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 1849. New South Wales: Past and Present, ch. i., p. 14. This coolness so completely flummergasted the fellow, that he kept talking until Mr. Day shot him through the shoulder.

Flummery, subs. (colloquial). 1. Nonsense; gammon (q.v.); flattery.

1785. Grose, Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v. Oatmeal and water boiled to a jelly; also compliments: neither over-nourishing.

1836. M. Scott, Tom Cringle's Log, ch. i. I shall blow off as much of the froth as I can, in order to present the residuum free of flummery.

1846. Thackeray, Yellow Plush Papers. She swallowed Lord Crabs' flumery just as she would so many musheruims.

1854. Whyte Melville, General Bounce, ch. xii. None of the dubious, half-expressed, sentimental flummery.

2. (American nautical).—A kind of bread pudding.—Nordhoff.

3. (old).—Oatmeal and water boiled to a jelly.—Grose (1785).

Flummox, Flummocks, or Flummux, verb. (colloquial).—1. To perplex, dodge, abash, or silence; to victimize; to best (q.v.); to disappoint. Also conflummox. To flummox (or conflummox) by the lip = to outslang (q.v.), or talk down; to flummox the coppers = to dodge the police; to flummox the old Dutch = to cheat one's wife, etc. For synonyms, see Flabbergast.

2. (theatrical).—To confuse, to queer (q.v.). Cf., Corpse.

3. (American).—Used in the passive sense = to abandon a purpose; to give in; to die.

Subs. (American University).—A bad recitation; a failure.

Flummoxed, ppl. adj. (thieves' and general).—1. Spoilt; ruined; drunk; sent down (q.v.); boshed (q.v.); defeated; disappointed; silenced; floored (q.v.).

1836. Dickens, Pickwick, ch. xxxiii., p. 283. 'And my 'pinion is, Sammy, that if your governor don't prove an alleybi, he'll be what the Italians call reg'larly flummoxed, and that's all about it'

1840. Whibley, Cap and Gown, p. 170. So many of the men I know Were flummoxed at the last great go.

1861. H. C. Pennell, Puck on Pegasus, p. 17. I felt flummox'd in a brown (study understood) old fellow.

1864. Cornhill Magazine, Dec., p. 742. 'I say, Tom.' 'Yes, mate.' 'If I should have a fit heave a bucket of water over me.' Tom was too astonished, or, as he expressed it, conflummoxed to make any reply.

1883. Daily Telegraph, 25 July, p. 2, col. 1. I'll give Tom his due, and say of him that for flummoxing a cuss (Custom House Officer) or working the weed, I don't know any one he couldn't give a chalk to and beat 'em.

1890. Punch, 30 Aug., p. 97. I'm fair flummoxed, and singing, 'Oh, what a surprise!'

Flummocky, adj. (colloquial).—Out of place; in bad taste.

1891. F. H. Groome. Blackwood's Mag, March, p. 319. 'It is a nice solemn dress,' she said, as she lifted a piece to examine it more closely; 'there's nothing flummocky about it.'

Flummut, subs. (vagrants').—A month in prison. See flummoxed. For synonyms, see Dose.

1889. Answers, 20th July, p. 121 col. 2. If you want to get rid of an importunate tramp tell him to 'stow his patter,' or you will get him a flummut.

1851-61. H. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, vol. I., p. 232. He [patterer] mostly chalks a signal on or near the door. I give one or two instances. 'Flummut,' sure of a month in quod.