.(sailors’),scamp.Un —— de terrien,a lubberly landsman.
Le bateau va comme en rivière une gabarre,Sans personne au compas, et le mousse à la barre,Il faudrait n’être qu’un failli chien de terrien,Pour geindre en ce moment et se plaindre de rien.Richepin,La Mer.
Le bateau va comme en rivière une gabarre,Sans personne au compas, et le mousse à la barre,Il faudrait n’être qu’un failli chien de terrien,Pour geindre en ce moment et se plaindre de rien.Richepin,La Mer.
Le bateau va comme en rivière une gabarre,Sans personne au compas, et le mousse à la barre,Il faudrait n’être qu’un failli chien de terrien,Pour geindre en ce moment et se plaindre de rien.Richepin,La Mer.
Le bateau va comme en rivière une gabarre,
Sans personne au compas, et le mousse à la barre,
Il faudrait n’être qu’un failli chien de terrien,
Pour geindre en ce moment et se plaindre de rien.
Richepin,La Mer.
Faîne,f.(popular),a sou.
Fainin,m.(popular),a centime.
Faire(general),to steal, “to prig.” SeeGrinchir.
Non qu’ils déboursent rien pour entrer, car ils fontLeur contre-marque aux gens qui sortent....Richepin,La Chanson des Gueux.
Non qu’ils déboursent rien pour entrer, car ils fontLeur contre-marque aux gens qui sortent....Richepin,La Chanson des Gueux.
Non qu’ils déboursent rien pour entrer, car ils fontLeur contre-marque aux gens qui sortent....Richepin,La Chanson des Gueux.
Non qu’ils déboursent rien pour entrer, car ils font
Leur contre-marque aux gens qui sortent....
Richepin,La Chanson des Gueux.
Faire son nez,to look crestfallen,to look“glum;”—— son beurre,to benefit by;to make profits.
Il m’a assuré que le général de Carpentras avait plus de quatre millions de rente. Je gagne bien de l’argent, moi, mais je ferais bien mon beurre avec ça.—E.Monteil.
(Thieves’)Faire banque,to kill, seeRefroidir;—— un poivrot,to pick the pockets or steal the clothes of a drunken man, “bug-hunting;”—— des yeux de hareng,to put a man’s eyes out;—— flotter un pante,to drown one;—— du ragoûtorregoût,to talk about another’s actions, and thus to awaken the suspicions of the police.
Ne fais pas du ragoût sur ton dab! (n’éveille pas les soupçons sur ton maître!) dit tout bas Jacques Collin.—Balzac.
Faire la balle élastique,to go with an empty belly, “to be bandied.” Literallyto be as light as an india-rubber ball;—— la console, or consolation,one of a series of card-sharping games, termed as follows, “arranger les pantres,” or “bonneteau,” “un coup de bonnet,” or “parfaite,” “flambotté aux rotins,” or “anglaise;”—— la bride,to steal watch-guards, “to buz slangs;”—— la fuite,la jat jat,la paire,le patatrot,faire cric,faire vite,to run away, “to make beef, or to guy.” SeePatatrot.Faire la grande soulasse sur le trimar,to murder on the highway;—— la grèce, orplumer le pantre,to entice a traveller from a railway station into a café, where he is robbed of his money at a swindling game of cards;—— la retourne des baguenaudes,to pickthe pockets of a helpless man, “to fake a cly;”—— la souris,to rob stealthily, “to nip;”—— la tire,to pick pockets, generally by means of a pair of scissors delicately inserted, or a double-bladed penknife, “to fake a cly;”—— la tire à la chicane, explained by quotation:—
Ils font la tire à la chicane, en tournant le dos à celui qu’ils dépouillent.—Du Camp.
Faire la tortue,to go without any food;—— le barbot dans une cambriolle,to steal property from a room, “to do a crib;”—— le bobe,to steal watches, “toy getting;”—— l’égard,to retain for oneself the proceeds of a robbery;—— le gaf,to watch, “to nark, to give a roasting, to nose, to lay, or to dick;”—— le lézard,to decamp, “to guy,” seePatatrot;—— le morlingue,to steal a purse, “to buz a skin or poge;”—— le mouchoir,to steal pocket-handkerchiefs, called “stook hauling, fogle hunting, or drawing the wipe;”—— le pantre,to play the fool;—— le rendème or rendémi,to swindle a tradesman by picking up again from his counter a gold coin tendered for payment, and making off with both coin and change;—— nonneis said of accomplices, or “jollies,”who form a small crowd so as to facilitate a thief’s operations;—— la balle à quelqu’un,to carry out one’s instructions.
