▪ I. feague, n.1 dial.
(fiːg)
Also 7 feak.
[Cf. Du. feeks of same meaning, referred by native etymologists to the vb. vegen (see feague v.). Also cf. ME. vecke.]
(See quot. 1781.)
| 1664 Bold Poems 134 Three female idle feaks who long'd for pig's head. 1781 Hutton Tour to Caves Gloss., Feague, a dirty, sluttish, idle person. 1869 in Lonsdale Gloss. |
▪ II. † feague, n.2 Obs. rare—1.
[? f. feague v.]
In phr. by fits and feags = ‘by fits and starts’.
| 1600 Abbot Exp. Jonah 171 Neither that we apprehend grace, by fits or feags as we are urged by any present thing. |
▪ III. † feague, v. Obs.
Also 7 fegue, 8 feag.
[Prob., as suggested in Bailey 1721, this and the earlier recorded variant feak v.1 (and the later fake v.) are ad. Ger. fegen lit. to polish, furbish, sweep (for the jocular applications see Grimm s.v.), or the equivalent Du. vegen. But there may be mixture of a native word; cf. feak v.3]
1. trans. To beat, whip. Also fig.
| [1589–1598: ? Implied in bumfeage.] 1668 G. Etherege She Would if she Could iv. ii, Let us even go into an arbour, and then feague Mr. Rakehell. 1681 Otway Soldier's Fort. v, Curs, keep off from snapping at my heels, or I shall so feague ye. 1691 Rabshakeh Vapulans 5 Well—on my Faith, he feagues these Black-coat Sparks. 1721–1800 Bailey, Feag, to beat with Rods, to whip. |
2. To ‘do for’, ‘settle the business of’; = fake v.
| 1668 G. Etherege She Would if she Could iii. iii, Oh my little rogue..how I will turn, and wind, and fegue thy body [in a dance]! Ibid., 'Tis with a bottle we fegue her. 1671 Crowne Juliana i, I hope the Cardinal will feage 'um all. 1672 Wycherley Love in Wood i. i, Sly intrigue, That must at length the jilting widow fegue. 1690 D'Urfey Collin's Walk London i. 6 Had not th' Times his honour fegu'd. Ibid. ii. 84 When Cataline a league Had made, the Senators to fegue. |
b. (See quot.) Cf. fake v.
| 1785 Grose Class. Dict. s.v., To feague a horse, to put ginger up a horse's fundament, to make him lively and carry his tail well. |
3. to feague away: to set in motion briskly. Also fig. To agitate (a point) in one's thoughts. Also, to feague it away: to work at full stretch. (Cf. to fake away.)
| 1671 Shadwell Humourist iii, Come in..and fegue your violins away, fa, la, la, la. 1672 Villiers (Dk. Buckhm.) Rehearsal (1714) 55 When a knotty point comes, I lay my head close to it..and then I fegue it away i' faith. 1691 Shadwell Scowrers iii. iii, Come out..I'll feague thee [partner in a dance] away. 1829 Scott Jrnl. (1890) II. 240 From that hour [three] till ten..I was feaguing it away. |