chivvy

1. (transitive, British) To coerce or hurry along, as by persistent request.Examples: "Odd's wouns! it was a proper hunt. Away went my gentlemen, whooping like madmen, with their coat skirts flapping in the breeze, chivying on the dogs and having a rare morning's sport."; "Some customers could now be relied upon to send in their orders regularly and, apart from having to chivy those who had fallen behind with their payments, this allowed travellers to concentrate their energies on securing new customers and on recovering those who had been lost to competitors."; "He headed for home, walking a little faster now, as if chivied along by some old cold wind that didn't quite reach the sunlit world."Britishtransitive

2. (transitive, British) To subject to harassment or verbal abuse.Examples: "He wos allus willin fur to give me somethink he wos, though Mrs. Sangsby she was allus a chivying on me—like everybody everywheres."; "So when I was done, and the fishing was as good as the start, I cut a long "staddle," with a bush at the top, and I just went for that school of trout. I chevied, harried and scattered them, up stream and down, until I could not see a fish."; ""They're chevying that poor animal [a dog] again," he said hotly. "It's scandalous." / "Rupert can take care of himself," said the mate calmly, continuing his meal. "I expect, if the truth's known, it's him 's been doin' the chevying.""Britishtransitive

3. (transitive, British) To sneak up on or rapidly approach.Britishtransitive

4. (transitive, British) To pursue as in a hunt.Examples: "to chivvy the fox"; "The police were kept out of sight, and the amusements of the mob consisted chiefly in forming bodies which rushed from one end of the Park to the other, to the great injury of other rioters; or in hunting or "chivvying" any footman or remarkable person who should venture among them; some of these unfortunates were much injured."; "[…] John, before taking his departure, had left the stable door and the front gate open, and that Tartar [a horse], having no halter on, had quietly walked out into the high road, and had been chevied up and down by the boys for the last quarter of an hour."Synonyms: chase, huntBritishtransitive