Slang and uncoventional english part 39

fence-to-fence
adjective
in carnival usage, in control of all the activi-
ties in an engagement
US
, 1985
fencing
noun
a trade in, or the act of dealing in, stolen property
UK
,
1962
fender
noun
a new employee. Like a fender absorbing the impact of
a collision, the new employee absorbs the wrath of the supervisor
US
, 1955
fender bender
noun
a minor car accident
US
, 1962
fenderhead
noun
a dolt
US
, 1975
Fenian
noun
an Irish catholic. From the American-Irish

‘brotherhood’ for the support of the revolutionary overthrow of
the English government in Ireland
UK
, 2000
fen-phen
noun
a combination of fenfluramine and phentermine,
used as a diet drug and/or central nervous system stimulant
US
, 1996
feral
noun
a person holding strong environmentalist views and living
an alternative lifestyle
AUSTRALIA
, 1994
feral
adjective
1
aggressive; wild
AUSTRALIA
, 1994
.
2
living a low-technol-
ogy, alternative, environmentally-friendly lifestyle
AUSTRALIA
, 1994
ferdutzt
adjective

(among Nova Scotians of German descent) used to
describe someone who is confused
CANADA
, 1999
fe real; for real
adjective + adverb
genuine; honestly, genuinely; cred-
ibly
US
, 1956
fern
noun
a female’s pubic hair
US
, 1981
ferret
noun
1
the penis. A celebration of the animal’s talent for
exploring holes
AUSTRALIA
, 1971
.
2
a member of the security services
engaged to ‘sweep’ for and remove electronic bugging devices
UK
,
1977
.

3
a beret. Royal Air Force use a deliberately poor rhyme
UK
,
2002
.
< give the ferret a run
(of a male) to engage in sexual
intercourse. Also variant ‘exercise the ferret’
AUSTRALIA
, 1968
ferry dust
noun
heroin. A play on magical ‘fairy dust’
UK
, 1998
ferschlugginer
adjective
used as a mildly profane intensifier. A
Yiddish term
US
, 1955
fer shur; fur shur
adverb
certainly. A staple of the Valley Girl lexicon,
often used as an exclamation
US
, 1982
ferstay
verb

to understand
CANADA
, 1987
fertilize
verb
< fertilize the vegetables
to feed or medicate
neurologically depressed hospital patients
US
, 1985
fess; fess up
verb
to confess
US
, 1840
-fest
suffix
a gathering together of, or a concentration of, or an event
celebrating the modifying noun with which it combines.
Abbreviated from ‘festival’
US
, 1865
festering
adverb
exceedingly. A euphemism for ‘fucking’
AUSTRALIA
,
1982
festivity
noun

a drinking party
US
, 1955
festy
adjective
disgusting; dreadful; awful
AUSTRALIA
, 1996
fet
noun
amphetamine
UK
, 1996
fetch
verb
1
to deliver (a blow). A conventional usage from C12 that
slipped into the colloquial register sometime around late C19 or
early C20
UK
, 1958
.
2
in computing, to retrieve and import a file
from an Internet site to your computer
US
, 1995
fetch up
verb
to arrive, especially to arrive eventually

US
, 1858
fe true; for true; feh true
adverb
honestly, truly. West Indian and
UK black patois, ‘for true’. Also used as an exclamation and
intensifier
UK
, 1994
fetschpatz
noun
(among Ontario’s Mennonites) a dumpling
CANADA
,
1998
fever
noun
1
five. An intentional corruption of
FIVER US
, 1985
.
2
in
craps, a roll of five. Sometimes embellished to ‘fever in the South’
US
, 1950
.
3
in a deck of playing cards, any five

US
, 1951
.
4
a $5 note
US
, 1961
.
5
an enthusiastic interest or, perhaps, mass hysteria
UK
, 1885
fevver clucker
noun
used as a humorous euphemism for ‘clever
fucker’
NEW ZEALAND
, 1998
few
noun
1
a few alcoholic drinks
AUSTRALIA
, 1903
.
2
any short jail
sentence
US
, 1949

fews and twos
noun
very little money
US
, 1948
fey
adjective
effeminate
US
, 1952
Fezzer
noun
a Ford ’Fiesta’ car. Essex use
UK
, 2003
fezzie
noun
afestival
UK
, 2002
FFF
verb
to find, fix, and finish. A military axiom for dealing with the
enemy; the ‘fix’ is to fix in position, while to ‘finish’ is to kill
US
,
1990
FHB
family hold back! A directive to family members to take guests
into account when serving themselves

AUSTRALIA
, 1983
fid
noun
a British worker in Antarctica. Originally an acronym of
‘Falkland Island Dependencies Survey’
ANTARCTICA
, 1952
fiddle
noun
1
a swindle, a deception; in later use, used mainly of
petty fraud
UK
, 1873
.
2
a one-pound note; the sum of one pound;
(more generally) money
AUSTRALIA
, 1988
.
3
in pickpocket usage, a
coat
US
, 1943
.
4
a radio

