feague

Etymology 1

From Dutch vegen (“to sweep, strike”), from Middle Dutch vēghen (“to cleanse”), from Old Dutch *fegōn (“to cleanse”), from Proto-West Germanic *faginōn, from Proto-Germanic *faginōną (“to decorate, make beautiful”), from Proto-Indo-European *pōḱ-, *pēḱ- (“to clean, to adorn”). Cognate with Danish feje (“to sweep”), German fegen (“to cleanse, scour, sweep”), Icelandic fægja (“to polish”), Swedish feja (“to sweep”). More at fay, fair, fake.

verb

1. To increase the liveliness of a horse by inserting an irritant, such as a piece of peeled raw ginger or a live eel, in its anus.
   FEAGUE, to feague a horse; to put ginger up a horse's fundament, to make him lively, and carry his tail well; it is said, a forfeit is incurred by any horse dealer's servant, who shall show a horse without first feagueing him, used figuratively for encouraging or spiriting one up. 1785, Francis Grose, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 1st edition, London: Printed for S. Hooper, No. 212, High Holborn, →OCLC, page 61
   Feague. To feague a horſe; to put ginger up a horſe's fundament, and formerly, as it is ſaid, a live eel, to make him lively, and carry his tail well: it is ſaid, a forfeit is incurred by any horſe dealer's ſervant, who ſhall ſhew a horſe without firſt feaguing him. Feague is uſed, figuratively, for encouraging or ſpiriting one up. 1788, Francis Grose, A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 2nd corr. and enl. edition, London: Printed for S. Hooper, №. 212, High Holborn, facing Bloomsbury Square, →OCLC
   Run along to Hobson's Livery Stable and tell them I want a good fast horse, right? Something with a bit of fizz in its blood! Not some feagued-up old screw, and I know the difference! I want it here in half an hour! Off you go! 2004, Terry Pratchett, Going Postal (Discworld; 33), London: Doubleday, ISBN 978-0-385-60342-3; republished London: Corgi Books, 2014, ISBN 978-0-552-16768-0, page 251
   “... One of those chaps over there said someone feagues his horse. What the hell’s ‘feague’?” / O’Reilly’s sides heaved. “Feague? You’d know it as a different expression, but it’s a trick unscrupulous horse dealers use to make a horse look better than it is. You can judge a horse’s spirit by the way it carries its tail.” / “That’s what he said.” / “So,” said O’Reilly, “just before the buyer comes to look at the beast, the dealer sticks a clove of ginger up its rectum. Feagues the poor creature.” / The thought made Barry wince. 2013, Patrick Taylor, An Irish Country Collection: Seven Complete Novels, New York, N.Y.: Forge Books
2. (obsolete) To beat or whip; to drive.
   Dol[l]. (aside). Oh, if I wist this old priest would not sticke to me, by Ioue, I would ingle this old seruing-man. / Harp[oole]. Oh you old mad colt! yfaith, Ile feak you! fil all the pots in the house there. 1600, Anthony Munday, Michael Drayton, Richard Hathwaye, Robert Wilson, The First Part of the True and Honorable History, of the Life of Sir Iohn Old-castle, the Good Lord Cobham. As it hath been lately Acted by the Right Honorable the Earle of Notingham Lord High Admirall of England his Servants, London: Printed by V. S. for Thomas Pauier, and are to be solde at his shop at the signe of the Catte and Parrots neere the Exchange, →OCLC, act II, scene i, lines 184–188
   [T]here's one Count Sharnofsky, too, such another ambitious dry-chops, he hath not the grace to love good drink, and yet he hath the impudence to aim at the Crown. […] [H]e squints at it fearfully, and he hath an itch at the Princess too; (Landlord squints, and makes grim-faces,) but I hope the Cardinal will feage [footnote: "Whip" or "beat."] 'um all. 1671, John Crowne, Juliana, or The Princess of Poland: A Tragicomedy, as it is Acted at His Royal Highness the Duke of York's Theatre, London: Printed for Will Cademan […] and Will Birch, OCLC 606574495, Act I, scene ix; republished in The Dramatic Works of John Crowne. With Prefatory Memoir and Notes (Dramatists of the Restoration; Crowne 1–4), Edinburgh: William Paterson; London: H. Sotheran & Co., 1873, OCLC 906095949, page 34
   Beau[gard]. Hark ye, ye curs, keep off from snapping at my heels, or I shall so feague ye. 1681, Thomas Otway, The Souldiers Fortune: A Comedy. Acted by Their Royal Highnesses Servants at the Duke's Theatre, London: Printed for R. Bentley and M. Magnes, at the Post-House in Russel-Street in Covent-Garden, OCLC 5291125; republished as “The Soldier's Fortune”, in The Works of Thomas Otway. In Three Volumes. With Notes, Critical and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Thomas Thornton, Esq., volume II, London: Printed for T. Turner, 87, Strand, (successor to John MacKinlay); by B. M‘Millan, Bow Street, Covent Garden, 1813, OCLC 9503722, Act 5, page 391
