[fell] See: AT ONE FELL SWOOP.

[fellow] See: HAIL-FELLOW-WELL-MET, REGULAR GUY or REGULAR FELLOW.

[fellow traveller]{n.} A sympathizer with a political movement whodoes not officially belong to the political party in question. •/Many Germansafter World War II were innocently accused of being fellow travellers ofNazism./ •/During the McCarthy era, many Americans were accused of beingCommunist fellow travellers./

[fence] See: GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE, MENDONE’S FENCES, ON THE FENCE.

[fence in] or [hedge in] or [hem in] {v.} To keep (someone)from doing what he or she would like to do. Usually used in the passive.•/Mary felt fenced in because her father would not let her drive a car orhave dates with boys./ •/John didn’t like his job because he had to do thesame kind of work all the time. He felt that he was hemmed in./

[fence-sitter]{n.} A person unable to pick between two sides; a personwho does not want to choose. •/Daddy says he is a fence-sitter because hedoesn’t know which man he wants for President./

[fence-sitting]{n.} or {adj.} Choosing neither side. •/You havebeen fence-sitting for too long. It is time you made up your mind./ Contrast:MAKE UP ONE’S MIND, TAKE SIDES.

[fence with] or [spar with] {v.} To talk with (someone) as if youwere fighting like a swordsman or boxer; to give skillful answers or argumentsagainst (someone). •/The governor was an expert at fencing with reporters atpress conferences./

[ferret out]{literary} or [smell out] or [sniff out] {v.}To hunt or drive from hiding; to bring out into the open; search for and find.•/John ferreted out the answer to the question in the library./ •/Janesmelled out the boys' secret hiding place in the woods./

[few] See: MAN OF FEW WORDS, NOT A FEW, QUITE A FEW.

[few and far between]{adj. phr.} Not many; few and scattered; notoften met or found; rare. — Used in the predicate. •/People who will work ashard as Thomas A. Edison are few and far between./ •/Places where you canget water are few and far between in the desert./ •/Really exciting gamesare few and far between./

[fickle finger of fate] See: ACT OF GOD.

[fiddle] See: PLAY SECOND FIDDLE.

[fiddle around] See: FOOL AROUND(3).

[fiddler] See: PAY THE PIPER or PAY THE FIDDLER.

[fiddle with]{v. phr.} To carelessly play with something. •/If Jimmycontinues to fiddle with our computer, he is liable to ruin it./

[field] See: CENTER FIELD, LEFT FIELD, OUT IN LEFT FIELD, PLAY THE FIELD,RIGHT FIELD.

[field goal]{n.} 1. A score in football made by kicking the ball overthe bar between the goal posts. •/The Giants were not able to make atouchdown but they kicked two field goals./ Compare: EXTRA POINT. 2. A scorein basketball made by a successful shot through the basket not made on a freethrow. •/A field goal counts two points./ Compare: FOUL SHOT, FREE THROW.

[fifth] See: TAKE THE FIFTH.

[fifth column]{n. phr.} A group or organization within a country thatworks to bring about the country’s downfall, usually through acts of espionageand sabotage. •/The Communist party in the United States was considered bySenator McCarthy to be the Soviet Union’s fifth column./

[flfty-flfty(1)]{adv.}, {informal} Equally; evenly. •/The twoboys divided the marbles they won fifty-fifty./ •/When Dick and Sam boughtan old car, they divided the cost fifty-fifty./

[fifty-fifty(2)]{adj.}, {informal} 1. Divided or shared equally.•/It will be a fifty-fifty arrangement; half the money for me and half foryou./ 2. Half for and half against; half good and half bad. •/There is onlya fifty-fifty chance that we will win the game./ Compare: HALF AND HALF.

[fight against time] See: RACING TO STAND STILL.

[fight fire with fire]{v. phr.}, {slightly formal}, {of Biblicalorigin} To fight back in the same way one was attacked; make a defensesimilar to the attack. •/The candidate was determined to fight fire with firein the debate./

[fight it out] See: SLUG IT OUT.

[fighting chance]{n. phr.} A chance that necessitates struggle andcourage; a slim chance. •/The doctor told the family that Jack had a fightingchance to recover./ •/Our business lost a lot of money, but we have afighting chance to stage a comeback./

[fight off]{v. phr.} 1. To struggle against someone so as to freeoneself; push an attacker back. •/Suzy fought off her two attackers inCentral Park with a couple of karate chops./ 2. To strive to overcomesomething negative. •/After twelve hours at the computer terminal, Jane hadto fight off her overwhelming desire to go to sleep./

[fight shy of]{v. phr.} To avoid; escape from. •/Jack always fightsshy of anything that even remotely resembles serious work./

[fight tooth and nail] See: TOOTH AND NAIL.

[figure in]{v.} 1. {informal} To add to a total; remember to putdown in figures. •/We figured in the travel expenses but forgot the cost ofmeals./ 2. To have a part in; be partly responsible for. •/Joe figured inall our touchdowns./ •/Mary’s good grades figured in her choice as classpresident./

[figure on]{v.} 1. To expect and think about while making plans.•/We did not figure on having so many people at the picnic./ •/He figuredon going to town the next day./ Syn.: PLAN ON. 2. To depend on; be; sureabout. •/You can figure on him to be on time./ Syn.: COUNT ON.

[figure out]{v.} 1. To find an answer by thinking about (some problemor difficulty); solve. •/Tom couldn’t figure out the last problem on thearithmetic test./ •/Sam couldn’t figure out how to print a program untilthe teacher showed him how./ •/Mary couldn’t figure out why her cake tastedso funny until she found salt mixed in the sugar bag./ Compare: FIND OUT(1).2. To learn how to explain; understand. •/Laurence is an odd boy; I can’tfigure him out./ Compare: MAKE OUT(2).

[figure up]{v. phr.} To calculate; add up. •/If you can figure uphow many phone calls I’ve made from your home, I will pay you right away./

[fill in]{v.} 1. To write words needed in blanks; put in; fill.•/You should fill in all the blanks on an application for a job./ 2.{informal} To tell what you should know. •/The new boy didn’t know therules so Bob filled him in./ •/The teacher filled in Mary about class workdone while she was sick./ 3. To take another’s place; substitute. •/Theteacher was sick and Miss Jones filled in for her./

[fill (in) the gap]{v. phr.} To supply a missing piece of information;provide a clue during the course of solving a mystery. •/Sherlock Holmessaid, "These fingerprints are bound to fill the gap in our investigation."/

[fill one’s shoes]{v. phr.} To take the place of another and do aswell; to substitute satisfactorily for. •/When Jack got hurt, the coach hadnobody to fill his shoes./ •/Joe hopes to fill his father’s shoes./ See:IN ONE’S SHOES.

[fill out]{v.} 1. To put in what is missing; complete; finish;{especially}, to complete (a printed application blank or other form) bywriting the missing facts in the blank spaces; to write down facts which areasked for in (a report or application.) •/After Tom passed his driving testhe filled out an application for his driver’s license./ •/The policemanfilled out a report of the accident./ 2. To become heavier and fatter; gainweight. •/When Bill was nineteen he began to fill out./ •/The girl waspale and thin after her sickness, but in a few months she filled out./