foudroyant 
2. Specifically, in jxi/hol., beginning in a very 
sudden and severe form : said of disease. 
fouet (fo'et), H. [Sc., also written fouat,fouets, 
foicn, foose, fetes; origin obscure.] The house- 
leek. 
The king's leaving Scotland has taken all custom frar 
Edinburgh ; and there is hay made at the Cross, and a 
dainty crop otfouats in the Gra.s.smarket. 
Scott, Fortunes of Nigel, ii. 
fougade (fo-gad'), n. [F., <fougue, < It.foga, 
impetuosity, passion, fury, prob. a var. otfuijn, 
flight, < L. fuga, flight: see fugue. Cf.fou- 
gasse.~\ Milit., a little mine in the form of a well, 
8 or 10 feet wide and 10 or 12 deep, charged 
with sacks of powder, or powder and shells, 
and covered with stones or earth. Sometimes a 
fougade is dug outside the works of a fortification or post 
as a defense, and sometimes beneath to destroy them by 
explosion. 
fougasse (fo-gas'), n. [F., < fougue: see fou- 
gade.} Same as fougade. 
fought (to),interj. [Var. of faugh, foil*.] Bah! 
an exclamation expressing disgust orcontempt. 
Fough ! he smells all lamp-oil with studying by candle- 
light. B. Jonson, Cynthia's Revels, ill. 2. 
fought (f dt). Preterit and past participle of fight. 
foughten (fd'tn),;). a. [Another form of fought, 
pp. of fight; for the second meaning, cf . for- 
foughten.] 1. That has been fought. [Ar- 
chaic.] 
And not &foughten Field, 
Where Kingdoms' rights have lain upon the spear and 
shield, 
But Plains have been the place. 
Drayton, Polyolbion, iii. 137. 
Hence 2 (fdch'tn). Overworked; outwea- 
ried ; troubled. [Old Eng. and Scotch.] 
Are we sae/ouyAteiian' harass'd 
For gear to gang that gate at last ? 
Burnt, The Twa Dogs. 
foul 1 (foul), a. and . [< ME. foul, ful, < AS. 
ful = D. vuil = OHG. ful, MHG. vul, G. faul, 
foul, rotten, lazy, idle, etc., = Icel. full = Sw. 
Dan. ful = Goth, fills, foul : with deriv. suffix -I, 
from a verb repr. by Icel. pp. fuinn, rotten, 
Teut. -\/ *fu = Indo-Eur. ^ "pit, in L. pus (Gr. 
Trtw), pus, pntere, stink, putrere, be rotten, Gr. 
nisdetv, make rotten (> ult. E. putrid), Lith. 
puti, rot, Skt. -tf pit, stink: see putrid, pus, etc. 
Hence filth, fulsome (in part), foulmart, etc.] 
I. a. 1. Grossly offensive to the senses; of a 
filthy or noxious character or quality ; noisome ; 
disgusting : as, foul matter or exudations ; a 
foul smell; foul breath. 2. Of a harmful or 
mischievous character ; causing trouble or an- 
noyance ; obnoxious ; obstructive ; clogging : 
as, foul weeds ; foul weather ; afoul wind. 
In the morning [ye say], It will befoul weather to day: 
for the sky is red and lowring. Mat. xvi. 3. 
What a brave day again ; 
And what fair weather, after BO foul a storm ! 
Fletcher (and another). Sea Voyage, i. 3. 
Till our arrival here we have had only one day's foul 
wind. The Century, XXXVII. 24. 
3. Affected by noisome or defiling matter ; in 
a filthy state or condition ; unclean ; dirty ; 
turbid ; defiled : as, foul clothing ; a foul den ; 
&foul stream. 
My face is foul with weeping, and on my eyelids is the 
shadow of death. Job xvi. 16. 
The way was long and wonderous/OM&. 
Dutchets of Suffolk's Calamity (Child's Ballads, VII. 302). 
