Chapter False Ceiling to Farmer George of F by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

Fanfaron A swaggering bully; a cowardly boaster who blows his own trumpet. Sir Walter Scott uses the word for finery, especially for the gold chains worn by military men, common in Spain amongst the conquerors of the New World. (Spanish, fanfarron, a bully; French, fanfare, a flourish of trumpets, or short piece of military music performed by brass instruments and kettledrums.)

" `Marry, hang thee, with thy fanfarona about thy neck!' said the falconer." - Scott: The Abbot. cxvii.

Fanfaronade (4 syl.). Swaggering; vain boasting; ostentatious display. (See above.)

"The bishop copied this proceeding from the fanfaronade of M. Boufflers." - Swift.

Fang A sheriff's officer in Shakespeare's 2 Henry IV.

Fangs I fell into his fangs. Into his power, his clutches. (Anglo-Saxon, fang, a grasp.)

"To seize,
Traitors, that vice-like fang the hand ye lick."
Bailey: Festus (A Village Feast), sec. 9.

Fangled A new-fangled notion is one just started or entertained. (Saxon, fengan, to begin.)

Fanny Fern A nom de plume of Mrs. Sarah Payson Parton, sister of Mr. N. P. Willis, the American poet. (Born 1811, died 1872.)

Fantigue (2 syl.). A function; a fussy anxiety; that restless, nervous commotion which persons have who are phantom-struck.

Fantoccini [fanto-cheny ]. A dramatic performance by puppets. (Italian, fantoccio, a puppet.)

Fantom-corn The mere ghost of corn, having been bewitched. (French, fantóme, a ghost.)

Fantom-fellow A person who is light-headed, and under the ban of some hobgoblin. (See above.)

Fantom-flesh Flesh that hangs loose and flabby - supposed to be under the evil influence of some spectre. (See above.)

Far and Away "Nullus proximus aut secundus;" as, "far and away the best;" some person or thing beyond all comparison or rivalry.

Far Cry from It is a far cry from ... to ...; as, it is a far cry from Moses to Moses Montefiore, and from David to Disraeli, but they all were Jews, and had certain features in common. Sir Walter Scott several times uses the phrase "It's a far cry to Lochow [Lochawe]." It is a far cry from O'Connell to Kossuth.

Far fetched Not closely connected; a remote conceit; as, "a far-fetched simile," a "far-fetched allusion." Also, obtained from a foreign or distant country, "quod rarum est, carum est."

"The passion for long, involved sentences ... and far-fetched conceits ... passed away, and a clearer and less ornate style became popular." - Lecky: English in the Eighteenth Century, vol. i. chap. i. p. 91.

Far Gone Deeply affected: as, "far gone in love."

Far Niente (3 syl.). Italian phrase. The Latin otium. Dolce far niente is the sweet enjoyment of having nothing to do, i.e. of a holiday. (See Dolce.)

Farce (1 syl.). Stuffing. Dramatic pieces of no solid worth, but stuffed full of ludicrous incidents and expressions. They bear the same analogy to the regular drama as force-meat does to a solid joint. (French, farce; Latin, farcio, to stuff.)

Farceur (The). One who writes or acts farces.

Farcy or Farcin (Latin, farcimen, a sausage, any stuffed meat). A disease in horses, which consists of a swelling of the ganglions and lymphatic vessels. It shows itself in little knots; glanders.