US
, 1971
.
< on the fiddle
engaged in
swindling or petty-fraud
UK
, 1961
fiddle
verb
1
to swindle
UK
, 1590
.
2
to falsify a personal statement of
expenses, or corporate accounts and finances; to fraudulently
amend examination or election results. A specialised use of the
general sense (to swindle)
UK
, 1970
.
< fiddle with yourself
to
masturbate
US
, 1969
fiddle and fire
noun

in the car sales business, a radio and heater
US
,
1953
fiddle bitch
verb
to potter aimlessly
CANADA
, 1989
fiddlededee; fiddley
noun
an act of urination. Rhyming slang for
PEE
or
WEE
. Presumably coined with some euphemistic intent, yet
‘to go for a fiddley’ seems, somehow, a more ambiguous option
UK
, 1992
fiddlefart around
verb
to waste time doing little or nothing
US
, 1972
fiddlefuck
verb
to waste time
US
, 1949
fiddler

noun
1
a bookmaker who will only take small bets
UK
, 1991
.
2
a
paedophile. Prison usage
NEW ZEALAND
, 1999
fiddler’s elbow
noun
the right-angled sharp turns in country roads
CANADA
, 1950
.
< in and out like a fiddler’s elbow
applied to
anything or anyone that enters and exits a given situation with
unusual rapidity; especially, of a male’s enthusiastic thrusting
during sexual intercourse
UK
, 1994
fiddler’s fuck
noun
a notional item of no value
US
, 1961
fiddlers three; fiddlers

noun
an act of urination. Rhyming slang
for
WEE
or
PEE
, formed from the lyrics to the traditional nursery-
song, ‘Old King Cole. A variant of
FIDDLEDEDEE UK
, 1992
fiddlesticks!
used as an all-purpose cry of frustration. Considered
inoffensive, although it is possibly a pun on ‘penis’, via ‘sword’,
the Shakespearean ‘fiddlestick’, although the bawdy pun itself is
not made by Shakespeare
UK
, 1600
fiddley
noun
a one-pound note; the sum of one pound. Short for
FIDDLEYDID AUSTRALIA
, 1941
fiddleydid
noun
a one-pound note; the sum of one pound.
Rhyming slang for
QUID.
This lasted briefly after the introduction
of decimal currency (1966), and was used to denote the compara-
tive sum of $2

AUSTRALIA
, 1941
fiddly bits
noun
chrome embellishments on a motorcyle saddle bag
and seat. Biker (motorcycle) usage
US
, 2001
fidlet
noun
a British expeditioner recently arrived in Antarctica
ANTARCTICA
, 1967
fido!
used for suggesting that a group overcome an obstacle. An
abbreviation of ‘fuck it, drive on’
US
, 1983
fido dido
noun
a variety of MDMA, the recreational drug best known
as ecstasy. From the borrowed image of Fido Dido, a fashionable
cartoon youth of Spanish origin, imprinted into the tablet as a
brand logo
UK
, 1990s
fi-do-nie
noun
opium
US

, 1954
field
verb
to work as a bookmaker
AUSTRALIA
, 1960
field circus
noun
in computing, field service
US
, 1991
fielder
noun
a bookmaker
AUSTRALIA
, 1936
fence-to-fence | fielder 248
fielders
noun
a rum ration carried on a field trip
AUSTRALIA
, 1972
field goal
noun
in pool, a shot in which the cue ball passes between
the object ball and another ball, touching neither. An allusion to
American football, in which a field goal is scored when the ball is
kicked between the goalpost uprights
US
,goa

field nigger
noun
a black person who does not curry favour from
white people and thus is afforded no degree of privilege
US
, 1970
field of wheat
noun
a street. Rhyming slang, with a deliberately
ironic inversion of its original sense
UK
, 1859
fields
noun
8see:
STRAWBERRY FIELDS
field scarf
noun
a necktie. Marine Corps usage in World War 2 and
Korea
US
, 1940
field-strip
verb
1
to disassemble; to take apart
US
, 1947
.
2

to break
tobacco loose from a smoked cigarette and disperse it in the wild
without leaving a trace of the cigarette
US
, 1963
fiend
noun
1
a person who habitually or compulsively indulges in
narcotics, especially morphine and cocaine. Modern usage is gen-
erally ironic, except when politicians and tabloid newspapers need
a headline
US
, 1881
.
2
a person who smokes marijuana when alone.
Marijuana use is considered to be a communal activity hence a
solo-smoker is the subject of criticism. Used ironically in this
context
UK
, 1998
.
3
an enthusiast. From the sense as ‘addict’
US
, 1884
fiend
verb
1

to cause a car to drop suddenly, almost to the ground,
by use of hydraulic lifts
US
, 1980
.
2
when arresting an unruly person,
to use a choke hold
US
, 1987
fiendish
adjective
excellent
US
, 1900
fiend on
verb
to show off; to better
US
, 1980
fierce
adjective
very, very good
US
, 1994
fife and drum
noun
the buttocks
UK
, 1960

