flg 
2207 
Feed him with apricoc-ks, and dewberries ; 
With purple grapes, green .fan, and mulberriw. 
' 
Do men gather grapes of thorns, or Jiy* of thistles'; fig-dust (fig'dust), . Finely ground oatmeal, 
Mat. vn. 16. uge( j as f od for caged birds. 
fig-eater (fig'e"ter), n. [A translation of L. 
jiccdii/ti, a name of some small bird, or rather 
of various small birds that eat figs. Of. the 
2. A name given to various plants having a gimilar 6 ecca ^ co .] If. An old name given by 
fruit somewhat resembling the ng. d. A \ - willughby to a small bird of Great Britain, sup- 
rideous alga, Callithamnton fiorululum. [West pose( i to be tbe gar den-warbler, Sylvia horteii- 
coast of Ireland.] 8is _ &[ ao fin-pecker. 2. IneJito/n.,ascarab8eoid 
At the close of the summer great quantities of its heml- beetle Allorhina nitida. [Southern U.S.] 
spherical, densely matted and aggregated cushions, which "* IB, ' Hrhfnt tiaient < AV/1 
ore called ii<n by the country people, are washed ashore figentt (DJ ent), a. [Also ficiient, Jigieni, \ jig 
and collected as manure. Phytologia liriiannim. or fidge + -ent, as if from a L. ppr., or prob. 
4 The fig-tree. 5. A raisin. [Prov. Eng.] the ME. ppr. suffix -ende, -and, etc.] Fidgety, 
in Cornwall, raisins are caHed.,,,,- , " a thoomping flggy Ih^ave * **&?$ % hlm . 
A notable talking knave ! 
Beau, aiul Fl., Little French Lawyer, in. 2. 
I tell you, a sailor's cap ! 'Slight, God forgive me ! what 
kind otfigent memory have you? 
Marston, Jonson, and Chapman, Eastward Ho, m. _>. 
[Midden," a big plum pudding. 
Spec, of Cornifh Dialect, p. 53. 
6. In farriery, an excrescence on the frog of 
a horse's foot following a bruise. 7. A con- 
temptuous gesture, pretended to be of Spanish 
origin, which consisted in thrusting out the 
thumb between the first and second fingers. 
Also called fig of Spain and fico. 
Pint. Figo for thy friendship. 
Flu. It is well. 
Pint. The fig of Spain! [Exit Pistol.] 
Shak., Hen. V., ill. 6. 
I never could stand long in one place, yet ; 
I learnt it of my father, ever figtent. 
Middleton, Chaste Maid, iii. 3. 
figetive (fij'e-tiv), a. In her., same &sfitche. 
fig-faun (fig'fan), n. [Tr. L. faunus ficarim, in 
the Vulgate.] A mythical being, a creature 
supposed to feed upon figs. 
Therefore shall dragons dwell there with the fig-faum. 
Jer. 1. 39 (Douay version). 
8. As a colloquial standard of value or consid- 
eration, the merest trifle ; the least bit : as, your 
opinion is not worth a fig; I don't care a fig fig_f ee ([ er (ng'fe"der), n. A chalcid hymenop- 
for it Adam's fig, the banana, Hum mpieiitimii.A terous insect of the group Agaonidce. 
flg for (this or that), a phrase used elliptically for I . , , .. . v^sket 
don't care a. Jiy for," etc., to express the speaker's scorn ng-irailt, * ng "< 
Ban. Nay, you shall see a house dressed up, i faith ^ yon 
y, you 
must not think to tread a' th' ground when you come there. 
Gol. No? how then? 
Bun. Why, upon paths made of fig-frails and white 
blankets cut out in steaks. 
Middleton, Your Five Gallants, iv. 5. 
. , ., 
for some insignificant or worthless person or thing. 
Tarie till wee can get but three, 
And a fig for all your braves. 
Robin Hood and the Peddlers (Child's Ballads, V. 246). 
I'll pledge you all, and a Jig for Peter ! 
Shak., 2 Hen. VI ii. 3. _ 
Why now, a Fig for your Father's kindness; you are figging (fig'mg), n. Insoap-makmg, white gran- 
ulations of stearate of potash, produced by the 
addition of a certain amount of tallow to the 
oils of which soft soap is made : so called from 
its resemblance to the granular texture of a 
able to pay your Debts yourself, Sir. 
Mrs. Centlivre, The Gamester, in. 
Yet whoop, Jack ! kiss Gillian the quicker, 
Till she bloom like a rose, and a fig for the vicar ! 
Scott, L. of the L., vi. 5. 
L . - . , fig. 
fig-gnat (fig'nat), H. A gnat, Culex ficarius, of 
pig, o'f Sierra Leone, the family Culicida;, injurious to the fig, into 
, . jiaceous tree or shrubby the interior of which it enters. 
timber bearing an edible fruit. Hottentot flg, the J/c- fi cci imt (fig'um), n. [Mere iargoii.] Jugglers' 
vmManthemumedule of South Africa, the mucilaginous "glckT generally ; especially, the trick of spit- 
ting fire. 
/ /'/ J. See, he spits fire ! 
