1846. Punch, X., p. 163. But as yet no nose is bleeding, As yet no man is down; For the gownsmen funk the townsmen, And the townsmen funk the gown. 1848. J. R. Lowell, Biglow Papers. To funk right out o’ p’lit’cal strife ain’t thought to be the thing. 1873. M. Collins, Squire Silchester’s Whim, ch. xvii. Come along! don’t funk it, old fellow. English Synonyms.—To come it; to lose one’s guts; to shit one’s breeches; to get the needle (athletic). French Synonyms.—Paniquer (thieves’: Panique = sudden fright); blaguer (familiar: = to swagger: Il avait l’air de blaguer mais il n’était pas à la noce = he put on a lot of side, but he didn’t like it); avec la cœur en gargousse (sailors’ = with sinking heart); avoir une fluxion (popular: fluxion = inflammation); avoir la flemme (popular: also = to be idle); avoir le trac or trak (general); foirer (popular: foire = excrement); léziner (popular: also = to cheat). Spanish Synonym.—Pajarear. Italian Synonym.—Filare (= to run: Fr., filer). 4. (colloquial).—To be nervous; to lose heart. 1827. ‘Advice to Tommy,’ Every Night Book (by the author of ‘The Cigar’). Do not go out of your depth, unless you have available assistance at hand, in case you should funk. 1856. Hughes, Tom Brown’s School Days, ii., p. 5. He’s funking; go in Williams! 1857. Moncrieff, The Bashful Man, ii., 4. Ah! Gyp, hope I sha’n’t get plucked; funk confoundedly: no matter, I must put a bold face on it. 1857. Hood, Pen and Pencil Pictures, p. 144. I have seen him out with the governor’s hounds: he funked at the first hedge, and I never saw him again! 1863. Reade, Hard Cash, ii., p. 135. I told him I hadn’t a notion of what he meant! ‘O yes I did,’ he said, ‘Captain Dodd’s fourteen thousand pounds! It had passed through my hands.’ Then I began to funk again at his knowing that.... I was flustered, ye see. 1865. H. Kingsley, The Hillyars and the Burtons, ch. xxxiii. The sound of the table falling was the signal for a rush of four men from the inner room, who had to use a vulgar expression, funked following the valiant scoundrel Sykes, but who now tried to make their escape, and found themselves hand to hand with the policemen. 1871. Morning Advertiser, 11 Sept. ‘Holy Abr’ham!’ mused he vauntingly, ‘shall British sailors funk, While tracts refresh their spirits, tea washes down their junk?’ 1890. Pall Mall Gazette, 17 Oct. p. 2, col. 1. They wanted badly to get one steamer loaded and sent to New Zealand. The non-union men funked loading her on account of the union men. 1891. Licensed Vict. Gazette, 13 Feb. Smith’s friends thought he was funking, and shouted to Tom to go in and punch him. 5. (schoolboys’).—To move the hand forward unfairly in playing marbles; to fudge (q.v.). 1811. Lexicon Balatronicum. Funk, to use an unfair motion of the hand in plumping at taw.