fifi bag
noun
a home-made contraption used by a masturbating
male to simulate the sensation of penetration
US
, 1969
FIFO
fit inorfuck off. An acronym from the world of office jargon
where it may seen as general advice regarding Human Resources
policy
UK
, 2005
fifteen and two; fifteen-two
noun
a Jewish person. Rhyming
slang; Partridge suggests the term originates in scoring for the card
game cribbage
US
, 1984
fifteen fucker
noun
a military disciplinary reprimand
US
, 1989
fifteen minutes of fame
noun
the brief period of celebrity that
Andy Warhol saw as an element of pop culture
US
, 1997

fifth
noun
< take the fifth
to listen to a fellow alcoholic recount
their worst misdeeds without comment or judgment
US
, 1990
fifth gear
noun
a state of intoxication
US
, 1968
Fifth Street
noun
in seven-card stud poker, a player’s third face-up
card (the fifth card dealt to the player)
UK
, 2003
fifty
noun
1
a serving of beer that is half new and half old. A
shortening of
FIFTY FIFTY AUSTRALIA
, 1965
.
2
a .50 calibre machine gun
US
, 1977

fifty-dollar lane
noun
in trucking, the inside passing lane. A name
based on the fine at the time on many motorways for truckers
who used the inside lane
US
, 1976
fifty-eleven
noun
a mythical large number
US
, 1970
fifty-fifty
noun
1
oral sex followed by anal sex. Largely supplanted by
HALF AND HALF US
, 1941
.
2
in the television and film industries, a
shot of two actors facing each other, each taking up half the
screen
US
, 1977
.
3
a serving of beer that is half new and half old
AUSTRALIA
, 1972

fifty-fifty!
give me half of what you are consuming!
FIJI
, 2002
fifty-five
noun
in craps, a roll of two fives
US
, 1974
fifty-mission cap
noun
a cap similar to that worn by bomber crews
during World War 2
US
, 1956
fifty-one; one fifty-one
noun
small pieces of crack cocaine
sprinkled in a tobacco or marijuana cigarette
US
, 1994
fifty PSI finger
noun
(among Canadian armed forces personnel) a
finger poked into someone’s chest to emphasise a point forcefully
CANADA
, 1995
fifty-two
noun
in craps, a roll of five and two – a seven

US
, 1973
fifty-two/twenty club
noun
US military veterans who were entitled
to benefits of $20 a week for a year after World War 2, making a
life of bohemian leisure possible
US
, 1946
fig
noun
1
hardly anything at all
UK
, 1400
.
2
an effeminate male. An
amelioration of
FAG US
, 1963
.
3
(of chewing tobacco) a plug
CANADA
,
1862
figary; fegary
noun
a fanciful mood; stylish clothing; whimsical

ideas or notions; an impulsive decision
IRELAND
, 1984
figging
adjective
used as a euphemism for the intensifying ’fucking’
US
, 1999
Fightertown USA
nickname
the Miramar Naval Air Station, Miramar,
California
US
, 1990
fighting drunk
adjective
in a state of drunken intoxication that
prompts aggressive behaviour. Also used as a noun
UK
, 1937
fighting fifth
noun
any sexually transmitted infection. Rhyming
slang for ‘syph’ (syphilis)
UK
, 1992
Fighting Hannah
nickname
the U.S.S. Hancock. An aircraft carrier
that saw service in World War 2 and Vietnam

US
, 1945
Fighting Irish
nickname
the athletes of Notre Dame University
US
,
1962
fighting lager
noun
a lager of more than average strength
UK
, 2002
Fightlink
nickname
a Dublin night bus
IRELAND
, 2003
figjam
noun
a boastful person
AUSTRALIA
, 1996
figjam!
stop boasting!
AUSTRALIA
, 1996
figmo; fuigmo
noun
fuck it, got my orders; fuck you, Igot my

orders. Korean and then Vietnam war usage. Descriptive of a
somewhat defiant attitude. The sanitised version is FIGMOH:
‘finally got y rders home
US
, 1957
figmo chart
noun
a record which a soldier kept of the number of
days remaining until he was rotated home from Korea or, later,
Vietnam
US
, 1966
fig-skin family
noun
distant relatives whom you rarely see
TRINIDAD
AND TOBAGO
, 1999
figure
noun
a number to be bet upon in an illegal lottery or
numbers game
US
, 1967
figure
verb
< it figures; that figures
it is reasonable or
understandable; it works out as expected. A figurative use of the
arithmetic sense

US
, 1952
figure of eight it
verb
(a notional action) to tighten the vagina
UK
,
2002
figures
noun
an illegal lottery in which winners are those who have
bet on a number chosen by some random method. Best known
as ‘the numbers’ or ‘policy racket’
US
, 1967
fiji
noun
a member of the Phi Delta Gamma college fraternity
US
, 1963
Fila cunt’s trainer
noun
a Fila™ sport shoe. An aural pun on
‘feeler’; UK prison slang
UK
, 2002
file
noun
a pickpocket
UK

