Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) to note, to pay attention to, to understand; often as phr. feature this.

1923		O.O. McIntyre New York Day by Day 23 Sept. [synd. col.] My chauffeur [...] wants two nights off a week and extra pay for Sunday. Can you feature a mucker like that?
1935		H. McCoy They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? in Four Novels (1983) 19: Can you feature that?
1954		Hepster’s Dict. 4: Feature – To comprehend.
1964		R.S. Gold Jazz Lex.
1972		B. Rodgers Queens’ Vernacular 79: feature [...] 2. to figure ‘That’s the one. Can you feature him and Doug making it for the past two reels?’.
1996		T. Wolff ‘Mortals’ in The Night in Question 8: How come you call her Dolly? That wasn’t the name in the obit’ ‘No reason [...] ’ ‘I don’t feature her as a Dolly,’ I said.
2003		J. Ellroy ‘Stephanie’ in Destination: Morgue! (2004) 56: And – feature this: Stephanie dies in Cheryl’s bedroom [...] Was she the intended vic.

2. (Aus.) to make part of one’s life.

1948

Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 25 Dec. 6/2: Anyway, the Crow was soon so wood- coal-and-coke that he couldn’t even afford to feature a shirt or a pair of sox.

3. to like, to appreciate.

1952		(con. 1948) G. Mandel Flee the Angry Strangers 78: I don’t feature abusin little girls.
1958		H. Ellison Web of the City (1983) 32: Rusty shook his head. ‘I don’t feature that stuff, Ma. You know that.’.
1970		Current Sl. V:3 6: Feature, v. Like, appreciate (often with the negative).
1978		R. Charles Brother Ray 157: I’d never want to make love to a woman thinking that the only reason she agrees is because I’m her boss. I can’t feature that.