Part 139

3. A shrewd or artful person. [Slang] Fielding.

Will is an old file in spite of his smooth face.

Thackeray.

Bastard file, Cross file, etc. See under Bastard, Cross, etc. -- Cross-cut file, a file having two sets of teeth crossing obliquely. -- File blank, a steel blank shaped and ground ready for cutting to form a file. -- File cutter, a maker of files. -- Second-cut file, a file having teeth of a grade next finer than bastard. -- Single-cut file, a file having only one set of parallel teeth; a float. -- Smooth file, a file having teeth so fine as to make an almost smooth surface.

File, v. t. 1. To rub, smooth, or cut away, with a file; to sharpen with a file; as, to file a saw or a tooth.

2. To smooth or polish as with a file. Shak.

File your tongue to a little more courtesy.

Sir W. Scott.

File, v. t. [OE. fulen, filen, foulen, AS. f&?;lan, fr. f&?;l foul. See Foul, and cf. Defile, v. t.] To make foul; to defile. [Obs.]

All his hairy breast with blood was filed.

Spenser.

For Banquo's issue have I filed my mind.

Shak.

File"fish` (?), n. (Zoˆl.) Any plectognath fish of the genera Monacanthus, Alutera, balistes, and allied genera; -- so called on account of the roughly granulated skin, which is sometimes used in place of sandpaper.

Fil"e*mot (?), n. See Feullemort. Swift.

Fil"er (?), n. One who works with a file.

Fil"ial (?), a. [L. filialis, fr. filius son, filia daughter; akin to e. female, feminine. Cf. Fitz.] 1. Of or pertaining to a son or daughter; becoming to a child in relation to his parents; as, filial obedience.

2. Bearing the relation of a child.

And thus the filial Godhead answering spoke.

Milton.

Fil"ial*ly (?), adv. In a filial manner.

Fil"i*ate (?), v. t. To adopt as son or daughter; to establish filiation between. [R.] Southey.

Fil`i*a"tion (?), n. [LL. filiatio, fr. L. filius son: cf. F. filiation. See Filial.] 1. The relationship of a son or child to a parent, esp. to a father.

The relation of paternity and filiation.

Sir M. Hale.

2. (Law) The assignment of a bastard child to some one as its father; affiliation. Smart.

Fil"i*beg (?), n. [Gael. feileadhbeag, i. e., little kilt; feileadh kilt + beag little, small; cf. filleadh a plait, fold.] Same as Kilt. [Written also philibeg.]

Fil"i*bus`ter (?), n. [Sp. flibuster, flibustero, corrupted fr. E. freebooter. See Freebooter.] A lawless military adventurer, especially one in quest of plunder; a freebooter; -- originally applied to buccaneers infesting the Spanish American coasts, but introduced into common English to designate the followers of Lopez in his expedition to Cuba in 1851, and those of Walker in his expedition to Nicaragua, in 1855.