, 1665
file
verb
1
to throw away. Office irony
US
, 1982
.
2
to dress up. An
abbreviation of ‘profile’
US
, 1989
file 13
noun
an office waste-paper basket
US
, 1942
file 17
noun
the rubbish (trash)
US
, 1989
filet
noun
an attractive female
US
, 1989
filiome
noun

a young man, especially an underage participant in
homosexual sex. A combination of
FEELY
(a boy) and
OMEE
(a man)
UK
, 2002
fill
verb
< fill a blanket
to roll a cigarette
US
, 1949
.
< fill the bill
to fulfil requirements, to meet the need
US
, 1880
.
< fill your
boots
1
to do whatever it is you want very much to do, but are
hesitating over. This phrase is used to encourage in Nova Scotia. It
has been suggested that it derives from either the pursuit of fish
while wearing high-top wading boots or the effect on the bowels
249 fielders | fill
of extreme enjoyment after restraint
CANADA

, 1999
.
2
to have as
much of something as you want or need; to do some activity to
its limit
UK
, 2003
filled
adjective
1
(used of a woman) shapely
US
, 1997
.
2
of a car’s body,
repaired with glass fibre
UK
, 1968
filled-in
adjective
pregnant
AUSTRALIA
, 1955
filler pig
noun
in a carnival, a woman hired to entertain customers
outside a side show before the featured talent appears
US

, 1960
fillet
noun
cocaine. A metaphor alluding to the drug’s high cost and
status
US
, 1993
fillet of cod; fillet
noun
an unpleasant individual. Rhyming slang
for
SOD
(a contemptible man)
UK
, 1979
fillet of plaice; fillet
noun
a face; the face. Rhyming slang
UK
, 1992
fill in
verb
1
to temporarily replace someone at work
US
, 1930
.
2
to
beat up

UK
, 1948
.
3
to make pregnant
AUSTRALIA
, 1955
fillings
noun
loose tobacco
US
, 1950
Fillmore
noun
a potent mixture of alcoholic beverages
US
, 1993
fills
noun
dice which have been weighted for cheating
US
, 1950
fillum; filum
noun
a motion picture. Representing a widely decried
but nonetheless common enough Australian pronunciation of
‘film’ with two syllables; also commonly used and understood in
Ireland, Scotland, the north west (particularly Liverpool) and the
north east (Newcastle) of England
AUSTRALIA

, 1932
fill up
verb
in poker, to complete a desired hand by drawing cards
US
,
1951
filly
noun
1
a young woman
UK
, 1614
.
2
in poker, a hand consisting of
three of the same suit and a pair. Conventionally known as a ‘full
house’
US
, 1951
filly
adjective
pretty
UK
, 2002
film
noun
underwear
FIJI
, 1992

filth
noun
1
the police; the CID
UK
, 1967
.
2
a very attractive person
US
,
1997
filth
adjective
great; excellent; brilliant
AUSTRALIA
, 1996
filthiness
noun
the bleed period of the menstrual cycle
BAHAMAS
, 1982
filth merchant
noun
a man driven by his sexual appetites
UK
, 2001
filthy
noun
a look of disdain

IRELAND
, 2003
filthy
adjective
1
excessive, especially unpleasantly so
UK
, 1733
.
2
upset,
extremely angry
AUSTRALIA
, 1992
.
3
great; excellent; brilliant
AUSTRALIA
,
1987
.
4
attractive, fashionable, stylish
US
, 1993
filthy dirty
adjective
very dirty. The usage of
FILTHY
as an intensifier,

also duplicating the conventional senses of ‘filthy’ and ‘dirty’ has
caused this cliché to verge on hyphenated single-word status
UK
,
1843
filthy great
adjective
very large. The usage of
FILTHY
as an intensifier;
here also the play on synonymous ‘dirty’ has caused this cliché to
verge on hyphenated single-word status
UK
, 2003
Filthy McNasty
noun
a dirty, rude person
US
, 1969
filthy rich
adjective
very wealthy. The usage of
FILTHY
as an
intensifier has caused this cliché to verge on hyphenated single-
word status
UK
, 1940
filum
noun

8see:
FILLUM
fimps
noun
in craps, a roll of two fives
US
, 1968
fin
noun
1
a five-pound or five-dollar note
UK
, 1868
.
2
a five-year prison
sentence
UK
, 1925
.
3
a US Navy diver who is not qualified for SCUBA
diving. Vietnam war usage
US
, 1991
finagle
verb
to obtain in a manipulative manner
US
, 1922

final
noun
the moment in a confidence swindle when the victim is
left to discover his loss
US
, 1969
final curtain
noun
in carnival usage, death. The obituary section in
the Amusement Business magazine is named ‘Final Curtain’
US
,
1985
finale-hopper
noun
a young man who goes to a dance without a
partner, cutting in on another’s partner at the end of the evening
in the hope of leaving the dance with her
US
, 1922
final gallop
noun
the hastening pace of lovemaking that climaxes at
orgasm
UK
, 1970
financial
adjective
having ready cash; solvent
AUSTRALIA

, 1899
finders keepers
said to signify that the person who finds an object
is entitled to keep it. First recorded as ‘findee keepee, lossee
seekee’ in an 1825 Gloss of North Country Words. The full phrase,
known by every UK and US child, is ‘Finders, keepers / losers,
weepers’
UK
, 1856
find them, fool them, fuck them, forget them
used as a for-
mula for male relationships with females. The earliest form is
‘find, feel, fuck and forget’; also known as the ‘four F method’.
Mutliple variants exist
US
, 1966
fine
adjective
1
sexually attractive
US
, 1944
.
2
in twelve-step recovery
programmes such as Alcoholics Anonymous, fucked-up, insecure,
neurotic and emotional
US
, 1998
.

