The Thirty-Nine Steps (30 page)

expect
VERB
here expect means to wait for
to expect his farther commands
(
Gulliver’s Travels
by Jonathan Swift)

familiars
NOUN
familiars means spirits or devils who come to someone when they are called
I’ll turn all the lice about thee into familiars
(
Doctor Faustus 1.4
by Christopher Marlowe)

fantods
NOUN
a fantod is a person who fidgets or can’t stop moving nervously
It most give me the fantods
(
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain)

farthing
NOUN
a farthing is an old unit of British currency which was worth a quarter of a penny
Not a farthing less. A great many back-payments are included in it, I assure you
. (
A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens)

farthingale
NOUN
a hoop worn under a skirt to extend it
A bell with an old voice – which I dare say in its time had often said to the house,
Here is the green farthingale
(
Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens)

favours
NOUN
here favours is an old word which means ribbons
A group of humble mourners entered the gate: wearing white favours
(
Oliver Twist
by Charles Dickens)

feigned
VERB
pretend or pretending
not my feigned page
(
On His Mistress
by John Donne)

fence
NOUN
a fence is someone who receives and sells stolen goods
What are you up to? Ill-treating the boys, you covetous, avaricious, in-sa-ti-a-ble
old fence?
(
Oliver Twist
by Charles Dickens)
NOUN
defence or protection
but honesty hath no fence against superior cunning
(
Gulliver’s Travels
by Jonathan Swift)

fess
ADJ
fess is an old word which means pleased or proud
You’ll be fess enough, my poppet
(
Tess of the D’Urbervilles
by Thomas Hardy)

fettered
ADJ
fettered means bound in chains or chained
“You are fettered,” said Scrooge, trembling. “Tell me why?”
(
A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens)