feist

or fist

[ fahyst ]

/ faɪst /

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noun

Also fice, fyce

[fahys] /faɪs/ .Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. a small mongrel dog, especially one that is ill-tempered; cur; mutt.

verb (used without object)

South Midland U.S. to prance or strut about: Look at him feist around in his new clothes.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of feist

First recorded in 1760–70; compare (from 16th century) fisting hound, fisting cur, as contemptuous epithets for any kind of dog (present participle of fist “to break wind,” late Middle English; compare Old English fisting “breaking wind,” Middle Low German vīst, German Fist “fart”); def. 2 is perhaps a back formation from feisty

Words nearby feist

feints, Feira de Santana, feirie, Feisal I, Feisal II, feist, feisty, felafel, Feldene, Feldenkrais method, feldsher

How to use feist in a sentence

Back at CNN headquarters, I decide to ask Sam Feist one last question before I turn off my tape recorder.
Republicans Battle in Arizona: Why the Debates Matter|Andrew Romano|February 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Feist pauses and smiles, convinced that he has convinced me.
Republicans Battle in Arizona: Why the Debates Matter|Andrew Romano|February 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Before Feist can reply, his political director, Mark Preston, looks up from his BlackBerry.
Republicans Battle in Arizona: Why the Debates Matter|Andrew Romano|February 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Feist is familiar, of course, with the objections that have been leveled against the 2012 debates lately.
Republicans Battle in Arizona: Why the Debates Matter|Andrew Romano|February 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Feist cover “Limit to Your Love” [below] manages to improve on the original, and is one of the best songs of the year.
Best Music Albums of 2011: The Weeknd, Drake, Britney Spears, and More|Marlow Stern|December 31, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Feist compares it with English and considers it a “mixed language” almost from the start, and many facts seem to favor this view.
The New Stone Age in Northern Europe|John M. Tyler
Rebecca Feist glanced at herself in the mirror of her vanity bag.
Hungry Hearts|Anzia Yezierska
Mon frre Annemond Coct, chevalier, au partir du pays me feist son heritier.
History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, Volume III|J. H. Merle D'Aubign