< fine as May wine
excellent
US
, 1964
fine
adverb
< cut it fine; run it fine
to succeed by a very narrow
margin
UK
, 1871
fine and dandy
noun
brandy. Rhyming slang
UK
, 1971
fine and dandy
adjective
splendid, excellent
US
, 1910
fine how-d’ ya do
noun
a dilemma, a problem
US
, 1946
finest
noun
the police. Used with irony, alluding to the popular
phrase identifying a city’s policemen as ‘the city’s finest citizens’.

In 1875, New York began to claim it had the ‘finest police force in
the world’, a phrase borrowed from the claim of General Joseph
Hooker during the US Civil War that he commanded ‘the finest
army on the planet’. In the early C20, New York began to refer to
its fire department as ‘the bravest’ and the police simply as ‘the
finest’
US
, 1914
finest kind
noun
the very best
US
, 1981
fine stuff
noun
marijuana that has been cleaned and trimmed, also
marijuana in general
US
, 1955
fine thing
noun
a sexually attractive female
IRELAND
, 1991
fine tuner
noun
in car repair, a sledge hammer. Facetious
US
, 1992
fine up

verb
(of weather) to improve
CANADA
, 1990
fine weather
noun
a pretty girl
US
, 1947
f-ing
adjective
8see:
EFFING
fingee
noun
a new member of personnel, especially one who is not
wished for or welcomed. Derived, loosely, from ‘fucking new guy’
US
, 1990
finger
noun
1
a gesture of contempt, the index finger raised from a
fist with the palm inwards as the hand jerks upward suggesting an
intimate destination. Often accompanied with an invitation to
‘spin on it’ or the elliptical ‘oliver!’ (
OLIVER TWIST
).
US
, 1961

.
2
an
unpopular individual. Metropolitan Police slang
UK
, 1970
.
3
a
pickpocket
UK
, 1925
.
4
a marijuana cigarette. From the shape
UK
,
2001
.
5
an individual banana in a bunch
CAYMAN ISLANDS
, 1985
.
6
a
citizens’ band radio antenna
US
, 1976
.

< get your finger out;
pull your finger out; take your finger out; pull it out
to stop
time-wasting and start doing something useful. Often used as a
semi-exclamatory injunction. Probably ‘out from up your arse’ but
there is no need to say so
UK
, 1959
.
< have your finger up your
arse
to be doing nothing
UK
, 1964
.
< lift a finger; move a
finger
to make the slightest effort, usually applied in a negative
sense to a lack of effort
UK
, 1936
.
< on the finger
on credit
US
,
1951
.
< put the finger on
to identify; to name; to inform on

somebody
US
, 1924
.
< put your finger on
to identify or explain
exactly
UK
, 1973
finger
verb
1
to identify; to name; to inform upon somebody
US
,
1930
.
2
to digitally stimulate/explore the vagina or anus as a part of
sexual foreplay
UK
, 1937
finger and ring
adjective
very close
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
, 2003
finger and thumb; finger
noun
1

amother
UK
, 1992
.
2
a companion,
a friend. Rhyming slang for
CHUM UK
, 1961
.
3
a drum. Rhyming
slang
UK
, 1992
.
4
the buttocks. Rhyming slang for
BUM UK
, 2002
.
5
rum
UK
, 1851
finger artist
noun
a lesbian
US
, 1970

filled | finger artist 250
fingerbang
verb
to insert a finger or fingers into a partner’s vagina
or rectum for their sexual pleasure
US
, 1990
finger bowl faggot
noun
a wealthy, ostentatious, homosexual male
US
, 1965
finger cot
noun
a latex covering used by a doctor on his finger
when examining a rectum or vagina
US
, 1973
finger flip
verb
in skateboarding, to perform a jump during which
the board moves laterally through 360 degrees
UK
, 2003
fingerfuck
noun
the manual stimulation of another’s vagina or anus
US
, 1971
fingerfuck

verb
to insert a finger or fingers into a partner’s vagina
or rectum. Plain-speaking former US President Lyndon Johnson
(1963–1969) was said to have said ‘Richard Milhouse Nixon has
done for the United States of America what pantyhose did for
finger-fucking’
UK
, 1793
finger-fucker
noun
a person who fingerfucks
US
, 1969
finger horse
noun
in horse racing, the favourite
US
, 1951
finger in the pie
noun
an involvement in an activity, especially a
share in the profits of something
UK
, 1659
finger job
noun
1
digital stimulation of the vagina or anus
US
, 1963

.
2
an act of betrayal
US
, 1974
finger lid
noun
marijuana
UK
, 2003
finger line
noun
a line-up in which crime victims or witnesses
attempt to identify the criminal(s)
US
, 1976
finger louse
noun
a police informer
US
, 1956
finger man
noun
1
a person who provides criminals with inside
information to aid a robbery or other crime
US
, 1930
.
2

apro-
fessional killer
US
, 1930
finger poker
noun
a game of poker bet on credit
US
, 1951
fingerprint
noun
in poker, a player’s signature move
US
, 1996
fingerprint
verb
in trucking, to manually unload a trailer
US
, 1971
finger-puppet audition
noun
an act of masturbation
UK
, 2003
fingers
noun
a piano player
US
, 1973
.

