faunch

English

Alternative forms

• fauch
• fawnch

Etymology

Uncertain. Used in Midland American English and Western American English. Entered the fanspeak body of slang after writer Noel Loomis used it in a review in Pro-Phile.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fɔːnt͡ʃ/
• Rhymes: -ɔːntʃ

Noun

faunch (plural faunches)

1. (dated, fandom slang) A desire; a yearning.
   • 1999 January 19, Kathy Routliffe, “Re: Mame”, in rec.arts.sf.fandom‎^[1] (Usenet), message-ID <36A3FCD4.5097D338@flash.net>:

     Byrne was the best thing about *Man in the Iron Mask*, as far as plot and acting. I do confess a faunch for John Malkovitch, and DiCaprio should be allowed to develop his considerable latent acting abilities.

   • 2001 September 5, Joel Rosenberg, “Re: Waaaaaaaaaah I wanna go to a Con!”, in rec.arts.sf.fandom‎^[2] (Usenet), message-ID <huwl7.256335$Jg.32070285@typhoon.kc.rr.com>:

     Me, I'd caution against a Worldcon as one's first convention for somebody who has such a faunch -- not to the point of avoiding it, if one were handy -- as while there's a lot that's fun at a Worldcon, it tends to be on the largish side, it's fairly easy to get lostish, and in most times and places (at least in the US) there's likely to be a good convention closer in time and space than the next Worldcon.

Verb

faunch (third-person singular simple present faunches, present participle faunching, simple past and past participle faunched)

1. (US, equestrianism) To bite the bit, especially when restless; to champ.
   • 1954, Mari Sandoz, The Buffalo Hunters, published 2008, →ISBN, page 6:

     Instead of the fine faunching black mare he usually rode he was on a light grey today, a little slower if it came to a run from the Indians or a buffalo stampede, but much less conspicuous against the snow.

   • 1986, Jerry Bumpus, Heroes and Villains, →ISBN, The Outdoorsman, page 59:

     Ecstatic, they faunched and gamboled and I could hardly get them in the traces.

2. (US, chiefly Midland American English and Western American English) To complain; to rant; to rave.
   • 1931, Anne Ellis, Plain Anne Ellis, published 1997, →ISBN, page 151:

     But on the evening before election, a staunch Democrat who had been on one of our telephone jobs came to my door — just faunching and spluttering.

   • 1943, John B. Sanford, The People from Heaven, published 1995, →ISBN, page 5:

     You won't make nothing the day I die. I'll go out fighting and faunching.

   • 1998 September 9, Charley L. Walker, Jr., “Don't be misled...”, in austin.general‎^[3] (Usenet), message-ID <6t6vjo$gj8$1@juliana.sprynet.com>:

     Right Wingers can rant, stomp, faunch, condemn and mislead all day long and pack the laws with well archestrated^[sic] bigotry and bias from here til doomsday.

3. (US, chiefly Midland American English and Western American English) To worry; to be eager; to show impatience.
   • 1998 June 2, Wade Hampton Miller, “There's a nice archtop for sale at Downtown Disney”, in rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic‎^[4] (Usenet), message-ID <1998060219431000.PAA29427@ladder01.news.aol.com>:

     Rather than have me fidget and faunch while waiting in line (I'd neglected to bring a book) my wife sent me off to the music store with her blessing, with the promise to send our daughter Celia to fetch me when we finally got our table an hour later.

   • 2003, Harold Keith, Forty-Seven Straight, →ISBN, page 166:

     Licking his fingers, Pat buckled on his white helmet and went to work. Wilkinson's relieving elevens were always faunching to go into action anyhow.

4. (dated, fandom slang) To desire; to yearn; to covet.
   • 1959, Richard "Dick" Harris Eney, Fancyclopedia II‎^[5], Joe Fann/Jophan:

     He is a young fellow, not long out of adolescence, who faunches to set the world on fire but isn't sure how to go about it.

   • 1996 January, Eric Lindsay, Gegenschein‎^[6], number 73, Winter Convention Trip in the USA, June 1994:

     I've long faunched for these, and they turned out to be better constructed than I expected, and even included a padded carry bag.

   • 2003 May 9, David Dyer-Bennet, “Re: Should I upgrade my camera?”, in rec.photo.digital‎^[7] (Usenet), message-ID <m2of2bigf2.fsf@gw.dd-b.net>:

     One thing you will learn *very* quickly is that, while you can do a very broad range of photography indeed with cheap equipment, there is *always* some very expensive toy you faunch over that will let you do something a little bit better.

Derived terms

• faunch and rear
• faunch at the bit

References

• faunch in the Dictionary of American Regional English