Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- To beat or whip.
- To discomfit; perplex.
- To be perplexed.
- noun A dirty, sluttish, idle fellow.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb obsolete To beat or whip; to drive.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb To decorate or
improve inappearance throughartificial means. - verb To increase the
liveliness of ahorse by inserting anirritant , such as a piece of peeled raw ginger or a live eel, in itsfundament . - verb obsolete To beat or whip; to drive.
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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-- Though this be Monday, I am not able to feague it away, as
The Journal of Sir Walter Scott From the Original Manuscript at Abbotsford Walter Scott 1801
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Just as I had drawn in my chair, fitted a new "Bramah" on the stick, and was preparing to feague it away, I had a call from the son of an old friend, Mr. Waldie of Henderland.
The Journal of Sir Walter Scott From the Original Manuscript at Abbotsford Walter Scott 1801
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They lay their heads together, with their snuff - boxes in their hands, as Mr. Bayes has it, and feague it away.
Johnson's Lives of the Poets — Volume 1 Samuel Johnson 1746
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In some subsequent editions the words are: -- "I lay my head close to it with a _snuff-box in my hand_, and I _feague_ it away.
The Journal of Sir Walter Scott From the Original Manuscript at Abbotsford Walter Scott 1801
sionnach commented on the word feague
to put ginger up a horse's rear end, to make him lively and carry his tail well
November 4, 2007
skipvia commented on the word feague
Sensing that this just couldn't be real and must be one of sionnach's strange jokes, I looked it up. It seems that putting ginger up a horse's rear end (a fun new meaning for end user!) supplanted the previous practice of putting a live eel in the same location.
I don't know if I'd rather be the horse or the eel in that situation.
November 4, 2007
reesetee commented on the word feague
Given a choice, I'd run in the opposite direction, screaming.
November 4, 2007
kewpid commented on the word feague
It ought to be pronounced feg-way.
November 4, 2007
skipvia commented on the word feague
I hate to think about the poor fellow who had to put that eel into the horse's patootie...
November 4, 2007
sionnach commented on the word feague
How would one put ginger up a horse's rectum?
wait for it ......
Somewhat gingerly, I would imagine. (Collapses in helpless laughter at own dimwitticism)
November 4, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word feague
Blahahahahah!!! Good one!
I actually didn't see that one coming. Har!
November 5, 2007
skipvia commented on the word feague
See feak for an interesting potential etymological connection.
November 5, 2007
sionnach commented on the word feague
Why does GoogleAds have a picture ad for "Spanish for the Health Professional" on this page?
April 21, 2008
qroqqa commented on the word feague
Etymology and succession of senses unclear. Probably related to 'fake' and (some senses of) obsolete 'feak'. The ultimate origin may be German fegen "sweep, clean up", which has slang senses like "plunder; fix, tamper with", as did English 'fake'.
The source for the ginger-inserting sense is Grose's 1785 Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue. It looks to me like it's an instance of "fix" (make the horse appear livelier than it actually is).
The word is in use long before this in senses more like "do for, fix the little red wagon of". The variant 'fake' is first known from Vaux's 1812 dictionary of flash language; from these, the modern sense of "forge, counterfeit" arose.
July 29, 2008
madmouth commented on the word feague
in my world of sexy fantasy, this rhymes with 'ague'
October 28, 2009
yarb commented on the word feague
Well, in my world of sexy fantasy it rhymes with league. You pervert.
October 28, 2009
Gammerstang commented on the word feague
(verb) - To put ginger up a horse's fundament, and formerly a live eel, to make him lively and carry his tail well. A forfeit is incurred by any horse-dealer's servant who shall shew a horse without first feaguing him. --Francis Grose's Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1796
February 7, 2018