First recorded in 1805–15; originally vagrants' slang: “to do for, rob, kill (someone), shape (something)”; perhaps variant of obsolete feak, feague “to beat,” akin to Dutch veeg “a slap,” vegen “to sweep, wipe” to lay (a rope) in a coil or series of long loops so as to allow to run freely without fouling or kinking (often followed by down). read full review »