Fais sa balle! (suis ses instructions), dit Fil-de-Soie.—Balzac,La Dernière Incarnation de Vautrin.
Faire son temps,to undergo a full term of imprisonment;—— sauter la coupe,to place, by dexterous manipulation, the cut card on the top, instead of at the bottom of the pack, termed by English card-sharpers “slipping;”—— suer un chêne,to kill a man, “to cook his goose.” SeeRefroidir.Faire sur l’orgue,to inform against, “to blow the gaff;”—— un coup à l’esbrouffe,to pick a person’s pockets while hustling him, “to flimp;”—— un coup d’étal,to steal property from a shop. A shoplifter is termed in English cant “buttock and file;”—— un coup de fourchette,to pick a pocket by delicately inserting two fingers only;—— coup de roulotte,to steal property from a vehicle;—— un rancart,to procure information;—— une maison entière,to break into a house and to massacre all the inmates; (artists’)—— chaud,to use warm tints in a painting, after the style of Rembrandt and other colourists;—— culotte,—— rôti,comparative and superlative offaire chaud;—— cru,to use crude tints in a picture, for instance, to use blue or red without any adjunction of another colour;—— cuire sa toile,to employ very warm tints in the painting of a picture;—— transparent,to paint inclair obscur, or “chiaro oscuro;”—— lanterne,to exaggerate the “chiaro oscuro;”—— grenouillardorcroustillant,to paint in masterly, bold, dashing style, with“brio.” The expression is used also in reference to the statuary art. The works of the painterDelacroixand those of the sculptorPréaultare executed in that style;—— sa cimaise sur quelqu’un. SeeCimaise.Faire un pétard,to paint a sensational picture for the Salon. TheSaloméofH.Regnault, his masterpiece, may be termed a “pétard;”—— des crêpes,to have a grand jollification, or “flare up;” (freemasons’)—— feu,to drink; (theatrical)—— feu,to lay peculiar stress on words; (mountebanks’)—— la manche,to make a collection of money among the public, or “nobbing;” (popular)—— à la redresse,to set one right,to correct one;—— danser un homme sur une pelle à feuis said of a woman who freely spends a man’s money; (familiar and popular)—— brûler Moscou,to mix a large bowl of punch;—— cabriolet,to drag oneself along on one’s behind;—— cascader, seeCascader;—— de cent sous quatre francs,to squander one’s money;—— de la musique,to make audible remarks about a game which is proceeding;—— de la poussière,to make a great fuss,to show off;—— de l’épate,to show off.
Ces jeunes troupiers font de l’épate, des embarras si vous aimez mieux.—J. Noriac.
Faire du lard,to sleep;to stay in bed late in the morning;—— du suif,to make unlawful profits, such as those procured by trade assistants who cheat their employers;—— faire à quelqu’un blanc de sa bourse,to draw freely on another’s purse,to live at his expense, “to sponge”on him;—— flanelle,to visit a brothel with platonic intentions;—— godard,to be starving;—— la place pour les pavés à ressort,to pretend to be looking for employment with a secret hope of not finding any;—— la retape, orle trottoir,to be a street-walker;—— l’écureuil,to give oneself much trouble to little purpose;—— le plongeon,to confess when on the point of death;to be ruined, “to be smashed up;”—— mal,to excite contemptuous pity.Tiens, tu me fais mal!well, I pity you!I am sorry for you!Faire passer le goût du pain,to kill, “to give one his gruel;”—— patrouille,to go on night revels with a number of boon companions, “to be on the tiles.”
Quatre jours en patrouille, pour dire en folies bachiques.—Cabarets de Paris.
