or flay the fox, verb. phr. (old).—To vomit: ‘from the subject to the effect,’ says COTGRAVE; ‘for the flaying of so stinking a beast is like enough to make them spue that feel it.’ Now, TO SHOOT THE CAT. For synonyms, see ACCOUNTS and CAST UP ACCOUNTS. Cf., FOX, verb, sense 1.
1653. URQUHART, Rabelais, bk. I., ch. xi. He would FLAY THE FOX.
2. (American).—To clean out by unfair means.
TO FLAY or SKIN A FLINT, verb. phr. (old).—To be mean or miserly. See SKINFLINT.
c. 1696. B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew, s.v. He’ll FLAY or SKINN A FLINT of a Meer Scrat or Miser.
1833. MARRYAT, Peter Simple, II. viii. Report says, that she would SKIN A FLINT if she could.
