fautor, an adherent, partisan; spelt faultor, Mirror for Mag., Worcester, xx; a protector, patron, Chapman, tr. of Iliad, i. 441; xi. 325. F. fauteur, ‘a fauter, favourer, protector’ (Cotgr.); L. fautor, a favourer, patron.
fautress, a patroness. Chapman, tr. Iliad, xxiii. 670.
Favell, a personification of flattery; ‘The fyrste was Favell, full of flatery, Wyth fables false that well coude fayne a tale’, Skelton, Bowge of Courte, 134; ‘Favell hath a goodly grace In eloquence’, Wyatt, The Courtier’s Life (ed. Bell, 216). ME. Fauel: ‘Bothe Fals and Fauel and fykeltonge Lyere’ (P. Plowman, C. iii. 6); see Notes, pp. 42, 43. Hoccleve, in his De Regimine Principum (ed. Wright, pp. 106, 111), fully describes favelle or flattery, and says, ‘In wrong praising is all his craft and arte’. See [curry-favell].
fawting, favourable. Mirror for Mag., Irenglas, st. 21 (ed. 1575). See [fautor].
fay, faith. Spenser, F. Q. v. S. 19; phr. by my fay, by my faith, Romeo, i. 5. 128. ME. fey, faith (Chaucer, C. T. A. 1126); Anglo-F. fei (F. foi). See [fackins].
fay, to clear away filth, to clean out a ditch or pond. Burton, Anat. Mel. i. 2. 4: Holland, tr. Livy, xxi. 37 (ed. 1609, 414); spelt fie, Tusser, Husbandry, § 20. 21. In common prov. use in the north country and in E. Anglia: in the former ‘fey’ is the usual form, in the latter ‘fie’, see EDD. (s.v. Fay, vb.1). Icel. fǣgja, to cleanse, polish.
fayles, a variety of backgammon, played with three dice. B. Jonson, Every Man in Hum. iii. 8. 104. Described in Gifford’s note; so called because a particular throw caused the adversary to fail. See NED. (where there is cited from Ludus Anglicorum (c. A.D. 1330) ‘Est et alius ludus qui vocatur Faylys’). See Nares.
feague, to settle one’s business, to take one in hand, to dispose of. Etherege, She Would if she Could, iii. 3 (Sir Oliver); also (Sir Joslin’s Song); iv. 2 (Sir Oliver). Spelt fegue, Wycherley, Love in a Wood, i. 1 (end). Cp. G. fegen, to sweep, to clean, to furbish; also, to chastise, rebuke; Du. vegen. See NED.
feague, to whip. Otway, Soldier’s Fortune, v. 5 (Beaugard). Probably the same word as above. See EDD. (s.v. Feag).
feak, a dangling curl of hair. Marston, Sat. i. 38. See NED.