Faire peau neuve,to get new clothes;—— petite chapelleis said of a woman who tucks up her clothes;—— pieds neufs,to be in childbed, or “in the straw;”—— pleurer son aveugle,to void urine, “to pump ship.” SeeLascailler.Faire saluer le polichinelle,to be more successful than others. An allusion to certain games at fairs, when a successful shy brings out a puppet-head like a Jack-in-the-box;—— sa Lucie, orsa Sophie,to play the prude,to give oneself conceited or disdainful airs;—— sa merde, orsa poire,to have self-satisfied, conceited airs;to take up an arrogant position;assuming an air of superiority;to be on the“high jinks;”—— sa tatais said of a talkative person, or of one who assumes an air of importance; of a girl, for example, who plays the little woman;—— ses petits paquets,to be dying;—— son Cambronne,an euphemism for a coarse expression, “faire sa merde” (which see);—— son lézard,to be dozing during the daytime, like a lizard basking in the sun;—— un bœuf,to guillotine;to give cards;—— suer,to annoy;to disgust.
Ainsi, leur politique extérieure, vrai! ça fait suer depuis quelque temps.—Zola,L’Assommoir.
Faire un tassement, orun trou,to drink spirits in the course of a meal for the purpose of getting up a fresh appetite, synonymous of “faire le trou du Normand;”—— une femme,to succeed in finding a woman willing to give her favours;—— son fendant,to bluster;to swagger;to look big.Ne fais donc pas ton fendant, “come off the tall grass!” (an Americanism).Faire une entrée de ballet,to enter a room without bowing to the company.En —— sonbeurre,to put to good use, to good profit.
Et, si ton monsieur est bien nippé, démande-lui un vieux paletot, j’en ferai mon beurre.—Zola,L’Assommoir.
La —— à quelqu’un,to deceive, “to bamboozle”one.Faut pas m’la faire!may be rendered by “I don’t take that in;” “no go;” “not for Joe;” “do you see any green in my eye?” “Walker!”
Vas-tu t’ taire, vas tu t’ taire,Celle-là faudrait pas m’la faire,As-tu fini tes façons?Celle-là nous la connaissons!Parisian Song.
Vas-tu t’ taire, vas tu t’ taire,Celle-là faudrait pas m’la faire,As-tu fini tes façons?Celle-là nous la connaissons!Parisian Song.
Vas-tu t’ taire, vas tu t’ taire,Celle-là faudrait pas m’la faire,As-tu fini tes façons?Celle-là nous la connaissons!Parisian Song.
Vas-tu t’ taire, vas tu t’ taire,
Celle-là faudrait pas m’la faire,
As-tu fini tes façons?
Celle-là nous la connaissons!
Parisian Song.
La —— à,to seek to impose upon by an affected show of some feigned sentiment.La —— à la pose,to show off;to pose.
J’ pense malgré moi à la gueule dégoûtée que f’rait un décadent, ou un pessimiste au milieu de ce méli-mêlo.... Y nous la f’rait diantrement à la pose.—Trublot,Cri du Peuple, Sept., 1886.
La —— à la raideur,to put on a distant manner,to look“uppish.”La —— à l’oseille,to treat one in an off-hand manner;to annoy one, or “to huff;”to play a scurvy trick;to exaggerate, “to come it too strong.” According toDelvan, the origin of the expression is the following:—A certain restaurant keeper used to serve up to her clients a mess of eggs and sorrel, in which the sorrel was out of all proportion to the quantity of eggs. One day one of the guests exclaimed in disgust, “Ah! cette fois, tu nous la fais trop à l’oseille!” (Popular)Se —— caramboleris said of a woman who gives her favours.
Elle sentit très bien, malgré son avachissement, que la culbute de sa petite, en train de se faire caramboler, l’enfonçait davantage ... oui, ce chameau dénaturé lui emportait le dernier morceau de son honnêteté.—Zola,L’Assommoir.
Se —— relicher,to get kissed.
Ah! bien! qu’elle se laissât surprendre à se faire relicher dehors, elle était sûre de son affaire.... Dès qu’elle rentrait, ... il la regardait bien en face, pour deviner si elle ne rapportait pas une souris sur l’œil, un de ces petits baisers.—Zola,L’Assommoir.
