I.a lock or flock (of wool, on clothes, in fruits, etc.).
I. Lit.: “ne qui flocci intereant,” Varr. R. R. 2, 11, 8: “pomis substrati flocci,” id. ib. 1, 59, 3: “in veste floccos legere fimbriasve diducere,” Cels. 2, 6: “pilulae intus habentes floccos molles,” Plin. 16, 7, 10, § 28.—
II. Transf., something trifling, insignificant, of no account (most freq., esp. with negatives, and in the phrase flocci facere, to make no account of, to care not a straw for; v. the foll.).
(α).
With a neg.: “ceterum qui sis, qui non sis, floccum non interduim,” Plaut. Trin. 4, 2, 152 (Ritschl, ciccum; cf.: “eluas tu an exungare, ciccum non interduim,” id. Rud. 2, 7, 22): “neque ego illum maneo, neque flocci facio,” id. Men. 2, 3, 69: “is leno flocci non fecit fidem,” id. Rud. prol. 47: “ego, quae tu loquere, flocci non facio,” id. ib. 3, 5, 3: “prorsus aveo scire, nec tamen flocci facio,” Cic. Att. 13, 50, 3: “totam rem publicam flocci non facere,” id. ib. 4, 15, 4: quare, ut opinor, φιλοσοφητέον, id quod tu facis, et istos consulatus non flocci facteon, id. ib. 1, 16, 13 Orell. N. cr. (but here Ernesti reads ἐατέον): “satin abiit, neque quod dixi flocci existimat!” Plaut. Most. 1, 1, 73: invidere omnes mihi, Mordere clanculum; “ego non flocci pendere,” Ter. Eun. 3, 1, 21.—
(β).
Without a neg. (ante-class.), to account of slight value, of small importance: “rumorem, famam flocci fecit, Cato ap. Fest. s. v. obstinato, p. 193, 11 Müll.: tu istos minutos cave deos flocci feceris,” Plaut. Cas. 2, 5, 24: “flocci facere,” id. Most. 3, 2, 121; id. Men. 5, 7, 5; id. Ep. 3, 2, 12; id. Trin. 4, 2, 150; Ter. Eun. 2, 3, 11.— In pass.: flocci fiet. Culi cultor, Titin. ap. Non. 131, 33: rogata fuerit nec ne, flocci aestimo, Plaut. Fragm. ap. Fest. s. v. muneralis, p. 143 Müll.: flocci pendo, quid rerum geras, Plaut. Fragm. ap. Fulg. Exp. Serm. p. 565, 5.
