I am reading Byron's The Bride of Abydos and I came across this sentence in Canto I, stanza 5:
'Much I misdoubt this wayward boy
Will one day work me more annoy – (133)
How are we to understand the second verse and especially the construct: work me more annoy?
The relevant senses are:
work, v. II.9. transitive. To cause, bring about, produce as a result; to accomplish, achieve, attain.
annoy, n. 1. A feeling of discomfort, displeasure, or weariness; annoyance, vexation. Also more strongly: affliction, suffering, tribulation.
Oxford English Dictionary.
I think the stronger senses of “annoy” work better in context, since Giaffir has observed “rebellion there begun” in Selim’s eye, and since the Ottoman Empire was notorious for violent transitions of power. So “work me more annoy” means “cause me more tribulation”.
"I very much suspect that one day this wayward boy will give me more trouble."
The only definition for annoy as a noun that I can find online is this one - Dictionary.com says "(Archaic): An annoyance".
