1.) fiasco - total failure; CF. bottle - The recent fiasco around weapons of mass destruction springs to mind.

2.) fiat - command; arbitrary order; CF. let it be done - For a nation cannot simply be created by bureaucratic fiat. 3.) fickle - changeable ; faithless - What models don't include is the fickle nature of people. 4.) fidelity - loyalty; accuracy - Accordingly, when a chancellor, he served his king with the utmost fidelity. 5.) figment - invention; something invented; imaginary thing - The idea of imminent war is a figment of the media imagination. 6.) figurative - not literal but metaphorical; using a figure of speech - Moreover they are not doctrinal, but hortatory, and purely figurative. -

7.) figurine - small ornamental statuette Thousands of clay figurines of a goddess have also been excavated, including in Jerusalem. 8.) filch - steal - Reading these reports would make clear how democracy was being filched away. 9.) filial - pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter; - Of all the actions of man there is none greater than filial piety. 10.) filibuster - block legislation or prevent action in a lawmaking body by making very slow long speeches; N; freebooter - Bush also faces the prospect of a democratic filibuster in the Senate to block his latest nomination to the Supreme Court 11.) filigree - delicate ornamental lacelike metalwork - Malta is renowned for its gold and silver filigree work and handmade lace. 12.) finale - conclusion; concluding part - The presentation of the award to them both was a fitting climax to the festival finale. -

13.) finesse - delicate skill; V: handle with finesse - Running 4 modules can be a bit of a trick and requires some finesse most of the time. 14.) finicky - too particular; fussy; difficult to please; too concerned with unimportant details or quality; Ex. finicky about her food - I remember Macky as being a very finicky cat when it came to cat food, but boy did he love people food. 15.) firebrand - piece of burning wood; hothead; troublemaker; person who stirs up trouble - The park is in the hands of the Greater London Council, whose leader is a young firebrand called Ken Livingstone. 16.) fissure - crevice; crack - Once a U shaped hole has been formed a fissure is created between two dunes. 17.) fitful - spasmodic; intermittent; irregular Half an hour sitting under a cold shower was

followed by a few hours fitful sleep in the sweltering heat. 18.) fimicolous - Living in or growing in animal excrement. - The shameless consumption of fimicolous humanity was really amusing them 19.) fissiparous - Inclined to cause or undergo division into separate parts or groups - It is the fragmentary, fissiparous nature of his work and not its intrinsic quality that is at issue here. 20.) fiery - looking like fire; consisting of fire The sun was now sinking, a fiery ball of light in the west.He delivered the sermon with fiery passion. 21.) fizzle - End or fail in a weak or disappointing way - We sold plums until the plum market collapsed: the local fruit markets fizzled away and the processing plants closed down. -

22.) fib - Tell such a lie - In many cases the companies lacked the necessary capital or had fibbed on essential documents. 23.) fabricate - build; lie; make up in order to deceive; ; CF. fabric: underlying structure; The prisoner claimed the police had fabricated his confession. 24.) facade - front or face ; superficial or false appearance - They managed somehow to maintain a facade of wealth. 25.) facet - small plane surface ; a side - They carefully examined every facet of the argument 26.) facetious - joking ; unserious; humorous This may seem a facetious point but that is far from my intention. 27.) facile - easily accomplished; N. facility: ability to do something easily and well; - It seems too facile to blame everything on his mishandling of the crisis. -

28.) faction - party; clique ; dissension - a faction in favor of big business. 29.) factious - inclined to form factions; causing dissension - A factious group was trying to undermine the government. 30.) factitious - artificial; produced artificially; sham; false; - a decoration of factitious flowers and leaves. 31.) factotum - handyman; person who does all kinds of work; CF. do everything - I became her assistant and general factotum. 32.) fallacious - false; based on a fallacy; misleading; N. fallacy: false idea or notion For years they have fooled people with their fallacious argument 33.) fallible - liable to err - Memory is selective and fallible. 34.) fallow - plowed but not sowed ; uncultivated - My creative energies have lain fallow this year -

