In the singular form the lexicon of a particular subject is all the terms associated with it. The lexicon of a person or group is all the words they commonly use. As a plural noun, a lexicon is an alphabetical list of the words in a language or the words associated with a particular subject. To distinguish lexicon from a dictionary, it is an alphabetical list of the words in a language or the words associated with a particular subject.

These examples are a mix of what one might hear upon the lips of the aristocracy, as well as examples of Cant used upon London’s streets and those terms used by farmers and like in the country.

face-making – begetting children

facer – a violent blow to the face

fadge – make suit or fit

It won’t fadge – It will not do.

fag – used in English public schools; denoted a younger boy who ran errands for an older student (to become “fatigued” by doing these errands)

faggot – a grouping of sticks tied together and used for fuel

Fall away from a horse load to a cart load – a saying indicating one has grown fat

fallow – farmland left temporarily unplated

faro – a gambling game; players bet on the order of the cards being turned over by the dealer

farrier – A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses’ hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith’s skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjusting metal shoes) with some veterinarian’s skills (knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the lower limb) to care for horses’ feet.

fart catcher – a valet or footman, from his walking behind his master or mistress

A Father’s Legacy to His Daughters – a guide book by John Gregory (1774), which served as a young lady’s guide to conduct; Dr. Gregory suggested that women should hide their knowledge and wisdom to avoid appearing superior.

fellow – a member of a college at Oxford or Cambridge; constituted the governing body of the college

Fellow Commoner – An empty bottle, so called at the university of Cambridge, where fellow commoners are not in general considered as overly full of learning. At Oxford, an empty bottle is called a gentleman commoner for the same reason. They pay at Cambridge 250 li (meaning “pounds,” coming from the Latin word “libra”) a year for the privilege of wearing a gold or silver tassel on their caps. The younger branches of the nobility have the privilege of wearing a hat, and from thence are denominated as Hat Fellow Commoners.

female education – no standard curriculum existed for women; women were instructed in penmanship, reading, basic arithmetic, homemaking; sewing, manners, dancing, art, and music

fen – an area in and around Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire; low, swampy area

to fence – to pawn or sell to a receiver of stolen goods

fender – a protective grate to keep sparks from falling out onto the floor/carpet

Ferrara – Andrea Ferrara; the name of a famous sword cutter; most of the Highland broad-swords are marked with his name; whence an Andrea Ferrara has become the common name for the glaymore or Highland broad-sword.

ferret – a tradesman who sells goods to young unthrifty heirs, at excessive rates, and then continually duns them for the debt

fête – a large fancy party (fete champetre was a large outdoor party)

feuterer -a dog-keeper: from the French vautrier, one that leads the lime hound for the chase

fichu – used as a head or shoulder covering by women; especially for low cut gowns

fiddle faddle – trifling discourse, nonsense

fiddlestick’s end – nothing; the end of the ancient fiddlesticks ended in a point; hence, metaphorically used to express a thing terminating in nothing

figure – an isolated dance step or a series of related steps, especially when referring to a country dance or a quadrille

filch – to steal

fingerpost – road signs (usually at cross roads) in the shape of a finger

flagon – a container for drinking alcohol; had a spout, handle, and lid

fleece – to rob, cheat or plunder

Fleet Prison – a prison housing debtors

flog – to whip

flush in the pockets – full of money

flux – to cheat

fly – a rented horse and carriage

fob – a cheat, trick, or contrivance; also a small breeches pocket for holding a watch

footpads – rogues who rob on foot

Fordyce’s Sermons (or) Sermons to Young Women – by Dr. James Fordyce (1765); explained within a Christian framework how a woman must please a man in order to earn his hand in marriage; women were taught to be docile, soft, and obedient; the sermons emphasizes beauty over education; women were told to avoid exercise

foolscap – 13″ x 17″ paper; bore a watermark of a fool’s cap and bells

Foot Guards – the infantry which guarded the sovereign; there were the Coldstream Guards, the Scots Guards, and the Grenadier Guards

footman – an indoor male servant; cleaned and trimmed the lamps, waited the meal service, and escorted the ladies of the house when the women made calls; normally wore a livery; were matched in height if more than one footman was employed in a household

fortnight – a unit of time equal to 14 days (2 weeks)

foxed – intoxicated

foundling – a child dropped in the streets and found; educated at the parish’s expense

franking – in reality, only members of Parliament (until 1840) could “frank” a letter, meaning to send the post for free (carrying on Parliamentary business without cost to the MP); the MP was to add his name and the date to the address; the letters were to weigh no more than one ounce; the privilege was often abused, however

freeholders – the landowners in a community

French disease – venereal disease (French gout is the same.)

fribble – an effeminate fop: a name borrowed from a celebrated character of the kind, found in the farce of Miss in Her Teens, written by Mr. David Garrick

frigate – one of the smaller boats of the British Navy; used for reconnaissance, not part of the line

front – a small hairpiece worn above the forehead (usually by women)

fudge – lies or nonsense 

furlong – equivalent to 660 feet; came from the phrase “furrow long”

fusiliers – infantry armed with fusils; later, fusiliers were outfitted as was all other member of the infantry, except they wore busbies

fustian – coarse cotton fabrics, such as corduroy or velveteen; usually in a dark color –  a thick cotton and flax (linen) woven fabric.  When used as slang, it means b.s. or laying it on thick, which is likely a word made up by the Regency writer, Georgette Heyer, but is generally accepted as true