S’en —— éclater le péritoine, orpéter la sous-ventrière,to eat or drink to excess, “to scorf.”Tu t’en ferais péter la sous-ventrière, ortu t’en ferais mourir,expressive of ironical refusal;don’t you wish you may get it?or, as the Americans have it, “Yes, in a horn.”Se —— baiser, or choper,to get abused;to be apprehended. SeePiper.Se —— la débinette,to run away, “to guy,” “to slope.” SeePatatrot.La —— belle,to be happy;to lead a happy life.Faire des petits pains,du plat, ordu boniment,to eulogize;to try and persuade one into complying with one’s wishes; (military)—— suisse,to drink all by oneself at a café or wine-shop. The cavalry maintain that infantry soldiers alone are capable of so hideous an offence; (printers’)—— banque blèche,to get no pay; (Sodomists’)—— de la dentelle, the explanation is furnished by the following quotation:—
Tantôt se plaçant dans une foule, ... ils provoquent les assistants derrière eux en faisant de la dentelle, c’est à dire en agitant les doigts croisés derrière leur dos, ou ceux qui sont devant à l’aide de la poussette, en leur faisant sentir un corps dur, le plus souvent un long bouchon qu’ils ont disposé dans leur pantalon, de manière a simuler ce qu’on devine et à exciter ainsi les sens de ceux qu’ils jugent capables de céder à leur appel.—Tardieu,Etude Médico-légale sur les Attentats aux Mœurs.
(Card-sharpers’)Faire le Saint-Jean,to cough and spit as a signal to confederates.
L’invitation acceptée, l’amorceur fait le Saint-Jean, c’est-à-dire qu’atteint d’une toux subite, il se détourne pour expectorer bruyamment. A ce signal deux complicesse hâtent de se rendre à l’endroit convenu d’avance.—Pierre Delcourt,Paris Voleur.
Faire le saut de coupe,by dexterous manipulation to place the cut card on the top, instead of at the bottom of the pack, “to slip”a card;—— la carte large,to insert a card somewhat larger than the rest, and easily recognizable for sharpers’ eyes, this card being called by English sharpers “old gentleman;”—— le pont,cheating trick at cards, by which any particular card is cut by previously curving it by the pressure of the hand, “bridge;”—— le filage,to substitute a card for another, “to slip”it;—— la carte à l’œil,to prepare a card in such a manner that it shall be easily recognized by the sharper. English card-sharpers arrange cards into “concaves and convexes” and “longs and shorts.” By cutting in a peculiar manner, a “concave” or “convex” is secured at will; (thieves’ and cads’)—— la jactance,to talk;to question, or “cross-kid;”—— la bourrique,to inform against, “to blow the gaff.”Le curieux lui a fait la jactance, il a entravé et fait la bourrique,the judge examined him; he allowed himself to be outwitted, and peached.Faire le saut,to leave without paying for one’s reckoning.Se —— enfiler,to be apprehended, or “smugged.” SeePiper.Se —— enturer,to be robbed, swindled;to lose one’s money at a game, or “to blew it.”La —— à l’anguille,to strike one with an eelskin or handkerchief filled with sand.
Ah! gredins, dit-il, vous me l’avez faite à l’anguille.... L’anguille ... est cette arme terrible des rôdeurs de barrière qui ne fournit aucune pièce de conviction, une fois qu’on s’en est servi. Elle consiste dans un mouchoir qu’on roule après l’avoir rempli de terre. En tenant cette sorte de fronde par un bout, tout le poids de la terre va à l’autre extrémité et forme une masse redoutable.—A. Laurin,Le Million de l’Ouvrière.
Rabelaishas the expression “donner l’anguillade,” with the signification ofto strike. (Military schools’)Faire une brimade, or brimer,to ill-treat,to bully, termed “to brock” at Winchester School.
Fais(popular),j’y ——,I am willing;I consent.
Faisan,m.SeeBande noire.
Faisander(popular),se ——, of persons,to grow old,to become rickety, of things,to be decayed,worn out, “seedy.”
Faisanderie,f., orbande noire,swindling gang composed of the“frères de la côte, orde la flotte,”denominated respectively“grands faisans,” “petits faisans,” “fusilleurs.” SeeBande noire.
Faiseur d’œil,m.(popular),Lovelace.
Faiseuse d’anges,f.(familiar),woman who makes a living by baby-farming, or one who procures a miscarriage by unlawful practices.
Faitré,adj.(thieves’),lost;safe for a conviction, “booked,” or “hobbled.”
Falot,m.(military),military cap.
Falourde,f.(thieves’),a returned transport, a “lag;” (players’)double six of dominoes; (popular)—— engourdie,corpse, “cold meat.”
Falzar,m.(popular),trousers, “kicks, sit-upons, hams, or trucks.”Sans —— autour des guibolles,without any trousers, or with trousers in tatters.
Familières,f. pl.,female prisoners employed as assistants at the prisonofSaint-Lazare, and who, in consequence, are allowed more freedom than their fellow-convicts.
Fanal,m.(popular),throat, “gutter lane.”S’éclairer le ——,to drink, or “to wet one’s whistle.” SeeRincer.Colle-toi ça dans l’——,eat or drink that.Altérer le ——,to make one thirsty.
Ceux-ci insinuent que cette opération a pour but d’altérer le fanal et de pousser simplement à la consommation.—P.Mahalin.
Fanande,m.(thieves’), abbreviation offanandel,m.,comrade, or “pal.”
V’là les fanand’s qui radinent,Ohé! tas d’ pochetés.J.Richepin.
V’là les fanand’s qui radinent,Ohé! tas d’ pochetés.J.Richepin.
V’là les fanand’s qui radinent,Ohé! tas d’ pochetés.J.Richepin.
V’là les fanand’s qui radinent,
Ohé! tas d’ pochetés.
J.Richepin.
Fanandel,m.(thieves’),comrade,friend, “pal.”
Ce mot de fanandel veut dire à la fois: frères, amis, camarades. Tous les voleurs, les forçats, les prisonniers sont fanandels.—Balzac.
Faner(popular).Mon verre se fane,my glass is empty. (Thieves’)Fourche à ——,horseman.
Fanfare,f.(popular),sale truc pour la ——!exclamation of disgust,a bad look-out for us!
Fanfe,f.SeeFauve.
Fanfouiner(thieves’),to take snuff.
Fanfouineur,m.,fanfouineuse,f.(thieves’),person who is in the habit of taking snuff.
Fantabosse, orfantasboche,m.(military),infantry soldier, “beetle-crusher,” or “grabby.”
Fantasia,f.(familiar),noisy proceeding more brilliant than useful. An allusion to the fantasia of Arab horsemen.Donner dans la ——,to be fond of noisily showing off. (Popular)Une ——,a whim, or “fad.”
Fantassin,m.(military),bolster.
Faoen(Breton),riddle.
Faraud,m.(thieves’),gentleman, “nib cove.”
Faraude,f.(thieves’),lady, or “burerk.”
Faraudec,faraudette,f.(thieves’),young girl, or “lunan.”
Farce,f.(general),en avoir la ——,to be able to procure.Pour deux sous on en a la ——,an expenditure of one penny will procure it for you.Une —— de fumiste,a practical joke.
Veut-on savoir d’où vient l’origine de cette locution: une farce de fumiste? Elle provient de la manière d’opérer d’une bande de voleurs fumistes de profession, ... ils montaient dans les cheminées pour dévaliser les appartements déserts et en faire sortir les objets les plus précieux par les toits.—Mémoires de Monsieur Claude.
Farceur,m.(artists’),human skeleton serving as a model at theEcole des Beaux Arts, or the Paris Art School, thus called on account of its being put to use for practical joking at the expense of newcomers.
Farcher(thieves’), forfaucher dans le pont,to fall into a trap; to allow oneself to be duped, or“bested.”
Fard,m.(popular),falsehood, or “swack up.”Sans ——,without humbug, “all square.”Avoir un coup de ——,to be slightly intoxicated, or “elevated.” SeePompette. (Familiar and popular)Piquer un ——,to redden,to blush.Fard, properlyrouge. Termed “to blow” at Winchester School.
Fardach(Breton),worthless people.
Farder(popular),se ——,to get tipsy, “to get screwed.” For synonyms seeSculpter.
Fare,f.,heap of salt in salt-marshes.
Farfadet,m.(popular and thieves’),horse, or “prad.”
Far-far,farre(popular and thieves’),quickly,in a“brace of shakes.”
Farfouiller(popular),le —— dans le tympan,to whisper in one’s ear.
Fargue,m.(thieves’),load.
Farguement,m.(thieves’),loading;deposition of a witness for the prosecution.
Farguer(thieves’),to load.
Si vous êtes fargués de marchandises grinchies (si vous êtes chargés de marchandises volées).—Vidocq.
