fluey en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From flue + -y.
Meanings
-
(obsolete) Downy; fluffy.
A black portmanteau, a black bag, a desk, a dressing-case, a brown-paper parcel, a hat-box, and an umbrella strapped to a walking-stick. It was all very dusty and fluey. I had our porter up to get under the bed and fetch it out; and though he habitually wallows in dust,--swims in it from morning to night, and wears a close-fitting waistcoat with black calimanco sleeves for the purpose,--it made him sneeze again, and his throat was that hot with it that it was obliged to be cooled with a drink of Allsopp's draft.
1862, Charles Dickens, Somebody's Luggage:the latch-key[…]got itself stuffed up with a fluey substance, and the harder I poked it into the keyhole, the harder that obstruction became
1869, James Payn, A Perfect Treasure:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| most fluey | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| more fluey | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |