Feague

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.

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.

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!

“... 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.

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.

[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.

Beau[gard]. Hark ye, ye curs, keep off from snapping at my heels, or I shall so feague ye.

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.

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.

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, […]