▪ I. feeze, n.
(fiːz)
Forms: 4 veze, 6 feas(e, 6–7 feese, 7 feaze, 7– feeze, 9 U.S. pheese, -ze.
[f. feeze v.1]
1. A rush, impetus; hence, a violent impact. Also, a rub. Now dial. and U.S.
| 1386 Chaucer Knt.'s T. 1127 And there out came a rage and such a veze, That it made al the gate for to rese. 1592 W. Wyrley Armorie 50 They light vpon him..and beare him downe with mightie feas. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turkes (1621) 878 Both their [galleys] beakes were with the feaze broken off. 1847 Mather in Whistlebinkie (1890) II. 165 Wi' a lick o' sweet oil an' a feeze o' her hand. 1865 Lowell Lett. (1894) I. 349 Even the locust's cry is no longer a mere impertinent feeze of sound. |
† b. to fetch or take (one's) feeze: to take a short run before leaping. to take one's full feeze: to start at full speed. Obs.
| 1571 Campion Hist. Irel. ii. ix. (1633) 120 Advising you though you have fetched your feaze, yet to look well ere you leape over. 1580 Baret Alv. R 41 To leape, taking his race, or fetching his feese, ex procursu salire. 1600 Holland Livy i. lxv. (1609) 87 b, They [the Roman soldiers] tooke their full feese, and ran up the hill. 1675 Tullie Let. Baxter 19 If a man do but goe back a little to take his feeze, he may easily jump over it. |
2. U.S. chiefly colloq. A state of alarm or perturbation.
| 1846 Worcester, Pheese, a fit of fretfulness. 1855 Lowell Let. in Atlantic Monthly Dec. (1892) 749/2 So I am in a feeze half the time. a 1865 Haliburton (Cent. Dict.), When a man's in a feese, there's no more sleep that hitch. |
▪ II. feeze, v.1 Obs. exc. dial.
(fiːz)
Forms: 1 fésian, 3–6 fese(n, -yn, 3 south. vesen, 5, 7 feese, -ze, (6 pheeze, 7 feize, pheese), 7 south. veeze, veize, veze, 6, 9 fease, south. vease, 6–9 feaze.
[OE. fésian (? also fésan), f{yacu}sian to drive, corresponds to ON. *feysa (mod.Norwegian föysa, Sw. fösa), app.:—*fausjôjan, fausjan. It is possible that this word and ON. fi{uacu}ka, feyka, of similar meaning, are from a Teut. root feu, fau, differentiated by s and k (pre-Teut. g) suffixes.
Totally unconnected with OE. f{yacu}san (:—*funsjan) to hurry, which survived into early ME. as fusen (y): see fuse v.1]
† 1. trans. To drive; to drive off or away; to make (one) run, put to flight; to frighten away. Often with away. Also to feeze about. Obs.
| c 890 Laws Edward & Guthrum xi, Ðonne fysie hi man of earde. 1014 Wulfstan Hom. (1883) xxxiii. 162 Ðæt oft on ᵹefeohte an feseþ tyne. a 1300 Signa ante Judicium 172 in E.E.P. (1862) 12 Al þe fentis sal.. be ifesid in to helle. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) I. 339 Powder of erþe of þat lond i-sowe in oþer londes vseþ [v.r. veseþ] awey wormes. c 1400 Beryn Prol. 351 Shal I com þen, Cristian, & fese a-wey þe Cat? 1548 Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. Luke viii. 29 He should bee drieuen and feased of the deiuill into deserte places. 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. II. 10/2 They feazed awaie the Irish. 1583 Stanyhurst æneis i. (Arb.) 31 Lyke bees..Feaze away the droane bees with sting, from maunger, or hiuecot. 1689 C. Mather Mem. Providences 62 A Devil would..make her laugh to see how he feaz'd 'em about. |
b. To impel.
| 1610 Mirr. Mag., Sir N. Burdet xvi. 480 Those eager impes whom food-want feaz'd to fight amaine. |
2. To frighten, put into a state of alarm.
| c 1440 J. Capgrave Life St. Kath. v. 611 Bete hir weel, right for hir blaspheme, To fese hem alle that troste in hir doctryne. 1460 Christ's Compl. 471 in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866) 198 Ful foule schulde þi foos be fesid If þou myȝte ouer hem as y ouer þee may. 1887 Kent Gloss., Fease, to fret, worry. |
3. The threat ‘I'll feeze you’ seems to have given rise to the following senses: a. vaguely, To ‘do for’, ‘settle the business of’ (a person). b. To beat, flog.
| a. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. Induct. i. 1 Ile pheeze you infaith. 1613 Beaum. & Fl. Coxcomb i. vi, I'll feese you. 1620 Fletcher Chances ii. i, H'as giv'n me my quietus est: I felt him In my small guts: I'me sure h'as feez'd me. |
| b. 1610 B. Jonson Alch. v. v, Come, will you quarrel? I will feize you, sirrah. 1631 Massinger Emperor East iv. ii, Countryman. Zookers! Had I one of you zingle, with this twig I would so veeze you! 1674 J. W[right] Mock-Thyestes 101 Your Toby I'le so feaze with this Rod..That [etc.]. |
▪ III. feeze, v.2 dial.
(fiːz)
1. trans. To twist or turn with a screw-like motion; to screw. Also with off, on, up.
| 1806 A. Douglas Poems 43, I downa feeze my fiddle-string. 1813 W. Leslie View Nairn Gloss., Feeze, to turn a screw nail. |
b. fig. To insinuate.
| 1813 W. Leslie View Nairn Gloss., Feeze, to insinuate into unmerited confidence or favour. 1824 Jamieson s.v., One feezes himself into the good graces of another. |
2. intr. for refl. To wind in and out; to hang off and on.
| 17.. in Ritson Scot. Songs (1794) I. 287 My ewie never play'd the like But fees'd [printed tees'd] about the barn⁓yard wa'. |