Page:Memoirs James Hardy Vaux.djvu/452

Rh to rob or defraud, who is termed the flat, or the flatty-gory. A man who does any foolish or imprudent act, is called a flat; any person who is found an easy dupe to the designs of the family, is said to be a prime flat. It’s a good flat that’s never down, is a proverb among flash people; meaning, that though a man may be repeatedly duped or taken in, he must in the end have his eyes opened to his folly.

FLAT-MOVE, Any attempt or project that miscarries, or any act of folly or mismanagement in human affairs is said to be a flat move.

FLATS, a cant name for playing-cards.

FLIP, to shoot.

FLOOR, to knock down anyone, either for the purpose of robbery, or to effect your escape, is termed flooring him.

FLOOR’D, a person who is so drunk, as to be incapable of standing, is said to be floor’d.

FLUE-FAKER, a chimney-sweeper.

FLY, vigilant; suspicious; cunning; not easily robbed or duped; a shopkeeper or person of this description, is called a fly cove, or a leary cove; on other occasions fly is synonymous with flash or leary, as, I’m fly to you, I was put flash to him, &c.

FLY THE MAGS, to gamble, by tossing up halfpence.

FOGLE, a silk handkerchief.

FORKS, the two forefingers of the hand; to put your forks down, is to pick a pocket.

FOSS, or PHOS, a phosphorus bottle used by cracksmen to obtain a light.

FRISK, to search; to frisk a cly, is to empty a pocket of its contents; to stand frisk, is to stand search.

FRISK, fun or mirth of any kind.