Farguer à la dure,to pounce upon a person and rob him, “to jump”him.Il fagaut farguer à la dure le gonsarès pour lui dégringolarer son bobinarès,we must attack the fellow to ease him of his watch.
Fargueur,m.(thieves’),man who loads;witness for the prosecution.
Faridole,f.(prostitutes’),female companion.
Faridon,f.(popular),poverty.Etre à la ——,to be penniless, or a “quisby.”
Farineux,adj.(popular),excellent,first class, “tip top, out and out, clipping, slap up, real jam, true marmalade, nap.”
Farnandel, forFanandel(which see).
Farrago,m.(literary),manuscript with many alterations and corrections.
Fassolette,f.(thieves’),handkerchief, “stook,” or “madam.”
Fatigue,f.(thieves’),certain amount of labour which convicts have to do at the penal servitude settlement.
Faubert,m.(marines’),epaulet. Properlya mop.
Faubourg,m.(popular),le —— souffrant,theFaubourg Saint Marceau, one of the poorer districts of Paris.Détruire le —— à quelqu’un,to give one a kick in the breech, “to root,” “to hoof one’s bum,” or “to land a kick.”
Fauchants,faucheux,m. pl.(thieves’),scissors.
Fauché,adj.(thieves’),être ——,être dans la purée, orêtre molle,to be penniless, or a “quisby.”Etre ——,to be guillotined. The synonyms are: “être raccourci,être buté,mettre la tête à la fenêtre,éternuer dans le son, ordans le sac,épouser la veuve,jouer à la main chaude,embrasser Charlot,moufionner son mufle dans le son,tirer sa crampe avec la veuve,passer sa bille au glaive,aller à l’Abbaye de Monte-à-regret,passer à la voyante,être mécanisé,être glaivé.”
Fauche-ardent,m.(thieves’),snuffers.
Faucher(popular),le persil,to be a street-walker. (Thieves’)Faucher,to deceive, “to best;”to steal, “to claim.” For synonyms seeGrinchir. Faucher,to guillotine. SeeFauché.
Aussitôt les forçats, les ex-galériens, examinent cette mécanique ... ils l’appellent tout à coup l’Abbaye de Monte-à-Regret! Ils étudient l’angle décrit par le couperet d’acier et trouvent pour en peindre l’action, le verbe faucher!—Balzac,La Dernière Incarnation de Vautrin.
Faucher dans le pont,to fall into a trap;—— le colas,to cut one’s throat;—— le grand pré,to be undergoing a term of penal servitude at a convict settlement. The convicts formerly were made to work on galleys, the long oar they plied being compared to a scythe and the sea to a large meadow.Lesage, in hisGil Blas,terms this “émoucher la mer avec un éventail de vingt pieds.” A more recent expression describes it as “écrire ses mémoires avec une plume de quinze pieds.”
Fauchettes,f. pl.(popular and thieves’),scissors.
Faucheur,m.(thieves’),thief who steals watch-chains, “slang or tackle-buzzer;” executioner. Properlyreaper.Rabelaiscalled him “Rouart,” orhe who breaks on the wheel; (journalists’)dandy. From his peculiar gait.
Faucheux,m.(thieves’),scissors; (popular)man with long thin legs, or “daddy long-legs.” Properlya field spider.
Fauchon,m.(popular),sword, “toasting-fork.”Un —— de satou,a wooden sword.
Fauchure,f.(thieves’),a cut inflicted by some sharp instrument or weapon.
Fauconnier,m.(thieves’),confederate of the proprietor of a gaming-house.
Faussante,f.(thieves’),false name,alias.
Fausse-couche,f.(popular),man without any energy,a“sappy”fellow. Properlya miscarriage.
Fausse-manche,f.,fatigue jacket worn by the students of the military school ofSaint-Cyr.
Fauve,f.(thieves’),snuff-box, or “sneezer.”
Fauvette,f.(thieves’),à tête noire,gendarme.
Faux-col,m.(familiar),head of a glass of beer.Garçon, trop d’faux-col à la clef!Waiter, too much head by half!
Fédéré,m.(popular),avoir un —— dans la casemate,orun polichinelle dans le tiroir,to be pregnant, or “lumpy.”
Fée,f.(popular and thieves’),love;young girl, or “titter.”La —— n’est pas loffe,the girl is no fool.Gaffine la ——,look at the girl, “nark the titter.”
