1611. Cotgrave, Dictionarie. Le fourrier de la lune a marqué le logis, applicable to a woman that hath her flowers. Flower-Fancier, subs. phr. (venery).—A whore-master. Flowery, subs. (thieves’).—Lodging; entertainment; ‘square the omee for the flowery’ = pay the landlord for the lodging. [Lingua Franca.] Flowery Language, subs. phr. (colloquial).—A euphemism for blasphemous and obscene speech. Flower of Chivalry, subs. phr. (venery).—The female pudendum. For synonyms, see Monosyllable. Flowing-hope, subs. (military).—A forlorn hope. Flub-dub-and-Guff, subs. phr. (American).—Rhetorical embellishment; high-falutin’ (q.v.). 1888. Detroit Free Press, August. Rev. Mr. Selah (to desk editor of the Daily Roarer)—‘Mr. Seezars, are you going to publish my prayer in full?’ Desk Editor—‘In full? Well, I guess not.’ (Changing his tone)—‘However, we’ll do what we can for you. By swiping out the flub-dub-and-guff, I guess we’ll have room to put in the points.’ Flue, subs. (old). 1. The Recorder of London or any large town. Bamfylde Moore-Carew. 2. (colloquial).—The filth, part fluff, part hair, part dust, which collects under ill-kept beds, and at the junctures of sofas and chairs; Beggar’s Velvet (q.v.). 1860. Dickens, Uncommercial Traveller. ‘Arcadian London.’ A power they possess of converting everything into flue. Such broken victuals as they take by stealth appear (whatever the nature of the viands) to generate flue.... Ibid. ‘Refreshment for Travellers.’ Take the old established Bull’s Head ... with its old-established flue under its old established four-post bedsteads. 3. (common).—A contraction of ‘influenza.’ Verb (common).—To put in pawn. In (or up) the flue, phr. (common).—Pawned. For synonyms, see Pop. 1821. Real Life, etc., I., p. 566. 1851. Mayhew, Lond. Lab. and Lond. Poor, II., p. 250. I’ve had sometimes to leave half my stock in flue with a deputy for a night’s rest. Up the flue (or spout), adj. phr. (colloquial).—Dead; collapsed, mentally or physically. To be up one’s flue, verb. phr. (colloquial).—To be awkward for one. That’s up your flue = That’s a ‘facer,’ or that’s up against you. Flue-Faker (or Scraper), subs. (common).—A chimney-sweep. [From Flue + Faker (q.v.).] Minor clergy = young chimney sweeps. For synonyms, see Clergyman. 1821. Egan, Tom and Jerry, p. 60. The ‘office’ has been given to ‘shove’ the poor flue-faker against Tom’s light drab coat. 1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, or Rogue’s Lexicon, s.v. 1882. Punch. LXXXII., p. 185, col. 2. Fluff (or Fluffings), subs. (railway clerks’).—1. Short change given by booking-clerks. The practice is known as Fluffing. Cf., Menavelings. Fr., des fruges (= more or less unlawful profits of any sort).