Pourquoi toutes ces frimes-là?—Le Médecin malgré Lui.
Frime à la manque, ugly face; face of a one-eyed person, termed “a seven-sided animal,” as, says the Slang Dictionary, he has an inside, outside, left side, right side, foreside, backside, and blind side. Tomber en ——, to meet face to face. (Popular) Une ——, falsehood; trick.
Quelque frime pour se faire donner du sucre! ah! il allait se renseigner, et si elle mentait!—Zola, L’Assommoir.
Frimer (thieves’), to peer into one’s face. Faire ——, to place a prisoner in presence of a prosecutor for purpose of identification. (Popular) Frimer, to make a good appearance; to look well; to pretend. Cet habit frime bien, this coat looks well. Ils friment de s’en aller, they pretend to go away.
Frimousse, f. (thieves’), figure card. (Popular) C’est pour ma ——, that’s for me. Literally physiognomy.
Frimousser (card-sharpers’), to swindle by contriving to turn up the figure cards.
Frimousseur (card-sharpers’), card-sharper, “broadsman.”
Fringue, f. (thieves’), article of clothing, “clobber.” (Popular) Les fringues, players at a game called “l’ours.” These stand upright in a knot at the centre of a circle, face to face, with heads bent and arms passed over one another’s shoulders so as to steady themselves. The business of other players outside the circle is to jump on the backs of those in the knot without being caught by one called “le chien” or “l’ours,” who keeps running about in the circle.
Fringuer (thieves’), se ——, to dress oneself, “to rig oneself out in clobber.”
Fripe, f. (popular), food, “prog.” From the old word fripper, to eat; cooking of food; expense; share in the reckoning, or “shot;” —— sauce, cook, or “dripping.” Faire la ——, to cook.