Throw foid linen upon him, as if it were going to buck- 
ing. Shak., M. W. of W., iii. 3. 
Let Austria clear thy way, with hands 
Foul from Ancona's cruel sack. 
WhUtier, To Pius IX. 
4. Affected by harmful matter or things ; ob- 
structed by anything fixed or attached ; clogged ; 
choked: as, a, foul garden (one full of weeds); 
a foul chimney (one choked with soot) ; the 
ship's bottom iafoitl (clogged with seaweeds or 
barnacles) ; the channel has a foul bottom (one 
cumbered by rocks, wrecks, or the like). 
He acquainted his lordship that his ship had grown foul 
to a degree that must necessarily hinder her fast sailing. 
Franklin, Autobiog., p. 257. 
The voyage to Suez is very dangerous, more especially 
south of Tor, where there is much foul ground. 
Pococke, Description of the East, I. 135. 
5. Clogged or impeded as by collision or en- 
tanglement ; in a state of obstructing contact 
or involvement : with of before the obstructive 
object : as, the ship is foul of a rock or o/another 
ship ; a rope or an anchor is foul from being 
jammed, entangled, or clogged in any way. 
The wind blew so high, they durst not send out a Boat, 
though they much doubted she would be futile of their 
Bocks. Quoted in Capt. John Smith's Works, II. 151. 
2350 
6. Contrary to or violating rule or established 
usage; done, acting, or acted upon improperly ; 
irregular ; disorderly ; unfair : as, a foul blow 
or stroke; afoul player or fighter; afoul at- 
tack. See foul play, below. 7. Grossly offen- 
sive or loathsome m a moral sense ; manifest- 
ing, or prompted or actuated by, base or vicious 
feeling ; vile ; odious ; shameful ; revolting : 
as, foul thoughts or actions; foul language: a 
foul slander, murder, conspiracy, etc.; a foul 
slanderer or conspirator. 
Foul whisperings are abroad : unnatural deeds 
Do breed unnatural troubles. Shak., Macbeth, v. 1. 
Foul deeds will rise, 
Though all the earth o'envhelm them, to men's eyes. 
Shak., Hamlet, i. 2. 
This was extremely foul, to vex a child thus. 
Fletcher, Pilgrim, iii. 3. 
Nature crost 
Was mother of the /on/ adulteries 
That saturate soul with body. 
Tennyson, Aylmer's Field. 
8. Extremely bad as to effect or result; un- 
favorable ; unlucky ; pernicious ; distressing : 
as, a foul accident ; a foul prospect or omen. 
[Not now in common use.] 
Some foul mischance. 
Torment me for my love's forgetfulness. 
Shak., T. G. of V., ii. 2. 
If I cannot recover your niece, I am &fmd way out. 
Shak., T. N., ii. 3. 
A foule trouble there was to make him kneele to receiue 
his Crowne. Quoted in Capt. John Smith's Works, 1. 198. 
Eadbald, vext with an evil Spirit, fell oft'n Into foul flta 
of distraction. Milton, Hist. Eng., iv. 
9f. Coarse ; common ; of little value. 
Let us like merchants show onr foulest wares, 
And think, perchance, they'll sell. 
Shak., T. and C., i. 3. 
10f. Ill-favored; ugly; homely. 
Well, I am not fair; ... I thank the gods I am/ou/. 
Shak., As you Like it, iii. ::. 
My pretty maid, 
I dare not bring thee home ; my wife iifoul, 
And therefore envious. 
Beau, and Fl., Coxcomb, ill. 3. 
They that arc foul shall have a greater portion ; if fair, 
none at all, or very little. 
Burton, Auat. of Mel., To the Reader, p. 67. 
Foul anchor, an anchor with the slack of its cable twisted 
round the stock or one of the flukes : the badge of the Brit- 
ish Admiralty. 
On one of his broad arms he had a cruciflx (stamped with 
India ink), and on the other the sign of the foul anchor. 
