chivy

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The Word of the Day for August 4 is:

chivy   \CHIV-ee\   verb
     1 : to tease or annoy with persistent petty attacks
    *2 : to move or obtain by small maneuvers

Example sentence:
     As she told Brendan about her bad day, Megan chivied the last olive out of 
the jar and plopped it into her dry martini.

Did you know?
     "Chivy," which is also spelled "chivvy," became established in our 
language in the early 20th century and at first meant "to harass or chase." 
Early usage examples are of people chivying a chicken around to catch it and of 
a person chivying around food that is frying. The word itself is from the 
British noun of the same spelling meaning "chase" or "hunt." The noun is 
believed to be derived from "Chevy Chase" -- a term for "chase" or "confusion" 
that is taken from the name of a ballad describing the 1388 battle of Otterburn 
between the Scottish and English. (A "chase" in this context is an unenclosed 
tract of land in England that is used as a game preserve.) 

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.