Féesant,m.(thieves’),lover. Fromfée,love.
Féesante,f.(thieves’),sweetheart, or “moll.”
Fêlé,adj.(popular),avoir le coco ——,to be crazy,to be“a bit balmy in one’s crumpet.”
Fêler(popular),se ——,to become crazy.
Felouse, orfenouse,f.(thieves’),meadow.
Felouse,felouze, orfouillouse,f.(thieves’),pocket, or “cly;”—— à jeun,empty pocket.
Il demanda à sezière s’il n’avait pas quelques luques de son babillard; il répondit qu’oui, et mit la louche en sa felouze et en tira une, et la ficha au cornet d’épices pour la mouchailler.—Le Jargon de l’Argot.(He asked him whether he had any pictures from his book. He said yes, and put his hand in his pocket, drew one out, and gave it to the friar to look at.)
Femme,f.(familiar),de Breda,gay girl.Quartier Bredais the ParisSt.John’s Wood; (popular)—— au petit pot,rag-picker’s consort;—— de terrain,low prostitute, or “draggle-tail.” SeeGadoue. (Thieves’ and cads’)Femme de cavoisi,dressy prostitute who frequents theBoulevardcafés; (military)—— de l’adjudant,lock-up, “jigger,” or “Irish theatre;”—— de régiment,big drum; (familiar)—— pur faubourg,is said of a lady with highly polished manner, or ironically of one whose manners are anything but aristocratic.
Fenasse,f.(popular),man without energy,a lazy man. Old wordfen,hay.
Fendante,f.(thieves’),door, “jigger.” Termed also “lourde.”
Fendart,m.(popular),braggart,swaggerer, or “swashbuckler.” Termed formerly “avaleur de charrettes ferrées.”Faire son ——,to brag,to swagger,to look big,to bluster, “to bulldoze” (American).Ne fais donc pas ton ——, “come off the tall grass,” as the Americans say.
Fendre(thieves’),l’ergot,to run away. Literallyto split the spur. The toes being pressed to the ground in the act are naturally parted. For synonyms, French and English, seePatatrot. (Card-sharpers’)Fendre le cul à une carte,to notch a card for cheating purposes; (military)—— l’oreille,to place on the retired list. An allusion to the practice of splitting the ears of cavalry horses no longer fit for service and put up for auction, termed “cast” horses. (Popular)Fendre l’arche à quelqu’un,to bore one to death. Literallyto split one’s head. (General)Se ——,to give oneself or others an unusual treat.Je me fends d’une bouteille,I treat myself to (or I stand treat for) a bottle of wine.
Zut! je me fends d’un supplément!... Victor, une troisième confiture!—Zola,Au Bonheur des Dames.
Se —— à s’écorcher,to be very generous with one’s money.
Fenêtre,f.(popular), boucher une—— à quelqu’un,to give one a black eye, “to put one’s eyes in half-mourning.”Faire la ——,is said of a prostitute who lies in wait at a window, and who by sundry alluring signs seeks to entice passers-by into entering the house.Mettre la tête à la ——,to be guillotined. An allusion to the passing the head through the lunette or circular aperture of the guillotine.
Fenêtrière,f.(popular),prostitute who lies in wait at a window, whence she invites passers-by to enter.
Fenouse, orfelouse,f.(thieves’),meadow.
Féodec,adj.(thieves’),unjust.
Fer à repasser,m.(popular),shoe, or “trotter-case.” SeeRipaton.
Fer-blanc,m.(familiar),de ——,worthless.Des rognures de ——,inferior theatrical company.Un écrivain de ——,author without any ability, “penny-a-liner.”
Ferblanterie,f.(familiar),decorations.
Ferblantier,m.(naval),official.
Ferlampier, orferlandier,m.(thieves’), bandit; sharper, or “hawk;”thief, or “prig;”lazy humbug;rogue, or “bad egg.”Ferlampiéformerly had the signification ofdunce.
Ferlingante,f.(thieves’),crockery.
Ferloques,f. pl.(popular),rags.
