The American, VIII

376. 4. To strike down or lay level with the floor; beat; conquer; figuratively, to put to silence by some decisive argument, retort, etc.; overcome in any way; overthrow: as, to floor an a ailant. The expre object of his visit was to know how he could knock religion over and floor the Established Church. Dickens, What is flooring Win at present is that problem of the robin that eats half a pint of gra hoppers and then doesn't weigh a bit more than he did before. The (new Exposition] building, with its three stories, affords seven acres of floorage . The Congregationalist , Sept. 2, 1886. floor-cloth (flor'klôth), n. A heavy canvas of hemp or flax woven of extra width, printed in oil-colors, and used as carpeting. The term also includes many substitutes for carpets, as felted fabrics, burlaps, mattings, crash, and prepared fabrics made of powdered cork, paper, etc. See oil - cloth . - Paper floorcloth, a substitute for oil-cloth, consisting generally of one or more thick sheets of paper treated with paint and varnish. The act of flopping or flapping.-2. A fall like that of a soft outspread body upon the ground. And with a desperate ponderous flop, full thirteen stone and ten pounds,... I dropped on the Rajah s feet, and took my seat at his side. W. H. Ru ell. 3. Something that flops or is capable of flopping or striking, as a fluid, semi-liquid, or gelatinous substance, against the side of a ve el containing it. [Rare.] Lord and Lady Ro e showed us the foundry [near his great telescope], and Profe or Lloyd gave the story of the casting. and by [near] the oven where the fiery flop was shut up for six weeks to cool. Caroline Foz , Journal. 4. A sudden collapse or breakdown, as of resistance. [Slang.] floorer (flor'èr), n. 1. One who makes or lays floors.-2. One who or that which strikes to the floor, as a blow; hence, figuratively, any- thing which leads to one's defeat or which over- masters one; an overwhelming argument or requirement; a poser. the body of a railroad-car underneath the floor, floor-frame (flör fram), n . The main frame of per. including the sills, body-bolsters, and needledency to flop or flap; flapping: as, a floppy hat. beams. Car-Builder's Dict.