< have your fingers in the
till
to steal from your employer or place of work
UK
, 1974
.
< the
fingers
a gesture (the forefinger and the middle finger are
extended to form a V shape, the palm turned in towards the
gesturer) that is used to insult or otherwise cause offence,
especially when made in conjunction with threatening or abusive
language e.g. ‘fuck off!’ or ‘up yours!’ with which the sign may be
considered synonymous
UK
, 2003
Fingers
nickname
used as a pickpocket’s nickname
US
, 1949
fingers crossed!
used for expressing hope. Describes the action –
the middle finger twisted over and around the forefinger – that
doesn’t always accompany the words. A basic prayer, representing
the sign of the cross, although the Christian God is mostly
forgotten in familiar and superstitious usage. The gesture, but not
the term, may also accompany the swearing of an oath, or may
represent friendship and sexual contact
UK

, 1924
finger sheet
noun
in horse racing, a publication giving the entries
and odds for a day’s races
US
, 1951
fingersmith
noun
1
a pickpocket
UK
, 1823
.
2
a thief
BARBADOS
, 1965
fingers to fingers
used as an oath and pledge. The original pledge
was heard on the US television comedy The Life of Riley (NBC,
1949–58); the full pledge, used by the Brooklyn Patriots of Los
Angeles fraternal group, was ‘Fingers to fingers, toes to toes, if I
break this pact, break my nose’. On the comedy The
Honeymooners (CBS, 1955–56), the toast version used by the
fraternal order of Raccoons was ‘Fingers to fingers, thumbs to
thumbs, watch out below, here she comes’
US
, 1950
fingertip

noun
in the car sales business, power steering
US
, 1953
fingertips
noun
someone adept at masturbating others
US
, 1990
finger-walk
verb
with one hand, to roll a coin over and through the
knuckles
US
, 1981
finger wave
noun
1
a digital examination of the rectum, either as
part of an prostate examination or a drug search
US
, 1962
.
2
a
gesture with the middle finger, usually interpreted to mean ‘fuck
you!’
US
, 1976
fingy

noun
a new arrival in Antarctica. A pronunciation of
FNG
or
FUCKING NEW GUY ANTARCTICA
, 2003
finif
noun
1
a five-dollar note. From the Yiddish finif (five)
US
, 1859
.
2
a
prison sentence of five years
US
, 1904
.
3
in dice games, a five on
one die
US
, 1950
finish
verb
< finish on the chinstrap
in horse racing, to win a
race easily under restraint
US

, 1951
finishing school
noun
a reformatory for juvenile delinquents
US
, 1976
finito
the end, no more. Italian finito (finished). The elaboration
‘finito, Benito’ adds an Italian name – thus stressing the word’s
Italian origin
UK
, 1975
fink
noun
1
an informer
US
, 1902
.
2
a non-union job or worker
US
, 1917
.
3
in circus and carnival usage, a broken piece of merchandise
US
,
1981
fink

verb
to inform on
US
, 1925
fink-and-fort it
adjective
used of a London working-class accent. A
phonetic representation of ‘think and thought it’
UK
, 2001
fink book
noun
the record of a longshoreman’s or seafarer’s
employment. The books were used by employers to punish labour
activists and enforce non-union conditions in the workplace
US
, 1934
fink out
verb
to betray; to inform
US
, 1962
finky
adjective
disloyal, cowardly
US
, 1948
Finlay Quaye
adjective
homosexual. Rhyming slang for ‘gay’, formed

from the name of a singer who enjoyed notable success in the
late 1990s
UK
, 2003
finny
adjective
(used of a hand or foot) deformed
BARBADOS
, 1965
Finsbury Park
noun
an arc light. Rhyming slang, formed from the
name of an area of North London
UK
, 1992
finski
noun
a five-dollar note
US
, 1952
fin-up
noun
a prison sentence of five years to life
US
, 1962
FIP
noun
a scene in a pornographic film or a photograph of a man
pretending to ejaculate inside a vagina or rectum. An initialism for
‘fake internal pop-shot’; used in softcore pornography

US
, 1995
fir
noun
marijuana
US
, 1984
fire
noun
1
matches or a cigarette lighter
US
, 1959
.
2
a detonator
UK
,
1956
.
3
a sexually transmitted infection
NORFOLK ISLAND
, 1992
.
4
acom-
bination of crack cocaine and methamphetamine
UK
, 1998

.
5
a
running car engine. Usually in the context of a comment such as
‘your fire went out’ when a motorist shuts off his engine
US
, 1962
.
6
a car heater
NEW ZEALAND
, 1998
.
< I wouldn’t spit on him (her)
if he (she) was on fire; I wouldn’t piss on him if he was on
fire
I detest him (her)
UK
, 1979
.
< on fire
(used of a homosexual)
patently, obviously. As in
FLAMING US
, 1994
fire
verb
1
to light up a cigarette or a marijuana cigarette. Literally
‘to apply a flame’

US
, 1950
.
2
(of a mechanical device) to start up.
Also ‘fire up’ as a variant
US
, 2000
.
3
to inject a drug intravenously
US
, 1936
.
4
to dismiss from employment. A pun on ‘discharge’
US
,
1887
.
5
to destroy by arson
US
, 1957
.
6
to ejaculate
UK
, 1891
.

