1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, bk. I., ch. xi. He would flay the fox.
2. (American).—To clean out by unfair means.
To flay or skin a flint, verb. phr. (old).—To be mean or miserly. See Skinflint.
1690. B. E., New Dict. of the Canting Crew, s.v. He’ll flay or skinn a flint of a Meer Scrat or Miser.
1833. Marryat, Peter Simple, vol. II., p. 194 (ed. 1846). Report says she would skin a flint if she could.
Flaybottom or Flaybottomist, subs. (common).—A schoolmaster, with a play on the word phlebotomist = a blood-letter.—Grose. Fr., fouette-cul; and (Cotgrave) “Fesse-cul, a pedantical whip-arse.”
Flavour, to catch (or get) the flavour. verb. phr. (common).—1. To be intoxicated. For synonyms, see Drinks and Screwed.
2. (venery). To be ‘half-on’ for coition; to wax proud (q.v.): said of men and women both.
Flax, verb. (American).—To beat severely; to give it hot (q.v.). For synonyms, see Tan.
Flax-wench, subs. (old).—A prostitute. For synonyms, see Barrack-hack and Tart.