35.) falter - hesitate; weaken in purpose or action; walk or move unsteadily through weakness; N. - Her courage did not falter at the prospect of hardship 36.) fanaticism - excessive zeal; extreme devotion to a belief or cause; N. fanatic; ADJ. fanatic - The stadium is deployed with a brigade of policemen to deal the fanaticism of football supporters 37.) fancied - imagined; unreal - Also, the jockey is very good on fancied runners at this course. 38.) fancier - breeder or dealer of animals; having special interest in raising specific plant or animal - I put such experienced fanciers on a pedestal in my young min, which I now advise fanciers never to do. 39.) fanciful - whimsical; visionary; imaginary; produced by imagination - These responses are not merely fanciful, music here is a useful metaphor. -

40.) fanfare - call by bugles or trumpets; showy display; spectacular public display - Two elves at the front of the sleigh blew a trumpet fanfare 41.) farce - broad comedy; mockery; humorous play- silly things happening; ADJ. farcical - A slow-paced fantasy comedy, reminiscent of the early Aldwych stage farces 42.) fastidious - difficult to please; squeamish; fussy; finicky - The most fastidious tastes will be most charmed with such verses as these 43.) fatalism - belief that events are determined by forces or fates beyond one's control; ADJ. fatalistic - Her fatalism helped her to face death with stoic calm. 44.) fathom - comprehend; investigate; determine the depth of; - It is hard to fathom the pain felt at the death of a child. 45.) fatuous - smugly and unconsciously foolish; inane; silly; N. fatuity, fatuousness - There are

some fatuous ideas about how GA gets a free ride 46.) fawning - courting favor by cringing and flattering; V. fawn; seek favor or attention by obsequiousness - Monty Python playing a scene of monstrous king and fawning courtiers. 47.) faze - disconcert; dismay; embarrass - Very well handled and easy to do, not fazed by anything. 48.) fait accompli - something already done and beyond alteration - On the other hand, they take the demolition as a fait accompli, as if the disputed 2.77-acre site was vacant land. 49.) familial - pertaining to family (as a whole single unit) - Tom Peters has described it as: The relentless pursuit of an almost familial bond between customer and product. 50.) faux - Made in imitation; artificial - Given that his father had wished him to be a medical

doctor, he creates the faux Sri Hari Prasad Sharma Charitable Hospital. 51.) faux pas - violation of accepted social norms - I committed a terrible faux pas at the office Christmas Party when I commented to my friend that I didn't like my boss who was standing directly behind me and heard the conversation. 52.) factum - A statement of the facts of a case And third, that more than the factum or quantum of loss, the real scandal lies in the manner in which the first-come-first-served rules were re-jigged. 53.) fang - either of two long sharp teeth at the front of the mouths of some animals, such as a snake or dog - A persistent bloody ooze from the fang marks may suggest the presence of snake venom anticoagulant. 54.) fawn - light yellowish-brown in colour ; a deer less than one year old - a fawn coat -

55.) fodder - coarse food for cattle, horses, etc.; feed for livestock; CF. food - If it's just some tasty filling fodder you're after, try Pizza Express or Ask. 56.) foible - small weakness of character; slight fault; CF. feeble - I've gotten used, over the years, to the foibles of different people. 57.) foil - defeat; frustrate; prevent from being successful; thwart; - the police claim to have foiled two dirty bomb plots in London. 58.) foist - insert improperly; impose upon another by coercion; palm off; pass off as genuine or worthy; CF. fist - Absolute fraud foisted on the people of the North East. 59.) foliage - masses of leaves; CF. defoliate This print shows a type of foliage decoration based on ancient Roman example 60.) foment - stir up; incite; instigate; promote the growth of - In Eastern Europe his aim on the contrary is to foment rebellion. -

61.) foolhardy - rash; reckless; foolishly daring Pakistan should be aware from its own experience that such foolhardy ventures against India can never succeed. 62.) foppish - vain about dress and appearance; - Friends consider Joseph as foppish and shallow as he is too interested in his clothes and the way he looks. 63.) foray - raid; sudden raid or military advance; V. - Moo and i also had a foray to the garden center for rabbit stuff. 64.) forbearance - patience; forgiveness; V. forbear: refrain from ; be patient; Furthermore, officers had shown considerable forbearance in dealing with him, despite instances of unacceptable discourtesy on his part. 65.) ford - place where a river can be crossed on foot; V. - You ford swollen rivers, hopping from stone to stone. -