   Her noble Proteſtant has got a Flail, / Young, large, and fit to feague her briny Tail; / But now, poor Wench, ſhe lies as ſhe would burſt, / Sometimes with Brandy, and ſometimes with Luſt. Note: although in this quotation feague ostensibly means "to beat or whip", sense 4 below is alluded to. 1739, Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset, “A Faithful Catalogue of our Most Eminent Ninnies. Written by the Earl of Dorset in the Year 1683.”, in Poems by the Earls of Roscomon and Dorset; the Dukes of Devonshire, Buckingham, &c., volume II, London: [s.n.], →OCLC, page 36
   I begind to ſmell a rat! And there I talked with t'other Miſſee. I a ferretted and a feagued and a worked and a wormed it all out of ſhe. 1792, Thomas Holcroft, Anna St. Ives: A Novel, volume III, London: Printed for Shepperson and Reynolds, No. 137, Oxford-Street, →OCLC, page 128
   The Saint Monday Gemmen held their diversions on the 18th, near Clay-hill, which consisted of a pugilistic exhibition between G. Wilkie, a coster-monger, and Jeffery Smith, a professor, but little calculated to astonish the spectators at his professional skill. The battle was for ten guineas; and, after a contest of about forty minutes, in which the combatants were decently feaked, and the head of Jeffery was a good deal disfigured, he resigned the contest, and the coster-monger was carried to Westminster in triumph, […] 18 January 1808, “Sporting Intelligence”, in The Sporting Magazine, or Monthly Calendar, of the Transactions of the Turf, the Chase, and Every Other Diversion Interesting to the Man of Pleasure, Enterprize, & Spirit, volume XXXI, number 184, London: Printed for J. Wheble, 18, Warwick Square, →OCLC, page 208
   February 22.—Very rheumatic. I e'en turned my table to the fire and feagued it away, as Bayes says. 1890, Walter Scott, The Journal of Sir Walter Scott, 1825–32, from the Original Manuscript at Abbotsford, Edinburgh: David Douglas, →OCLC, page 238
   feague. (1) To whip. A 17th century word; the 16th century has the term bumfeage, to spank. […] (2) To finish off, ‘do for’; […] (3) To feague away, to set in brisk motion (as violins); to stir in one's thoughts. To feague it away, to work at full power, […] 1955, Joseph T[wadell] Shipley, Dictionary of Early English, New York, N.Y.: Philosophical Library, →OCLC, page 261
3. (obsolete) To subject to some harmful scheme; to ‘do in’.
   [W]hen Cataline a League / Had made[,] the Senators to fegue, / And ſtrumpet had told Marcus Tully, / The cloſe intentions of that Bully, / He not ſo much the cauſe revenging / O'th'State, as t'hinder his own ſwinging, / Made the beſt ſpeech to quell that ſtrife, / (Tis ſaid) that e're he made in's Life, […] 1690, T. D. (Thomas d'Urfey), “Canto II: Monday's Walk”, in Collin's Walk through London and VVestminster, a Poem in Burlesque, London: Printed for Rich[ard] Parker at the Unicorn under the Royal Exchange in Cornhill, and Abel Roper near the Devil-Tavern in Fleet-street, →OCLC, page 84
4. (obsolete) To have sexual intercourse with.
   Chor[us]. […] See, yonder ſits Well-born with his pretty Wife. / […] Shee ſeeks for her Gallant, and he o'my Life / Hath a mind to be feaguing yon Vizor-Mask-Whore. 1673, Henry Nevil Payne, The Morning Ramble, or The Town-humours: A Comedy. Acted at the Duke's Theatre, London: Printed for Thomas Dring, at the White Lyon, next Chancery-Lane end in Fleet-street, →OCLC, act I, scene i, page 11
   Sir Oliv[er Cockwood]. Here's my brother Jolly too can witneſs / The loyalty of my Heart, and that I did not intend / Any treaſonable practice againſt your Ladiſhip / In the leaſt. / Sir Joſ[lin Jolley]. Unleſs feguing 'em with a Beer-glaſs be / Included in the Statute. Come, Mr. Courtall, to / Satisfie my Lady, and put her in a little good humour, / Let us ſing the Catch I taught you yeſterday, […] 1668, George Etherege, She Wou'd if She Cou'd, a Comedy. Actes at His Highnesse the Duke of York's Theatre, London: Printed for H[enry] Herringman, at the sign of the Blew Anchor in the lower walk of the New Exchange, →OCLC, act III, scene iii, page 53
   feague coit with. Ex the primary sense, beat or thrash (a common shift). 1994, Gordon Willams, A Dictionary of Sexual Language and Imagery in Shakespearean and Stuart Literature, volumes I (A–F), London, Atlantic Highlands, N.J.: The Athlone Press, page 469

Etymology 2

Possibly from Dutch feeks, probably from vegen (“to sweep, strike”): see etymology of feague (verb) above. Compare Middle English vecke (“old woman”).

noun

1. (obsolete) An unkempt, slatternly person.
   So Jack enters: / And trips up staires, as quick, as come penny, / Where we find, what's before good company! / Three female idle feaks, who long'd for pigs head. 1664, Henry Bold, Poems Lyrique, Macaronique, Heroique, &c., London: Printed for Henry Brome …, →OCLC
   Feague (also feak, q.v.) as a noun, was used of a slattern, a sluttish woman.] [1955, Joseph T[wadell] Shipley, Dictionary of Early English, New York, N.Y.: Philosophical Library, →OCLC, page 261