chivvy
To subject to harassment or verbal abuse.
Definitions
UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
To coerce or hurry along, as by persistent request.
Origin: From chivy, to chase; to race, scamper, from chivy, a chase, hunt, pursuit, probably from the title of The Ballad of Chevy Chase, first published in The Complaynt of Scotland (1549); the ballad is about a hunt taking place on a hunted]] in the Cheviot Hills between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders, and is thought to allude to the Battle of Otterburn in 1388. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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UK
#3·Apr 27, 2026UK
To sneak up on or rapidly approach.
[H]e would chivvy us into position, prodding us gently but forcefully with his stick.
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UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
To subject to harassment or verbal abuse.
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