66.) foreboding - premonition of evil; feeling of coming evil; V. forebode: be a warning of - The light heart which nature had given me became heavy with sad forebodings. 67.) forensic - suitable to debate; used in legal proceedings and the tracking of criminals With remarkable skill he lays bare the intricate workings of a highly forensic and complex mind. 68.) foreshadow - give an indication beforehand; be a sign of ; portend; prefigure He appeared under rather curious circumstances, which in no way foreshadowed the final result. 69.) foresight - ability to foresee future happenings; prudence in providing for the future - Lucky I had the foresight to record a diary every day for the last ten years. 70.) forestall - prevent by taking action in advance - I pray however that the Report will in itself forestall any such moves. -

71.) forgo - give up; do without - Companies is that in the nature decision to forgo that could take. 72.) forlorn - sad and lonely; wretched; desolate - The effect of their forlorn condition was very different on each. 73.) formidable - menacing; arousing fear; threatening; difficult to defeat - A terrier is a formidable opponent for a fox. 74.) forsake - desert; abandon; renounce - He will never forsake you or cause you harm. 75.) forswear - renounce under oath; abandon; make a solemn promise to give up; CF. abjure 40 of the resident MacDonald clan were massacred in cold blood by the Campbells for not forswearing the Jacobite cause. 76.) forte - strong point or special talent in a person"s character - My personal assistant is Caroline whose main forte is Internet research. -

77.) forthright - straightforward; direct; frank Mark Wood was equally forthright about the need for the profession to embrace the opportunities offered. 78.) fortitude - bravery; courage; strength of mind - By batting for nearly nine hours in the match he displayed a fortitude to match anything achieved in his previous 78 Tests. 79.) fortuitous - accidental; by chance; N. fortuity - A fortuitous meeting has got me back on the solo gig trail in the UK too. 80.) foster - rear; bring up ; encourage; promote the development of ; giving parental care although not related by blood; - Its aim is to foster cooperation on the growing number of transborder crimes. 81.) founder - fail completely; sink; CF. flounder - The peace talks foundered on a basic lack of trust 82.) foil (2) - One that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of

another - I am resolved my husband shall not be a rival, but a foil to me 83.) foderol - Nonsense; foolishness. Canonisation is a slow business in the Catholic church: all that folderol about miracles and devil's advocates 84.) forecast - make predictions of the future Paul Saffo, a Silicon Valley technology forecaster who wrote a widely noted essay on the impact of ubiquitous sensors back in 1997. 85.) foretaste - A sample or suggestion of something that lies ahead - He planned for a wired broadcasting system that is an early foretaste of the modern internet 86.) fora - Plural of Forum ; A place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged - Islamabad insists at every international fora that New Delhi be kept out of any meeting on Afghanistan. -

87.) forthwith - (esp. in official use) Immediately; without delay - The agreement between us is terminated forthwith. 88.) footloose - free to go where you like or do what you want because you have no responsibilities - And the rag trade is as footloose as its customers are fickle. 89.) foyer - An entrance hall or other open area in a building used by the public, esp. a hotel or theater - The foyer was abuzz with talk of click-through ratios 90.) fracas - brawl in which a number of people take part; melee - Mersey players were also involved in some minor fracas 91.) fractious - unruly; peevish; cranky; badtempered; - Nowadays, it takes about five pints before we start to completely disagree but that fractious nature certainly flavors the music. -

92.) frail - weak; N. frailty - In 1952 the King, a heavy smoker and in increasingly frail health, suffered a fatal stroke. 93.) frantic - wild; distraught as from fear or worry; - Back to this weekend, let's hope it says safe - sometimes it gets a bit frantic out there, doesn't it? 94.) fraught - filled ; full; ; CF. freight - Both situations are potentially fraught with the danger of contact not being made, breaking down or being inappropriate, even negative. 95.) fray - brawl; fight; V: wear away or unravel by rubbing; have loose threads developing All of these factors can result in frayed tempers from time to time 96.) frenetic - Wildly excited or active; frantic; frenzied - At first they put in lots of sounds, making a very busy, frenetic beat 97.) frenzied - madly excited; N. frenzy: violent wild excitement - His typing was frenzied as he strove to quickly answer the question. -

