or foyst, fyst, subs. (old).—1.  A cheat; a swindler; a sharper.

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  1592.  JOHN DAY, The Blind Beggar of Bednal Green (BULLEN), p. 21. Your nipper, your FOYST, your rogue, your cheat.

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  1598.  JONSON, Every Man in his Humour, iv. 7. Prate again, as you like this, you whoreson FOIST you!

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  1607.  DEKKER, Jests to Make You Merie, in wks. (GROSART) II., 326. Now to our FOYSTS, alias pickpocket, alias cutpurse. Ibid. (1609), Lanthorne and Candelight, III., 212. A FOYST nor a Nip shall not walke into a Fayre or a Play-house.

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  1611.  MIDDLETON, The Roaring Girle, in Old Plays, vi., 113. This brave fellow is no better than a FOIST. FOIST! what is that? A diver with two fingers; a pickpocket; all his train study the figging law, that’s to say cutting of purses and FOISTING.

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  2.  (old).—A trick; a swindle; an imposture. Also FOYSTER and FOISTER.

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  1605.  JONSON, Volpone, or the Fox, iii., 9. Put not your FOISTS upon me. I shall scent ’em.

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  3.  (old).—A silent emission of wind through the anus (see quot., sense 2); a CHEESER. See FART and FOUSTY. [Coles has to fyst, vissio; which in his Latin part he renders to fizzle. Also FYSTING CUR; and in Sherwood’s English Dictionary, subjoined to Cotgrave, FYSTING CURS, and other offenders of the same class, are fully illustrated.]

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  1598.  FLORIO, A Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Loffa, a fizle, a FISTE, a close fart.

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  1605.  JONSON, Eastward Hoe, pt. iv., 270. Marry, FYST o’ your Ruidess. I thought as much.

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  1662.  Rump Songs, II., 3.

        That a reason be ’enacted if there be not one,
Why a fart hath a tongue, and a FYEST hath none.
                Which no body can deny.

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  c. 1696.  B. E., A New Dictionary of the Canting Crew. FOYST … also a close strong stink, without noise or report.

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  1785.  GROSE, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, s.v. FICE or FOYSE.

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  Verb. (old).—1.  To trick; to swindle; to pick pockets.

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  1607.  DEKKER, Jests to Make You Merie, in wks. (GROSART) II., 332. But now to the manner of the FOYSTING of a pocket, the sharing of the money, and how honest men may avoide them.

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  1610.  ROWLANDS, Martin Mark-all, p. 38 [Hunterian Club’s Reprint, 1874]. To FOYST, to picke a pocket.

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  1653.  MIDDLETON, The Spanish Gipsy, ii., 1. I mean fitching, FOISTING, nimming.

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  2.  (old).—To fart. Also to copulate (URQUHART).

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  1539.  LYNDSAY, Ane Pleasant Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis (Works, LAING, 1879), ii., 109. Ane FISTAND flag.

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  1598.  FLORIO, A Worlde of Wordes, s.v. Loffare, s.v.

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  1611.  COTGRAVE, Dictionnarie, s.v. Vessir.

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