1862. Thackeray, Philip, xxiii. Chesham does not like to call a spade a spade. He calls it a horticultural utensil.
See Shovel.
Spadge, subs. (Christ's Hospital).—An
affected walk. Formerly
merely = to walk.
Spadger, subs. (provincial).—A
sparrow.
Spado, subs. (old).—1. A sword:
'that is (Grose) spadone.'
1711. Centlivre, Marplot, i. 1. By St. Anthony you shall feel what mettle my spado is made of.
2. (old).—An eunuch. Hence spadonic = eunuchistic; and spadonism = eunuchry. In civil law (modern) = an impotent: also (provincial) = a gelding.
Spain. A castle in Spain, subs.
phr. (old).—A day-dream; idle
fancies. Thus to build a
castle in Spain (in the air,
the skies, or to build a
castle) = to indulge in visionary
projects or schemes; to romance.
Fr. château en Espagne, en Asie,
en Albanie, &c. See Air.
c. 1400. Rom. Rose, 2573. Thou shalt make castels thanne in Spayne, And dreme of joye, alle but in vayne.
1475. Caxton, Jason, 19. He began to make castellis in Spaygne as louers doo.
1586. T. B., La Primand Fr. Acad., ii. 182. Some . . . have their wittes a wool-gathering, and as wee use commonly to say, are building of castles in Spaine.
1611. Cotgrave, Dict., s.v. Faire des chasteaux en Espaigne, to build castles in the aire (say we).
1809. Malkin, Gil Blas (1812), VII. x. I was gradually lulled with so much wealth, and fell asleep in the very act of building castles in Spain.
1860. Motley, Netherlands, iv. 282. The explosion of the Gunpowder Plot blowing the castles in Spain into the air.
1871. M. Collins, Marquis and Merchant, II. vii. 203. We have all had our castles in Spain.
Spalpeen, subs. (Irish).—A
generic term of contempt.
1809-12. Edgeworth, Love and Law, i. 4. The spalpeen! turned into a buckeen that would be a squireen, but can't.
d. 1845. Hood, Irish Schoolmaster. How many pigs be born to each spalpeen?
1857. Kingsley, Two Years Ago, xix. I've brought away the poor spalpeen of a priest, and have got him safe in the house.
Span- (Spandy-, or Spanfire-)
new. See Spick-and-Span.
Spange, adj. and adv. (Royal Military
Academy).—New; dressy;
smart (q.v.): e.g. a spange uniform
= a new outfit; or 'You look
spange enough.'
Spangle, subs. (obsolete).—A
seven-shilling piece: see Rhino
(Grose and Vaux).
Spangle-shaker (or -guts), subs.
phr. (theatrical).—A harlequin.
Spaniel, subs. (old).—A parasite:
as adj. = servile: as verb. = to
fawn, to be obsequious.
1601. Shakspeare, Julius Cæsar, iii. 1, 43. Low crooked court'sies, and base spaniel-fawning.
1638. Ford, Fancies, iii. 3. He unhappy man! whom your advancement Hath ruin'd by being spaniel to your fortunes, Will curse he train'd me hither.
Spanish. Spanish, like Dutch
(q.v.), Irish (q.v.), &c., contributes
to colloquial English.
Thus Spanish = (1) money, spec.
ready money: in America silver
only; and (2) 'fair words and
compliments' (B. E. and Grose);
Spanish-fagot = the sun
(Gross); Spanish-gout