Fermer(popular),maillard,to sleep, “to doss.” An allusion toM.Maillard, the inventor of iron-plate shutters;—— son compas,to stop walking;—— son parapluie,to die. SeePipe.Fermer son plomb, son égout, orsa boîte,to hold one’s tongue.Ferme ta boîte, “shut up!” “hold your jaw!” A synonymous but more polite expression, “Taceis Latin for a candle,” is used by Fielding.
“Tace, madam,” answered Murphy, “is Latin for a candle; I commend your prudence.”—Fielding,Amelia.
Féroce,m.andadj.(familiar), être—— sur l’article,to be strict.Pas ——,made of poor stuff.Un ——,one devoted to his duty.
Ferré,adj.(thieves’),être ——,to be locked up, or “put away.”
Ferrer le goujon(popular),to make one swallow the bait.
Fertange, orfertille,f.(thieves’),straw.
Tu es un rude mion; le môme pantinois n’est pas maquillé de fertille lansquinée.—V.Hugo,Les Misérables. (You are a stunner; a child of Paris is not made of wet straw.)
Fertillante,f.(thieves’),feather;pen;tail.
Fertille,f.(thieves’),face, or “mug;”straw, or “strommel.”
Fertilliers,m. pl.(thieves’),wheat.
Fesse,f.(popular),woman, “laced mutton.”Ma ——,my better half.Magasin de fesses,brothel, or “nanny-shop.” (Bullies’)Fesse,paramour, “moll.”Ma —— turbine,my girl is at work.
Fesser(popular),to do a thing quickly;—— le champagne,to partake freely of champagne, “to swig sham or boy.”Rabelaishas the expression, “fouetter un verre,”to toss off the contents of a glass to the last drop.
Fouette-moi ce verre galentement.—Rabelais,Gargantua.
Feston(popular),faire du ——,pincer un ——,to reel about;to make zigzags under the influence of drink.
Festonnage,m.(popular),reeling about under the influence of drink.
Festonner des guibolles(popular),to reel about while in a state of intoxication.
Fête,f.(popular),du boudin,Christmas. (Popular and thieves’)Etre de la ——,to be lucky, “to have cocum;”to have means, or to be“well ballasted.”
Moi je suis toujours de la fête, j’ai toujours bogue et bon radin.—Vidocq.
Fétiche,m.(gamesters’),marker, or any object which temporarily represents the sum of money which has been staked at some game.
Feu,m.(theatrical),faire ——,to lay particular stress on words; (freemasons’)to drink. (Military)Ne pas s’embêterors’embrouiller dans les feux de file,to be independent;not to stick at trifles. (Familiar)Allumer les feux,to set a game going.
Il est tout et il n’est rien dans ce cercle pschutt. Sa mission est d’allumer les feux, d’où son nom bien connu: l’allumeur.—A.Sirven.
Feuille,f.(popular),de chou,ear, or “wattle.”Une —— de platane,a bad cigar, or “cabbage leaf.” (Saumurschool of cavalry)Une ——,a prostitute. (Familiar)Une —— de chou,newspaper of no importance;a worthless bond, not marketable.Voir la —— à l’envers,to have carnal intercourse, is said of a girl who gives her favours. (Military)Des feuilles de chou,infantry gaiters.
Feuillet,m.(roughs’),leaf of cigarette paper.Aboule-moi un —— et une brouettée d’allumettes,give me some cigarette paper and a match.
Feuilletée,adj.(familiar), properlyflaky.Semelle ——,worn-out sole. Termed also “pompe aspirante.”
Parfois aussi elle n’a que des bottines suspectes, à semelles feuilletées qui sourient à l’asphalte avec une gaieté intempestive.—Théophile Gautier.
Fève,f.,attraper la ——. SeeAttraper.
Fiacre,m.(popular),remiser son ——,to become sedate, well-behaved.
Fiat,m.(thieves’),trust;confidence.
Il y a aujourd’hui tant de railles et de cuisiniers, qu’il n’y a plus de fiat du tout.—Vidocq.
Ficard,m.(thieves’ and cads’),police officer, “crusher,” “pig,” “copper,” “reeler,” or “bulky.” SeePot-à-tabac.
Ficeler(familiar and popular),to do;to dress.Bien ficelé,carefully done;well dressed.
Voilà maman Vauquer belle comme un astre, ficelée comme une carotte.—Balzac,Le Père Goriot.
Ficelle,f.(familiar and popular),dodge.Etre ——,to be tricky, a“dodger.”