felen.] To steal or take privily (commonly, that which is of little value); to pilfer.
Fain would they filch that little food away.
Dryden.
But he that filches from me my good name,
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me
poor indeed.
Shak. Filcher
(Filch"er) n. One who filches; a thief.
Filchingly
(Filch"ing*ly), adv. By pilfering or petty stealing.
File
(File) n. [F. file row LL. fila, fr. L. filum a thread. Cf. Enfilade, Filament, Fillet.]
1. An orderly succession; a line; a row; as: (a) (Mil) A row of soldiers ranged one behind another; — in
contradistinction to rank, which designates a row of soldiers standing abreast; a number consisting the
depth of a body of troops, which, in the ordinary modern formation, consists of two men, the battalion
standing two deep, or in two ranks.
The number of files in a company describes its width, as the number of ranks does its depth; thus, 100
men in "fours deep" would be spoken of as 25 files in 4 ranks. Farrow.
(b) An orderly collection of papers, arranged in sequence or classified for preservation and reference; as,
files of letters or of newspapers; this mail brings English files to the 15th instant. (c) The line, wire, or
other contrivance, by which papers are put and kept in order.
It is upon a file with the duke's other letters.
Shak. (d) A roll or list. "A file of all the gentry." Shak.
2. Course of thought; thread of narration. [Obs.]
Let me resume the file of my narration.
Sir H. Wotton. File firing, the act of firing by file, or each file independently of others. — File leader, the soldier
at the front of any file, who covers and leads those in rear of him. — File marching, the marching
of a line two deep, when faced to the right or left, so that the front and rear rank march side by side.
Brande & C. —Indian file, or Single file, a line of men marching one behind another; a single row. —
On file, preserved in an orderly collection. — Rank and file. (a) The body of soldiers constituing
the mass of an army, including corporals and privates. Wilhelm. (b) Those who constitute the bulk or
working members of a party, society, etc., in distinction from the leaders.
File
(File) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Filed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Filing.]
1. To set in order; to arrange, or lay away, esp. as papers in a methodical manner for preservation and
reverence; to place on file; to insert in its proper place in an arranged body of papers.
I would have my several courses and my dishes well filed.
Beau. & Fl. 2. To bring before a court or legislative body by presenting proper papers in a regular way; as, to file a
petition or bill. Burrill.
3. (Law) To put upon the files or among the records of a court; to note on (a paper) the fact date of its
reception in court.
To file a paper, on the part of a party, is to place it in the official custody of the clerk. To file, on the
part of the clerk, is to indorse upon the paper the date of its reception, and retain it in his office, subject
