feeze
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /fiːz/
rhymes: -iːz
homophone: fees
Forms: form: feezes
form: fease
form: feaze
form: feese
form: pheese
form: pheeze
form: phese
form: vease
form: veeze
Etymology: From Middle English fese, from the verb (see below).
Senses: examples: text: All this time, they were chattering; but at last I thought, by the sound of their voices, that they must be walking away, and I never was in such a feeze in all my life, in case they should be gone before I could get up the wall ; and when I did get up it, sure enough, gone they was!
ref: 1797, Hannah Webster Foster, The Coquette, page 203:
text: “Don't git in a feeze, uncle Tib;—you can't help your head, I dare say;[…]”
ref: 1825, John Neal, Brother Jonathan: or, The New Englanders, volume 2, page 85:
text: [Crispin buys a lottery ticket and splashes out in anticipation of winning.] The next morning Violetta [his daughter] was paraded through the streets by a smart clerk in the neighbourhood[…]At the turn of the next street they met Crispin himself, with a visage of alarming length. He was fresh from the office, where they told him he had drawn a—blank!—The smart beau sneaked off in a feeze, Crispin and his goods were sold out by the sheriff[…]
ref: 1828 April 19, “For the Ariel”, in The Ariel, page 205:
text: Why what a feeze you air in, to be sure!
ref: 2006, John Neal, Down Easters, page 134:
glosses: A state of worry or alarm.
examples: text: […]though you haue fetched your feaze, yet to looke well ere you leape.
ref: 1577, Raphael Holinshed, quoting James Butler, “The thirde Booke of the Historie of Ireland, comprising the raigne of Henry the eyght”, in The firste [laste] volume of the chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande, page 91:
text: Dabscote no harme receiued by his fall
But lightly vp himselfe againe doth rease,
Fiue Almains streight they light vpon him all
At once: and beare him downe with mightie feas.
ref: 1592, William Wyrley, “Life of Lord Chandos”, in The true use of armorie shewed by historie, page 50:
text: This tale being bleated out and heard, this cornuted husband of the sheep's heads fetching a feeze backward (like the Roman ram, to push forward with the more violent and villainous force) ran with all his horniferous strength at the poor fire-felon and stroke his brow-butters full in Prometheus's forehead that the very print remaineth in his front, and doth still in some of his race to this day;
ref: 1618, Thomas Middleton, The Owles Almanacke:
text: […]as hee that leapeth forward fetcheth his feeze a great way backe[…]
ref: 1636, Daniel Featley, chapter 62, in Clavis mystica: a key opening divers difficult and mysterious texts of Holy Scripture, page 826:
text: Our Man of Art[…]finds some words which will not at all serve is turn[…]viz. (An excellent Conserver of Liberty, but never intended for any share in Government, or the choosing of them that should govern)[…]and therefore well bethinks himself, retires a little, begins at An excellent Conserver of Liberty, makes that plural, adds, &c. which is not in the Original, fetches his feeze and leaps quite over all the rest of the Parenthesis[…]
ref: 1686, Fabian Phillips, chapter 27, in Investigatio jurium antiquorum et rationalium Regni […] or, a vindication of the government of the kingdom of England […] , page 583:
text: Then Lizzie wad coax her, as I've heard her tell,
Wi' a lick o' sweet oil an' a feeze o' her hand,
She soon brought the dorty jaud back to hersel'.
ref: 1878, Mather, “My Auld Aunty Lizzie Was Famed for a Spinner”, in Whistle-Binkie: Or, the Piper of the Party:
qualifier: also fetch one's feeze
glosses: A rush, impetus, or a violent impact; also, a rub.
examples: text: setting up the most expedient agricolary instruments of wains, carts, slades, with their several devices of wheels and axle-trees, plows and harrows of divers sorts, feezes, winders, pullies, and all other manner of engines fit for easing the toyl and furthering the work;
ref: 1653, Sir Thomas Urquhart, Logopandecteision:
text: The Dean and assessors —unanimoslie condishended and agreied upon that ane compitent number of feezes be made for packing of pleding.
ref: 1674, Proceedings: The Guildry Incorporation of Dundee:
glosses: A device for wedging items into a tight space.