Green’s Dictionary of Slang

fieri facias n.

In phrases

served with a writ of fieri facias [legal jargon fieri facias, ‘a writ wherein the sheriff is commanded that he cause to be made out of the goods and chattels of the defendant the sum for which judgement was given’ (Blackstone, Laws of England 1765–9); for sl. use this is punningly mispronounced as ‘fiery face’]

having a red face; also in fig. use.

1660		‘Eugenius Theodidactus’ 13: Whether old father Fiery-facias will ever be cur'd of his red nose.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Fieri facias. A red-faced man is said to have been served with a writ of fieri facias.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1840		T. Haliburton Letter-bag of the Great Western (1873) 85: I assure you this ship is no ‘clausum’ frigid, but as regular a ‘fiery facias’ as you would desire to see, a perfect hot-hell, as the Scotch call it.
1852		Bell’s Life in Sydney 1 May 3/3: [heading] A Fiery face-she-has .
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.