, 
the Sarcocephalus esculentua, a rubiaceoiis tree or shrubby 
- 
. , 
Sir P. Eith. no, he plays at fir/gum : 
The devil is the author of wicked figgum. 
B. Jonson, Devil is an Ass, v. 5. 
, 
capsules of which make an agreeable preserve.- Indian 
flg, a common name for species of the cactaceous genus 
Opuntia, especially O. vulgaris and 0. Ficus-InduM. 
Keg flg, of Japan and China, the Diotpyrot Raid. Wild 
flg, ofJamaica, Clusia fiava. 
fig+ (fig), v. t. [< fig 2 , .] 1. To insult with 
ficos, or contemptuous motions of the fingers, figgy (fig'i), a. [< fig 2 + -?/ 1 .] 1. Full of figs or 
See fig 2 , n., 7, and fico. raisins: as, a figgy pudding. [Prov. Eng.] 
When Pistol lies, do this ; and jig me, like 2. Resembling figs ; specifically, in soap-mak- 
The hragging Spaniard. Shak., 2 Hen. IV., v. 3. {n ^ containing white granulations of stearate 
2. To put into the head of, as something worth- o f potash. See figging. 
less or useless. The quality of soft soap is thought to depend in some 
Away to the sow she goes, and Jigs her in the crown with measure upon the existence of white particles diffused 
another storv Sir Ii. L'Estrant/e. throughthemass,producingtheappearancecalled"./?<'!/. 
O'Xeill, Dyeing and Calico Printing, p. 408. 
fig 3 (fig). [An abbr. of figure, perhaps in 
ref. to this abbr. ("Fig. 1," etc.) in fashion- 
plates.] 1. Dress; equipment: used chiefly in 
the phrase in full fig, in full or official dress. 
[Slang.] 
In walked the Cap of Maintenance, bearing the sword of, 
and followed by, the Lord Mayor I'M .fall fig. 
R. II. D. Barhain, Mem. of R. H. Barnaul, in Ingoldsby 
[Legends, I. 91. 
Lo ! is not one of the queen's pyebalds in full fig as great 
and as foolish a monster? Thackeray, Book of Snobs, xxix. 
(fig'i-dou*'di), n. 
Hamersly. 
Naut., plum- 
(pret. feaht, pi. fuhton, pp. fohten) = OFries. 
fiuehta = D. MLG. vechten = OHG. fehtan, 
MHG. vehten, Gr. fechten (> Noi-w. fiJcta = Sw. 
fakta = Dan. fcegte), fight. On the supposition 
that the radical vowel of the inf. was orig. u (as 
in pret. and pi.) and not e (eo), i. e., that the 
Goth, form, which is not recorded, was *fiuhtan, 
a connection has been sought with L. pugnare, 
Hence 2. Condition; state of preparation or 
readiness : as, the horse is in good fig for the 
race. [Sporting slang.] fight, Gr. warei'iiv, fight, box, < nvKTr/g, a boxer ; 
; (fig), i'. t. ; pret. and pp. figged, ppr. figging. a similar connection then existing between L. 
'<fig5, .] 1. To dress or deck: as, to fig one pngna, Gr. tcvy^, fist, and E. fisfl. Goth, as if 
out. [Slang.] 2. To trick or hocus, as a horse, f u hsti : see pugnacious andjtet 1 .] I. intrans. 
so as to make the animal appear lively or spirit- l. To engage in battle or in single combat; 
contend in arms ; attempt to defeat, subdue, or 
destroy an adversary by physical means. 
Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the 
children of Ammon. Judges xi. 6. 
Saul took the kingdom over Israel, and fought against 
all his enemies on every side. 1 Sam. xiv. 47. 
I'll tinht till from my bones the flesh be hack'd. 
Shak., Macbeth, v. 3. 
2. To contend in any way; struggle for the 
gaining of an end* strive vigorously : as, to 
fight against disease; to fight in a political 
campaign. 
With the choking weeds the tulip fought, 
Paler and smaller than he had been erst. 
William Morris, Earthly Paradise, II. 170. 
As long :u any man exists, there is some need of him ; 
fighting 
II. trans. 1. To contend with in battle; war 
against: as, they fought the enemy in two 
pitched battles. 2. To contend against in any 
manner. 
s.ime ship that tights the gale 
On this wild December night. 
.tf. Arnold, Tristram and Iseult. 
3. To carry on or wage, as a battle or other 
contest. 
This first Battcl of St. Albauswas/owj/At upon the three 
and thirtieth Year of K. Henry's Reign. 
Baker, Chronicles, p. 194. 
Soothed with the sound, the king grew vain ; 
Fought all his battles o'er again. 
Dryden, Alexander's Feast, 1. 67. 
4. To win or gain by battle or contest of any 
kind; sustain by fighting. 
Effeminate as I am, 
I will not fight my way with gilded arms. 
Tennyson, Geraint. 
5. To cause to fight; manage or maneuver in 
a fight : as, to fight cocks ; to fight one's ship. 
The most recent wooden war vessels have but two decks, 
and fight their guns on the upper one only. 
Thearle, Naval Arch., 212. 