98.) fresco - painting on wet plaster - Fragments of medieval frescoes can be seen in the Agricola Tower of the old Castle 99.) fret - be annoyed or vexed; N: irritation of mind; ADJ. fretful - The most special day of your life, so relax, enjoy, and don't fret the small stuff. 100.) friction - clash or conflict in opinion; rubbing against - Spending to much time together may cause friction in the relationship. 101.) frieze - ornamental horizontal band on a wall - The large ground floor windows contain a decorative art deco frieze of the most stylistic proportions. 102.) frigid - intensely cold; cold in manner; All's well over here in good ole Germany, but a bit frigid weather. 103.) fritter - waste - They must not be frittered away in the pursuit of wealth. -

104.) frivolous - lacking in seriousness; flippant; self-indulgently carefree; trivial - And elegance always pays off; it's not a frivolous pursuit. 105.) frolicsome - prankish; gay; playful; merry; frisky - Begin to operate, as frolicsome children do when it rains 106.) frond - fern leaf; palm or banana leaf Mountain Ash is denoted by three fronds of the tree of that name 107.) fructify - bear fruit; produce fruit - My effort is to offer you a fructifying glimpse. 108.) frugality - thrift; economy; ADJ. frugal: practicing economy; - I dream that we will all live simple, frugal lives in order not to waste unduly the precious resources of our planet. 109.) fruition - bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization - These plans will come into fruition over the next few years. 110.) frisson - A sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear; a thrill - As the frissons of

the WikiLeaks disclosures fade , legal questions are becoming central. 111.) freebooter - A pirate or lawless adventurer - They will be inflicting some physical tortures on the politically high-profile freebooters when they fall into their clutches. 112.) frumpy - (of a woman or her clothes) Dowdy and old-fashioned - BBC locals should compete - the more successful/brighter stations could take over the miserable frumpy ones! 113.) fulcrum - support on which a lever rests or pivots - I do not know where a man finds the fulcrum that enables him to hold out against such a life 114.) fulminate - to criticize sb/sth angrily He was always fulminating against interference from the government. 115.) fulsome - disgustingly excessive; offensively flattering - I'm sure he'll be

delighted to receive such fulsome praise from you. 116.) fumble - move the fingers and hands awkwardly ; mishandle ; bungle; botch; spoil Another scare came from Charlton after 68 minutes, when Cope fumbled a regulation catch from a corner. 117.) funereal - sad; solemn; suitable for a funeral - Soon, he is bringing his band back to rehearse, which breaks the funereal atmosphere of the house 118.) furor - frenzy; great anger and excitement; CF. fury - The scoop caused headlines in much of the world, and sparked a furor in the " Middle Six " countries. 119.) furtive - stealthy; quiet and secret ; sneaky; - She had been watching him with furtive glances, waiting for the signal to approach 120.) fusillade - simultaneous firing or outburst - In addition to the slaying of

Malcolm X, two members of the audience were wounded by the fusillade of shots. 121.) futile - useless; hopeless; ineffectual Isn't it futile to try to be the new Microsoft? 122.) fuddled - unable to think clearly, usually as a result of being old or drinking alcohol She forced her weary fuddled brain to work. 123.) fug - air in a room that is hot and smells unpleasant - the fug of stale smoke and sweat 124.) fudge - not really solve the problems but intended to appear to do so - This solution is a fudge rushed in to win cheers at the party conference. 125.) fumigate - to use special chemicals, smoke or gas to destroy the harmful insects The municipality fumigated the whole town before dengue outbreak here 126.) furl - to roll and fasten sth such as a sail, a flag or an umbrella - Katie furled the umbrella when the rain stopped -

127.) furlough - permission to leave your duties for a period of time - The soldier was at home on a six week furlough 128.) furnish - to supply sth to sb - She furnished him with the facts surrounding the case. 129.) furphy - A rumour - Don't jump to conclusions by any furphry associated by the murder. 130.) furrow - A long narrow cut in something , especially ground - Suddenly he looked tired and there were deep furrows in his brow. 131.) furtherance - the process of helping sth to develop or to be successful - He took these actions purely in (the) furtherance of his own career. 132.) fusty - smelling old, damp or not freshsmelling old, damp or not fresh - The fusty old professor settled in a fusty , cheap room -

