▪ I. reˈnegue, n.
Also 7 -neg, 9 -nege.
[f. the vb. (sense 4).]
An instance of reneguing at cards.
| 1654 Gayton Pleas. Notes iv. ix. 235 Now they are for their Tibs who had plaid faire, and made never a Reneg all the time. 1897 Foster's Complete Hoyle 622 Revoke, failure to follow suit when able to do so, as distinguished from a renounce or renege. |
▪ II. renegue, renege, v.
(rɪˈniːg, -ˈnɛg, -ˈneɪg)
Forms: 6–7, 9 reneague, 7–9 renegue, (6 ri-, 7 -neigue, 9 dial. -nague); 7, 9 reneg, (9 dial. -neeg); 6–7, 9– renege, 6–7 reneage, 9 dial. rena(i)ge, 8– U.S. renig.
[ad. med.L. reneg-āre, f. re- re- + negāre to deny: cf. renay v.]
1. a. trans. To deny, renounce, abandon, desert (a person, faith, etc.). Now arch.
| 1548 Udall Erasm. Par. Luke Pref. 12 Reneague thou and forsake Christ. 1597 J. King On Jonas (1618) 46 That not onely he reneged his obedience in this particular action, but changed the whole trade of his life. 1626 L. Owen Spec. Jesuit. (1629) 62 To blaspheme, and reneage, or denie God. 1657 Trapp Comm., Job xxxiii. 7 Those of this reformed Religion, who will not reneague it. 1691 W. Nicholls Answ. Naked Gospel 52 Even by those who in other things reneg its Authority. 1817 Coleridge Ess. own Times (1850) III. 957 He himself retains the opinions and principles which the other had reneged. 1867 R. Broughton Not Wisely (1868) 239 Though he had deserted her and reneged the situation of spiritual guide and teacher. 1914 Joyce Dubliners 163 ‘There's one of them, anyhow,’ said Mr Henchy, ‘that didn't renege him.’ 1922 ― Ulysses 324 We fought for the royal Stuarts that reneged us against the Williamites and they betrayed us. |
† b. To recant. Obs. rare—1.
| 1679 Hist. Jetzer 29 He would spend his dearest blood before he would renege one Syllable. |
† 2. intr. or absol. a. To make denial. Also with dependent clause. Obs.
| 1548 Udall Erasm. Par. Luke xxii. 167 b, Whyle Petur reneagueth, while he sweareth naie,..the cocke crewe the secounde tyme. 1575 Mirr. Mag., King Bladud lviii, Shall I renege I made them then? Shall I denye my cunning founde? 1605 Shakes. Lear ii. ii. 84 Such smiling rogues as these..Renegue [printed reuenge], affirme, and turne their Halcion beakes, With euery gall, and vary of their Masters. 1689 Hickeringill Ceremony Monger i. Wks. 1716 II. 389 But if he reneages..and is forc'd to answer, that he bows to nothing; then beg him for a Fool. |
† b. To apostatize. Obs. rare—1.
| a 1734 North Lives (1826) III. 58 The Turks give all the kindest invitations that can be to Christians to renegue and become Turks. |
3. To refuse, decline. rare.
| 1582 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 64 Too liue now longer, Troy burnt, hee flatlye reneaged. a 1734 North Exam. i. i. §13 (1740) 21 The Author will needs have..the good King at the head of them by his Reneguing to become the Guarantee. 1757 E. Griffith Lett. Henry & Frances (1767) IV. 207 Our Postillion, with the thorough Consent of his Horses, renegued going farther. 1866 Kennedy Leg. Fictions 29 How shabby it would look to reneague the adventure. |
4. a. Card-playing. To refuse or fail to follow suit; to revoke. (But see also the n., quot. 1897.) Now local and U.S.
| 1680 Cotton Compl. Gamester x. (ed. 2) 82 Reneging or renouncing, that is, not following suit when you have it in your hand, is very foul play. Ibid. 87 You are bound to follow suit, and if you renounce or renege, you lose the whole Game. 1891 Pall Mall G. 21 Jan. 2/1 At games of cards renege (spelled renague in Ireland) is almost always used instead of revoke, and bears the same meaning. 1897 Foster's Complete Hoyle 277 This privilege of reneging is confined to the three highest trumps. |
b. dial. (See quots.)
| a 1849 J. Keegan Legends & Poems (1907) 64 Amn't I to undherstand that..Peggy is goin' to ranague you for Micky Gorman? 1872 G. J. Whyte-Melville Satanella I. i. 12 If iver she schames with ye, renaging [note refusing] or such like..I'll be ashamed to look a harse..in the face again! 1890 Glouc. Gloss., Reneague, to renounce a job. 1893 Wilts Gloss., Reneeg, renegue, to back out of an engagement, to jilt. |
c. To change one's mind, to recant; to break one's word; to go back on a promise or undertaking or contract; to disappoint expectations. orig. and chiefly U.S.
Now the dominant sense, and freq. in spelling renege.
| 1784 A. Ellicott Diary 24 Nov. in C. V. Mathews Andrew Ellicott (1908) i. 27 The Hussey immediately Reniged and reclaimed the Bed. 1866 C. H. Smith Bill Arp 153 When the Secretary read out my name all mixed up with the Republic, I felt I was obleged to renig. 1906 ‘O. Henry’ Four Million 123 It might brace her up and keep her from reneging on the proposition to skip. 1917 H. Franck Vagabonding down Andes 32 Hays renigged at the last moment, but I accepted the invitation issued to the ‘general public’. 1935 A. Squire Sing Sing Doctor ix. 141, I was afraid our man might renege on his contract. 1936 ‘N. Blake’ Thou Shell of Death xiii. 236 She turned very calm and quiet... ‘I'll never renege. I'll write to Jack... He must come back.’ 1946 Time 21 Oct. 99/1 The picture begins to renege on its early promise. 1951 A. R. Lewis Naval Power & Trade in Mediterranean v. 150 The naval assault was a success, but Hugh reneged on his side of the bargain. 1962 J. McCabe Mr. Laurel & Mr. Hardy iii. 82 Anderson made a few more films with Stan before he renegued on a contract detail regarding payment. 1968 Daily Tel. 13 Dec. 1/2 The Minister is equally annoyed that the National Federation of Building Trade Operatives appears to have reneged on its earlier promise to accept a 1d-an-hour wage cut. 1973 R. Ludlum Matlock Paper v. 43 ‘You're offering me a chance to renege?’ ‘Of course. You're under no obligation to us.’ 1977 Time 7 Mar. 23/1 He was given certain undertakings from other people that they subsequently reneged on. 1981 Times 27 Jan. 12/8 Labour's record on immigration has been almost identical to the Conservatives'—it introduced stringent controls and reneged on Britain's commitment to the East African Asians who had United Kingdom passports. |
Hence reˈnegued ppl. a., renegade; reˈneguing vbl. n.; also reˈneguer.
| 1594 R. Ashley tr. Loys le Roy 106 The Mammelvcs, being al Christians reneaged, and of seruile condition. 1597 J. King On Jonas (1618) 187 The relinquisher of his owne life is more to be punished, than a reneger of his seruice in warre. 1600 O. E. (M. Sutcliffe) Repl. Libel Ep. Ded., Your selfe and other rinegued English, that adhere vnto them. 1632 J. Featley Hon. Chast. 11 Correct the fury of it by a pious reneaguing. 1659 Gauden Tears Ch. i. iv. 57 These modern Renegers, Separates, and Apostates. 1921 G. B. Shaw Back to Methuselah p. lxv, There was no Prime Minister to whom such renagueing or trafficking would ever have occurred. |