K. 11. Dana, Jr., Before the Mast, p. 95. 
Foul ball, in base-ball, a ball struck so that it falls out- 
side of the lines connecting the " home" with the arst and 
third bases respectively, or their continuation. Foul 
berth, a berth or position in a harbor of such a nature 
that the vessel occupying it cannot swing at her anchor 
without becoming foul of another ship. Foul bill of 
health. See bill of health, under 6t. Foul chieve 
blm*. See chievel. A'ares. 
Ay, foul chive him ! he is too merry. 
Beau, and Fl., Knight of Burning Pestle, i. 3. 
Foul copy. See copy. Foul flsh, fish during the spawn- 
ing season. Foul hawse, a phrase applied to the chains 
of a moored ship when they nave been twisted together 
by the swinging round of the ship. Foul play, prima- 
rily, cheating or unfair action in a game or contest of any 
kind; hence, underhand intrigue or dishonest action in 
general, to the detriment of another or others. 
They'll feed ye up wi' flattering words, 
And that's foul play. 
Catherine Johnsione (Child's Ballads, IV. 37). 
Foul proof, in printing, an unconnected printed slip, be- 
fore the typographical and other errors have been recti- 
fied; a proof containing many errors. To fall foult, to 
fall out ; quarrel. 
If ever the King of Spaine and we should/aft/oufc, those 
Countries being so capable of all materialls for shipping, 
by this might have beene owners of a good Fleet of snips. 
Quoted in Capt. John Smith's Works, II. 264. 
If they be any ways offended they fall foul. 
Burton, Anat. of Mel. 
To fall foul Of or (formerly) on or upon, (a) Saul., to 
run against, or come into collision with. 
The principall Galleon of Sinill . . . falling foule of an- 
other shippe, had her fore-mast broken. 
Hakluyt's Voyages, I. 597. 
Steer straight unto good, and fall not foul on evil. 
Sir T. Browne, Christ. Mor., i. 17. 
Here we split our skiff, falling fowle upon another 
through negligence of the master. 
Eeelyn, Diary, Sept. 12, 1641. 
CO To attack ; make an assault upon. See afoul. 
Captain Bohadill tells me he \t. fallen foul of yon too. 
B. Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, iv. 5. 
foul-faced 
in;.'. 7. Vile, scurvy, base, scandalous, infamous, sinister. 
<l;irk, 'li^raceful. 
II. n. 1. The act of fouling, colliding, or 
otherwise impeding due motion or progress; 
specifically, in a contest of any kind, a viola- 
tion of the governing rules. 2. In base-ball, 
a hit which makes the ball land outside the 
lines from homo to first or to third base con- 
tinued indefinitely; a foul ball or a foul hit. 
See base-ball. 3. An ulcer in a cow's foot; a 
disease that produces ulcers. HalUwtll. [North. 
Eng.] To claim a foul, to claim that an opponent 
has made a foul, in order to prevent adverse award of 
victory. 
foul 1 (foul), adv. [< ME. foule; <foul\ a.] In 
a foul manner. 
Thei bane take the Duke and ledde hym a-wey, magre 
hem idle betinge hymfotile. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 651. 
You offer foul, siguior, to close; keep your distance. 
B. Jonxon, Cynthia's Bevels, v. 2. 
An antagonist who neither flinches uor Utsfoul. 
S. A. Rev., CXLII. 449. 
foul 1 (foul), v. [< ME. foulen, fulen, tr. and 
intr., < AS. fulian, d-fulian, intr., become foul, 
parallel with E. filf, < ME. fylen, filen, tr. and 
intr., < AS. fylan (in comp.), make foul (= LG. 
fulen = OHG.. fiihn, fulen, tr., MHG. vulen, G. 
faulen, intr.), < ful, foul: see foul 1 , a., and cf. 
file*, defile^-, defoul, and foil*.] I. trans. To 
make foul, in any sense ; befoul, (a) To defile ; 
dirty ; soil. 
He cut his own throate at length with a razour, fouliny 
his infamous life with a low and dishonest departing. 