To fight it out, to struggle till a decisive result is at- 
tained. 
Come and go with me to Nottingham, 
And there we will fight it out. 
Robin Hood's Delight (Child's Ballads, V. 215). 
To fight tne tiger, to play faro ; hence, to take part in 
any game played against a gambling-bank. [Slang, U. S.) 
While the majority of the vast encampment reposes in 
slumber, some resolute spirits are fighting the tiger, and a 
light gleaming from one cottage and another shows where 
devotees of science are backing their opinion of the rela- 
tive value of chance bits of pasteboard, in certain com- 
binations, with a liberality and faith for which the world 
gives them no credit. 
C. D. Warner, Their Pilgrimage, p. -220. 
fight (fit), , [< ME. fight, fiht, feht, feoht, etc., 
< AS. feoht, commonly ge-feoht, also feohte, a 
fight, battle, = OS. fehta = OFries. fiucht = D. 
gevecht = MLG. vacht, vachte, vechte = OHG. 
fehta, MHG. rehte, G. gefecht, a fight; from the 
verb.] 1. A battle; an attempt to overcome 
or defeat by physical means; a contest with 
natural or other weapons. 
These shifts refuted, answer thy appellant, 
Though by his blindness maim'd for high attempts, 
Who now denes thee thrice to single fight, 
As a petty enterprise of small enforce. 
Milton, S. A., 1. 1222. 
Nothing attracts the crowd's interest like a fight, whe- 
ther the combatants be two dogs, or a Napoleon and Wel- 
lington. O. S. Merriam, S. Bowles, II. 98. 
2. Any contest or struggle. 
We take them for our enemies, for the object and party 
of our contestation and spiritual fight. 
Jer. Taylor, Works (ed. 1835), I. 180. 
3. A bulkhead or other screen designed for 
the protection of the men during a battle; a 
bulwark. See close-fights. 
They fiercely set upon 
The parapets, and pull'd them down, raz'd every foremost 
fight. Chapman, Iliad, xii. 271. 
Clap on more sails ; pursue, up with your fights; 
Give fire : she is my prize, or ocean whelm them all ! 
Shak.,M. W. of W., ii. 2. 
4. Power or inclination for fighting. 
P. was not, however, yet utterly overcome, and had 
some fight left in him. Thackeray. 
= Svn. 1. Conflict, Combat, etc. (see battle^); fray, affray, 
encounter, affair, brush. 
fighter (fi'ter), n. [= OFries. fiuchtere = D. 
MLG. vechter = OHG. fehtdri, MHG. vehtcere, 
vehter, G. fechter = Dan. fcegter = Sw. faktare; 
as fight, v., + -e-i.] One who fights; a com- 
batant ; especially, one who is disposed to fight, 
or who fights well. 
But the fortune offeghtm may be fell chaunse. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 1751. 
ed, as by putting a piece of ginger into the anus 
fig. A common abbreviation of figure. 
fig-apple (fig'ap"l), H. [< fig 2 + apple. Cf.AS. 
fic-appel, lit. ' fig-apple,' a fig.] A species of 
apple without a core or kernel. 
figaryt (fi-ga'ri), w. \_Alsofegary, figuary; cor- 
rupted from vagary.'] A vagary. 
Leave your wild figaries, and learn to be a tame antic. 
Fofil, Fancies, iii. :;. 
He said Selina was missed two or three hours on the 
wedding morn ; some figary, I know not what. 
Shirley, Love Tricks, v. 1. 
fig-banana (fig'ba-nan"a), n. A small variety 
of the banana, common in the West Indies and 
highly esteemed there. 
fig-blue (fig'blo), H. Same as soluble blue (ft) 
(which sep, under blue). 
fig-cake (fig'kak), u. A preparation of figs 
and almonds worked up into a hard paste and 
pressed into round cakes. 
let him fight for his own. 
Knifrson, Nominalist and Realist. 
That cock won't flght. See cocfci.-To fight shy of, 
to avoid from a feeling of dislike, fear, mistrust, difti- 
dnire. etc. 
To the latter end of a fray ... fits a 
SAot.,lHen. IV.,iv. 2. 
I must confess to you, sir, I am no fighter; I am false 
of heart that way. Shak., W. T., iv. 2. 
fighting (fi'ting), n. [< ME. fightyng, fihtinge; 
verbal n. of fight, i\] The act of engaging in 
combat or battle ; a battle or contest. 
When we were come into Macedonia, onr flesh had no 
rest, but we were troubled on every side ; without were 
fightings, within were fears. 2 Cor. vii. 6. 
From whence come wars and fightings among you? 
Jas. iv. 1. 
fighting (fi'ting), p. a. [Ppr. of fight, v. In 
second sense, attrib. use of fighting, .] 1. 
Qualified or trained to fight; fit to fight: as, 
fighting armies. 
Sexty thowsande mene, the syghte was fulle hngge, 
Mlefvghtamle folke of the ferre laundes. 
M,,rle Arthure (E. E. T. S.), 1. 4067. 
1'zzinh had an host of fighting men, that went out to 
war by bands. i Chron. xxvi. 11. 