133.) flaccid - flabby; lacking firmness; weak; There was no tone in the flaccid muscles; the jowl sagged. 134.) flag - droop; grow feeble; decline in vigor or strength; ADJ. flagging; CF. unflagging - However, some concern was voiced over the issue of flagging of patients ' children up to the age of 16 years 135.) flagrant - conspicuously wicked, bad, or offensive; blatant; outrageous - This is a particularly flagrant way to illegally distribute millions of copyrighted works over the Internet. 136.) flail - beat with or as if with a flail; move wildly; thresh grain by hand; strike or slap; toss about; N: threshing tool consisting of a stick swinging from the end of a long handle A few minutes later the ref then missed a flailing elbow that caught Prince in the face. -

137.) flair - talent - Some of them possess that natural flair for journalism without which no one will succeed in the news media. 138.) flamboyant - ornate; highly elaborate; richly colored; ostentatious; showy; CF. flame They were all very flamboyant women, very well dressed with lots of jewelry. 139.) flaunt - display ostentatiously; However, in what is appearing to be a power struggle, two entities are flaunting these rules. 140.) flay - strip off skin; plunder; remove the skin from; criticize harshly - Included in the show are sacrificial knives and a pot used for storing flayed human skins. 141.) fleck - spot; mark with flecks; N: small mark or spot - At thirty nine, there were white flecks in his hair, now cut short, military style. 142.) fledgling - inexperienced; N: young bird that has acquired wing feathers and is learning

to fly; inexperienced person - The older ones have flown the nest but I still have one little fledgling left. 143.) fleece - wool coat of a sheep; V: shear the fleece from; rob by a trick; swindle; plunder - It also gives a great sense of texture the sheeps ' fleeces really do look fluffy 144.) flick - light stroke as with a whip; V: move with a light quick blow; strike with a light quick blow ; Ex. flick the switch - He took a neat flick from Jeff Astle and hit the ball under the diving body of Parkes. 145.) flinch - hesitate; shrink back ; - Why does the child appear to be flinching away from Oberon? 146.) flippant - lacking proper seriousness; Ex. flippant remarks about death; N. flippancy Also, the main ghost of the story sounds too flippant. 147.) flit - fly; fly or move lightly or quickly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by; Ex. a bee flitting

from flower to flower - Do your eyes tend to lose contact easily and flit around the room or raise to the ceiling? 148.) floe - flat mass of floating ice - He saw and heard the floe ice, and it seemed to him that the fog was not so dense. 149.) florid - ruddy; reddish; flowery; very ornate; CF. rose - He had a bushy, white mustache and a florid face. 150.) flotsam - drifting wreckage Superstition is not some kind of flotsam left by the ebbing tide of paganism. 151.) flounder - struggle and thrash about; proceed clumsily or falter ; proceed in confusion - This saves you floundering about in the dark, miles from the bothy, thinking it is just around the bend. 152.) flourish - grow well; prosper; make sweeping gestures; wave; brandish; Ex. The trees flourished in the sun. N: showy movement or gesture; embellishment or

ornamentation - The magazine ceased publication in 1998 but the website continued to flourish independently. 153.) flout - reject; mock; show contempt for; scorn; Ex. flout the rules - Only in economics, it seems, are natural laws persistently flouted. 154.) fluke - unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune; accidental stroke of good luck; ADJ. fluky - I cannot seem to get a forward rush from such positions except by sheer fluke 155.) fluster - confuse; make nervous and confused; N. - And, then, suddenly, there they were, looking slightly flustered but seemingly OK. 156.) fluted - having vertical parallel grooves ; V. flute: make long parallel inward curves in; N. flute: long rounded groove incised on the shaft of a column - This pretty little basket is in silver plate and has a fluted edges and a fold down handle -

157.) flux - flowing; series of changes; fluctuation; Ex. in a state of flux - the flux following the death of the emperor 158.) flabbergasted - to overcome with surprise and bewilderment; astound. - Never, have I seen a person so flabbergasted, so stunned. 159.) fluvial - Of or relating to a river or stream. - Our fiesta celebration featured a fluvial procession on the Marikina and Pasig Rivers 160.) flagellation - Flogging or beating, either as a religious discipline or for sexual gratification - They are not about to engage in mutual flagellation. 161.) flatulence - fart : Flatus - Cattle emit a large volume of methane, 95% of it through eructation or burping, not flatulence. 162.) fleeting - lasting only a short time - a fleeting moment of happiness. We paid a

