[Perh. a dialectal pronunc. of FON v., to befool (not recorded after 15th c.).]
1. trans. To cheat, hoax; also, to cajole. Const. of, out of. Obs. exc. dial.
1685. Roxb. Ball., VII. 473. She had fun’d him of his Coin.
a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. What do you Fun me? Do you think to Sharp or Trick me?
1744. Ozell, trans. Brantome’s Sp. Rhodomontades (ed. 2), 44. He that funs me out of her, may boldly say, he has fun’d the best Sword in France.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Do you think to fun me out of it.
1812. Sporting Mag., XL. 86. Sure your lordship wouldn’t be funning me.
1847–78. Halliwell, Fun. to cheat, to deceive, Somerset.
1886. Elworthy, W. Somerset Word-bk., s.v. He’ve a-fun me out o’ vower poun.
2. [from the sb.] intr. To make fun or sport; to indulge in fun; to fool, joke.
1833. M. Scott, Tom Cringle, x. If it be … Christian-like … to be after funning and fuddling, while a fellow-creature … stands before you, all but dead.
1853. W. Jerdan, Autobiog., III. vii. 83. In later days he was often funning—I can find no other word to express it—in ‘Blackwood.’
1886. E. L. Bynner, Agnes Surriage, vi. 77. ‘Ye must be funnin’, sir-r,’ she almost gasped.
Hence Funning vbl. sb.
1728. Gay, Begg. Op., II. Air xix. Cease your funning, Force or Cunning Never shall my Heart trapan.
1850. T. A. Trollope, Impress. Wand., xxv. 377. He took upon him to furnish amusement during the … journey by a succession of funning.
1879. Seguin, Black For., xiii. 222. He generally contrives that his victims shall not materially suffer from his funning.
