1870. L. Oliphant, Piccadilly, Pt. V., p. 196. ‘Whenever the mammas object to asking her on account of that horrid Lady Wylde,’ I floor all opposition by saying, ‘Oh, Lady Jane Helter will bring her.’ 1888. Sportsman, 28 Nov. Pope, who was the fresher, started at a terrific pace and drove his man all over the ring, ending by flooring him. To floor the odds (betting men’s).—Said of a low-priced horse that pulls off the event in face of the betting. 1882. Daily Telegraph, 16 Nov. The odds were, nevertheless, floored from an unexpected quarter. 1889. Echo, 24 Jan. As the odds betted on Miss Jessie II. were easily floored by Marsden. 2. (drunkards’).—To finish; to get outside of. E.g., ‘I floored three half-pints and a nip before breakfast.’ 1837. Punch, 31 Jan. Dear Bill, this stone jug.... Is still the same snug, Free-and-easy old hole, Where Macheath met his blowens, and Wylde floored his bowl. 18(?). Macmillan’s Magazine (quoted in Century Dict.). I have a few bottles of old wine left: we may as well floor them. 3. (university).—To pluck; to plough (q.v.). To floor a paper, lesson, examination, examiner, etc., verb. phr. (university).—To answer every question; to master; to prove oneself superior to the occasion. 1852. Bristed, Five Years in an English University, p. 12. Somehow I nearly floored the paper. 1861. Hughes, Tom Brown at Oxford. I’ve floored my Little Go. To floor one’s licks, verb. phr. (common).—To surpass one’s self; to cut-around (q.v.). 1844. Puck, p. 14. Now slowly rising, raised his pewter and floored his licks. To have, hold, or take the floor, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To rise to address a public meeting; in Ireland, to stand up to dance; and, in America, ‘to be in possession of the House.’ 1882. McCabe, New York, xxi., p. 342. A member making a bid below or an offer above the one which has the floor. 1888. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. After a half hour’s recess Mr. Glover took the floor. 1889. Pall Mall Gazette, 11 Nov., p. 6, col. 1. The Duke of Rutland, however, who ‘took the floor’ non-politically at the end of the evening, was really ‘felicitous’ in his few remarks. Floored, ppl. adj. (colloquial).—1. Vanquished; brought under; ruined. For synonyms, see Dead-beat and infra.