Sarille, tr. of Tacitus, p. 41. 
But if you be nice tofmi'l your fingers (which good an- 
glers seldome are), then take this bait. 
/. Walton, Complete Angler (1653), xii. 
Where'er I turn, some scandal fouls the way. 
Lowell, To G. W. f 
(6) Navt., to entangle. 
Lowell, To G. W. Curtis. 
Twas all along of Poll, as I may say, 
Tliat/ou/'d my cable when I ought to slip. 
Hood, Sailor's Apology. 
II. intrans. 1. To become foul or dirty: as, 
a gun fouls from long use. 
Metford's Military Grooving does not foul so rapidly, 
and is more easy to clean than the Match Rifle Grooving. 
W. W. Greener, The Gun, p. 169. 
2. Ndut., to come into collision, as two boats; 
become entangled or clogged: as, the rope 
fouled; the block fouled. 3. In base-ball, to 
strike a foul ball To foul out, in base-ball, to be 
retired from the bat through the catching of a foul ball 
by one of the opposite nine. 
fou! 2 t, n. An obsolete spelling of fowl*. 
foulard (fo-lard'), n. [F., of unknown origin.] 
1. A soft, thin, and flexible washable silk, with- 
out twill. It was originally made in India, but 
is now successfully produced in the south of 
France. 
Foulard is simply the name for plain-woven silk not 
dyed in the yarn, of which pongee is the Asiatic kind. 
Harper's Mai/., LXXI. 256. 
Hence 2. Asilk handkerchief, especially one 
used as a cravat or to tie around the neck. 
Their mother's beautiful brown hair is usually covered 
with a violet/<mtarrf. Harper's Mag., LXXVII. 738. 
fonlardine (fo-lar-den'), [< foulard + -ine?.] 
A cotton material made soft and flexible in imi- 
tation of foulard. 
foul-brood (foul'brod), n. A germ-disease of 
bees, the seeds of which lurk in the honey, 
whence bees contract it. 
That terrible fungoid malady, foul-brood, which bee- 
disease is indicated by a nauseating stench. 
Science, V. 73. 
fouldt, adv. [An irreg. var. of foufl. Cf. mid 
for rile.] An obsolete variant of foul 1 . 
fouldert, ". [< ME. "fouldre, foudre, < OF. 
foudre, later fouldre, F. foudre = Pr.foldre = 
It. folgore, < L. fulgur, lightning, < fulgere, 
lighten: see fulgent.] Lightning. 
That thynge that men calle/otidre, 
That smite sometime a toure to pondre. 
Chaucer, House of Fame, 1. 535. 
This ftr'd my heart fisfoulder doth the heath. 
Baldwin, in Mir. for Mags., p. 389. 
fouldert, >. '. [< foulder, n.] To emit great 
heat; flame, as lightning; burn. 
Seemd that lowde thunder, with amazement great, 
Did rend the ratling skyes with flames of fmudring heat. 
Spenser, F. Q., II. ii. 20. 
Missing Preferment makes the Presbyters fall foul vjxm foulert, . An obsolete spelling of fowler. 
,. B,shops. Selden, Table-Talk, p. 96. f ^ ul . f ^ ed (fou l'fa s t), . 1. Having the face 
foul or filthy. 2f. Of foul aspect or character; 
foul-mouthed. 
the Bishops. Selden, Table-Talk, p. 
In his sallies their men might fall foul o/each other. 
Clarendon, Great Bebellion. 
To make foul water (naut.\ to come into such shoal or 
low water that the motion of the keel stirs up the nmd 
from the bottom and fouls the water : said of a ship. 
= Syn. 1 and 3. Dirty, Filthy, etc. (see nasty)', impure, un- 
clean, stained, sullied, polluted, noisome, squalid, disgust- 
If black scandal, nrfnul-fnc'd reproach, 
Attend the sequel of your imposition, 
Your mere enforcement shall acquittance me. 
Shak.. Bich. III., iii. 7. 