7
to play a
sport exceedingly well; to be ‘on fire’
AUSTRALIA
, 1977
.
< fire a leak
to urinate
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
, 2003
.
< fire one
to have a drink
BARBADOS
, 1965
.
< fire the acid
to drink rum
JAMAICA
, 1998
.
< fire
the ack-ack gun
to smoke a cigarette dipped in a heroin solution
US
, 1969
fire alarms
noun
arms (weaponry); the arms. Rhyming slang
UK

, 1992
fire-and-forget
adjective
(used of a missile) guided automatically
US
,
1991
fire away
verb
to commence, to start. Generally as imperative or
invitation
UK
, 1775
fireball
noun
1
an extremely energetic person
US
, 1949
.
2
in pinball, a
ball that leaves play without scoring any points
US
, 1977
.
3
atracer
bullet
US

, 1962
.
4
a short but intense use of artillery in the Vietnam
war
US
, 1991
fire bomber
noun
an aircraft for fighting fire
CANADA
, 1961
251 fingerbang | fire bomber
firebug
noun
1
an arsonist; a person with a pathological love of fire
US
, 1872
.
2
in poker, a player who bets and plays in a reckless
fashion
US
, 1996
fireburner
noun
a zealot
US
, 1972

firecan
noun
a type of radar system in a military aircraft
US
, 1999
firecracker
noun
a secret fragmentation artillery shell used on an
experimental basis in Vietnam. The formal name was Controlled
Fragmentation Munition, or CoFraM
US
, 1991
fired
adjective
excited, eager, sexually aroused
US
, 1968
fired up
adjective
enthusiastic
, 1999
fire-eater
noun
a ferociously brave person
US
, 1808
fire engine
noun
corned beef served in a tomato sauce over white
rice

BAHAMAS
, 1982
firefighter cute
adjective
describes an attractive young man.
Teenspeak, post-11th September 2001 — the day firefighters
became ‘American heroes’
US
, 2002
firefly
noun
a helicopter equipped with a powerful search light,
usually teamed with several gunships in the Vietnam war
US
, 1991
fire in the hole!
1
used as a warning that an explosive is about to
be detonated
US
, 1986
.
2
in the illegal production of alcohol, used as
a warning of approaching law enforcement officials
US
, 1974
fire into
verb
to approach with an intent to seduce

UK
, 1995
fireless cooker
noun
a gas chamber
US
, 1962
fireman
noun
in a group smoking marijuana from a pipe, the
second person to smoke
SOUTH AFRICA
, 2004
fireman’s
noun
horse races. Rhyming slang, from ‘fireman’s braces’
AUSTRALIA
, 1989
fireman’s hose; fireman’s
noun
the nose. Rhyming slang
UK
, 1992
fire on
verb
1
to excite sexually
US
, 1969
.

2
to punch someone
US
, 1973
fire pie
noun
a red-headed woman’s pubic hair and vulva
US
, 2003
fireplace
noun
in hot rodding, the grille on the front of a car
US
, 1958
fireproof
adjective
invulnerable
UK
, 1984
fire-rage
noun
an argument
BARBADOS
, 1965
fire track
noun
an armoured personnel carrier or tank equipped
with a flame-thrower
US
, 1991

fire up
verb
1
to light a pipe, a cigar or a cigarette
UK
, 1890
.
2
to light
and smoke a marijuana cigarette
US
, 1962
.
3
to inject drugs
UK
, 1996
.
4
to enthuse
UK
, 1986
firewater
noun
1
strong alcohol. A term associated with Native
Americans, often pronounced with an ambiguous accent approxi-
mating an accent used by Indian actors in old cowboy films
US
,

1817
.
2
GBL, a drug that is nearly identical in molecular structure to
the recreational drug GHB
US
, 1999
.
3
spruce beer, and also, phos-
phorescence in salt water
CANADA
, 1950
fireworks
noun
1
a great disturbance; dramatic excitement
UK
, 1889
.
2
an exchange of gunfire
US
, 1864
.
3
a police car with flashing lights
US
, 1976
.

