fling, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

fling v.

[SE fling, i.e. to fling money out of]

1. to snatch.

1728

J. Dalton Narrative of Street-Robberies 11: The Whores are our Safeguard; for when we fling for a Cly, if we are taken on Suspicion, they’ll rap for us.

2. to get the better of, to cheat, to deceive; esp. as fling out of; fling for, to be caught out.

1743		Proceedings Old Bailey 23 Feb. 98/2: I gave her a little Time; then I looked for her, and she was gone; said I, She has flung us.
1751		Smollett Peregrine Pickle (1964) 390: He began to perceive he had been finely flung by some rascal.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
c.1790		‘The Man of Fashion’ Luke Caffrey’s Gost 6: With your gold you’ll rattle ’till you fling them all, / And then you’re a Man of Fashion.
1800		‘Britannia’s Sons at Sea’ in Jovial Songster 5: Great guns I scarce could hold, / To find that I was flung.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1830		Lytton Paul Clifford III 129: Flung the governor out of a guinea, by God! Now, that’s what I calls keeping it up to the last!
1884		in A. Griffiths Chronicles of Newgate 257: I have flung the old fellow out of another guinea.

3. to move, to walk.

1949		‘Josephine Tey’ Brat Farrar 207: ‘Well, see that you remember what I said. [...]’ [a]nd he flung away from them towards the house.
1960		Mad mag. June 46: Some might-slumming stud come flinging right up to my beat pad door.

4. (UK black/gang) to shoot a weapon.


2018-20		T. Thorne (ed.) ‘Drill Slang Glossary’ at Forensic Linguistic Databank 🌐 Fling - shoot.

SE in slang uses

In compounds

fling-down (n.)

(Anglo-Irish) a fight.

1821

‘A Real Paddy’ Real Life in Ireland 19: Brian had the opportunity of witnessing a scratch, or rather a downright ‘fling down’ betwixt two mobs.

fling-dust (n.) (also fling-stink) [the dirt or dust that she stirs on her walk]

a street-walking prostitute.

c.1621		Beaumont & Fletcher Wild-Goose-Chase IV i: She is an English whore, a kind of fling-dust, One of your London light-o’-loves.
1679		T. Ticklefoot Trial Wakeman 7: That he was not President of the Benedictines, his Lordship affirmed from the Testimony of three Flingstinks.

In phrases

fling it up (v.)

(W.I.) to behave in a wild manner, without restraints, usu. of dancing or sexual intercourse; thua adj. flingy, unrestrained, aggressive.

1995		Francis-Jackson Official Dancehall Dict. 21: Fling-it-up wild abandon (of dancing or intercourse) u. she can fling it up.
2022		Digga D. ‘Secret’ 🎵 Give me the thingy, get flingy and bun 'em now (Grr, grr).

fling the hatchet (v.)

see throw the hatchet under hatchet n.

fling the house out of the windows (v.)

to make a great deal of noise or disturbance in one’s house.

c.1607

Beaumont & Fletcher Knight of the Burning Pestle III ii: We are at home now; where, I warrant you, you shall find the house flung out of the windows.

fling woo (v.)

(Can. campus) to hug and kiss.

1938

Dly Atheneum in McGill Dly 19 Dec. 4: Hugging and kissing [...] Lollygagging, necking, pitching honey, smooching, tonsil swabbing, pawing, muzzling, flinging woo and rotten logging are other names applied to the same activity.