fleeting visit to Paris.How could she, even fleetingly, entertain such a thought? 163.) flub - A thing badly or clumsily done; a blunder - There are many laugh-out loud moments here with Carrey, Aniston, and Freeman, including many flubbed lines. 164.) flurry - A small swirling mass of something, esp. snow or leaves, moved by sudden gusts of wind - Despite a recent flurry of elections, true democracy is still a rarity in the Arab world. 165.) flank - the side of sth such as a building or mountain;the side of an animal between the ribs and the hip - The sun lit up the western flank of the hill.They drove through the cotton fields that flanked Highway 17.She patted the horse's flank. 166.) feasible - practical; able to be carried out; practicable - It may not be feasible to monitor such a range of organisms -

167.) febrile - feverish - In children, a mild febrile illness - less severe than measles. 168.) fecundity - fertility; fruitfulness; ADJ. fecund: very productive of crops or young There is no one writing fantasy today with a more fecund imagination than China Miville. 169.) feign - pretend - Matt feigned unconsciousness, and was checked for ABC 170.) feint - trick; shift; sham blow; feigned attack to draw away defensive action; V. - He varied his deployments, used feints, and kept reserves hidden for surprise attacks. 171.) felicitous - apt; suitably expressed; well chosen - The forest, in Rackham's felicitous phrase, was a place of deer, not a place of trees. 172.) felicity - happiness; appropriateness ; quality of being felicitous - In places the writing may lack clarity and felicity of expression. -

173.) fell - cruel; deadly - Now I know what they say about these fell runners is true. 174.) felon - person convicted of a grave crime; CF. felony: serious crime - The incidents in question took place during Hewett's mayoralty, when various alleged felons were not punished. 175.) feral - not domestic; wild - how long does it take to tame a feral kitten? 176.) ferment - agitation; commotion; unrest ; V. produce by fermentation; undergo fermentation; cause - This is the source of the deep revolutionary ferment that is constantly growing. 177.) ferret - drive or hunt out of hiding; hunt with ferrets; drive out ; expel; uncover or discover by searching; - We are advised that an all wire ferret cage in a shed or utility room is better. -

178.) fervent - ardent; zealous; hot - On the 10 August, Massey, a fervent admirer of Milton, entered the lists. 179.) fervid - ardent; zealous; hot - It needs the most fervid imagination to distort any text to refer to him. 180.) fervor - glowing ardor; intensity of feeling; quality of being fervent or fervid; zeal; intense heat - The flesh will murmur against you, but it will be bridled by fervor of spirit. 181.) fester - rankle; produce irritation or resentment; generate pus or rot; - Its buttocks and thighs are a mass of festered sores, as it sits in its own excrement continually. 182.) fetid - malodorous; foul - They quaked at a hint of our fetid breath on the breeze. 183.) fetter - shackle; restrict the freedom of; N. chain or shackle for the foot of a prisoner; CF. foot - It does not fetter the ability of either parent to seek a decision from a court -

184.) feculent - Full of filth or waste matter. Imagine if another species just shoveled feculent matter all over our home? 185.) fend - look after yourself without relying on help from anyone else. - The aim is to end Gazas residual dependence on Israel and let the territorys 1.6m Palestinians fend for themselves. 186.) febrifuge - any medicine that lowers body temperature to prevent or alleviate fever - Shankhapushpi is used as a tonic, alterative and febrifuge 187.) festoon - to decorate sb/sth with flowers, coloured paper, etc, often as part of a celebration - The streets were festooned with banners and lights. 188.) feckless - (of a person) Lacking in efficiency or vitality - Then then pointed with rage to feckless neighbours who were doing nothing and getting everything -

189.) fettle - Condition - Miss Everywhere, who is in fine fettle, is expected to score in the P. Veereshwar Rao Memorial Cup 190.) femme fatale - a mysterious and seductive woman[1] whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. - She was a beautiful seductress, and a veritable femme fatale because whomever her target was, he would always let some important information slip inaverdently. 191.) faon de parler - way of speaking , ought not to be taken literally - It is pointed out that it is only a facon de parler in men's mouths, and should not be taken literally. 192.) funk - (1) a state of fear or anxiety (2) a strong unpleasant smell - -