4
roadside flares warning motorists of an accident or other
problem ahead
US
, 1962
firey; fire-ie; firee
noun
a firefighter, especially of bushfires
AUSTRALIA
, 1996
firing line
noun
< in the firing line
in danger of dismissal from
employment; applied more widely to any who are identified as
those who will be blamed or held to account
UK
, 1961
firm
noun
1
a gang of football hooligans. A business-like self-
description, adopted from professional criminals
UK
, 1999
.
2
a
criminal gang. From the conventional sense as a ‘business’
UK

, 1969
.
3
a squad of detectives, especially a close-knit group. A humorous
adoption of the ‘criminal gang’ sense
UK
, 1977
.
4
a criminal set-up
between a police officer or officers, especially CID, and a criminal
gang
UK
, 1970
.
< on the firm
as a constant arrangement, steadily
UK
, 2001
.
< the firm
the British royal family. Monarchy seen as a
business is a notion very much in tune with the ethics of the late
1980s
UK
, 2001
firm up
verb
to form into a gang
UK

, 2000
first aid
noun
1
a blade (as a weapon); a razor blade. Rhyming slang;
thought to be inspired by the catchphrase threat: ‘Can your wife
[or mum] do first aid? Well get her to stitch this up’
UK
, 1992
.
2
a
small shop that sells, amongst other commodities, patent medi-
cines
BARBADOS
, 1965
first aid kit; first aid
noun
the female breast. Rhyming slang for
TIT
; usually plural
UK
, 1992
first base
noun
1
in teenage categorisation of sexual activity, a level
of foreplay, most commonly referring to kissing. The exact degree
varies by region and even by school
US

, 1928
.
2
in blackjack played
in American casinos, the seat immediately to the dealer’s left
US
,
1985
first cab off the rank
noun
the first in a series
AUSTRALIA
, 1966
first call
noun
in Antarctica, the first ship to arrive at the South Pole
each season
ANTARCTICA
, 2003
first class
adjective
extremely good
UK
, 1879
first dollar
noun
in television and film-making, the first money gen-
erated after release
US
, 1990

first drop
noun
in cricket, the 3rd position in the order of batting
UK
,
1960
First Fleeter
noun
a person, or a descendant of a person, who
arrived on the first fleet of ships to bring British colonists to
Australia in 1788. A great deal of pride is associated with this
lineage in Australia
AUSTRALIA
, 1826
first horse
nickname
the First Cavalry Division, US Army
US
, 1968
first Louie
noun
a first lieutenant
US
, 1991
first off
adverb
as a beginning
US
, 1880
first-of-May

noun
1
an inexperienced worker. A circus word, based
on the start of the circus season
US
, 1961
.
2
a newcomer to a circus
or carnival
US
, 1926
First of the First
noun
the First Battalion of the First Regiment, US
Marine Corps. Korean war usage
US
, 1982
first pig
noun
a first sergeant, the most senior non-commissioned
officer in the US Army
US
, 1975
first reader
noun
a railway conductor’s trainbook
US
, 1946
first sergeant

noun
your wife
US
, 1976
first shirt
noun
a first sergeant in the US Army
US
, 1969
first sleeve
noun
a first sergeant
US
, 1956
first soldier
noun
a first sergeant in the US Army
US
, 1946
first suck of the sauce bottle
noun
first in a queue
AUSTRALIA
, 1971
first today and last tomorrow
in horse racing, said of an incon-
sistent performer
US
, 1951
fish

noun
1
the vagina
UK
, 1891
.
2
a woman, usually heterosexual
UK
,
1891
.
3
a male homosexual. Prison slang
JAMAICA
, 2002
.
4
a prisoner
who has recently arrived in prison
US
, 1864
.
5
a lover
NORFOLK ISLAND
,
1992
.
6

a person. Always suffixed to an adjective
UK
, 1722
.
7
afool
UK
,
2000
.
8
a heavy drinker
US
, 1990
.
9
a drug addict who supports his
habit by pimping
US
, 1955
.
10
in poker, an unskilled player who is a
likely victim of a skilled professional
US
, 1996
.
11
in on-line poker,
the weakest player in the game

, 2003
.
12
in cricket, a weak batsman
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
, 1990
.
13
a poor chess player
US
, 1971
.
14
in oil
drilling, any object inadvertently dropped down a well
US
, 1954
.
15
a
Plymouth Barracuda car
US
, 1976
.
16
a torpedo
US
, 1948
.
17

a dollar
US
,
1950
.
18
in electric line work, a glass strain insulator
US
, 1980
.
< have other fish to fry; have bigger fish to fry
to have
other business, or other things to do or achieve
UK
, 1660
fish
verb
1
to dance in a slow and sexual manner, moving the body
but not the feet
US
, 1952
.
2
in gin, to discard in a manner that is
designed to lure a desired card from an opponent
US
, 1965
.
3

in
poker, to stay with a bad hand in the hope of drawing the only
card that can possibly make the hand a good one
US
, 2003
.
4
to use
a prison’s plumbing system to pass a note from cell to cell
US
, 2000
.
< fish for food
to gossip
US
, 1947
.
< fish on the half-line
in
the Maritime Provinces, to fish for half of the catch as wages
CANADA
, 1983
.
< fish or cut bait; fish, cut bait or go ashore
make up your mind! The shorter, two-option phrase is more
popular today than the longer original
US
, 1860
firebug | fish 252