1848. Mrs. Gaskell, Mary Barton, ix. We had such a spread for breakfast as th' Queen herself might ha' sitten down to.
1873. Greenwood, In Strange Company. Next day I was present at a spread at the Mission Hall of a much more gratifying description.
1897. Marshall, Pomes, 11. 'E didn't even give me an invite To 'is New Year's spread.
2. (old).—Butter (Grose and Vaux: cf. Scrape.
3. (old).—An umbrella (Grose).
4. (common).—A lady's shawl (Hotten).
5. (Old Cant).—A saddle (Tufts, 1798).
6. (Stock Exchange).—An option; a straddle (q.v.).
Verb. (venery).—To open up (of women), or to lay out (of men) for SERVICE (q.v.).
1692. Dryden, Juvenal, vi. Many a fair nymph has in a cave been spread, And much good love, without a feather-bed. Ibid. What care our drunken dames to whom they spread?
TO SPREAD ONESELF, verb. phr. (American).—To push, to come out strong, TO swagger (q.v.).
1832. Longstreet, Southern Sketches [Bartlett]. Hoss Allen mounted the balcony of the hotel, and rolling up his sleeves, spread himself for an unusually brilliant effort.
1848. Hammond, Wild Northern Scenes, 266. We despatched Cullen to prepare a dinner. He had promised . . . to spread himself in the preparation of this meal.
1876. Clemens, Tom Sawyer, 46. At school, on great occasions before company, the Superintendent . . . had always made this boy come out and spread himself.
1887. Francis, Saddle and Mocassin. For the benefit of the tenderfoot he SPREAD HIMSELF.
Spread-eagle, subs. phr. (old).—1. A posture: arms (wings or fins) and legs extended: e.g., a soldier lashed to the halberts (Grose), or a sailor to the rigging; a fowl split down the back for broiling; fish split and laid out to dry; and (2) a figure in skating imitating the heraldic 'Eagle displayed' [i.e., with wings and legs extended on each side of the body]. As verb. = (1) to tie up for punishment; (2) to prepare poultry or fish for broiling or drying; and (3) in racing to scatter the field (q.v.).
d. 1701. Dryden, Post. History of the League, 11. 469. A kind of spread-eagle plot was hatched, with two heads growing out of the same body.
1835. Dana, Two Years, xv. Answer my question, or I'll make a spread eagle of you! I'll flog you, by G—d!. . . Spread eagles were a new kind of bird in California.
1885. D. Chron., 27 Oct. Caltha spread-eagled her field a long way from home.
1887. Notes and Queries, 7 S., iv. 278. Cod—as well as haddock and ling . . . may be seen spread-eagled across transverse sticks to dry.
1900. Kennard, Right Sort, xxv. Young Rassington's horse shot out like an arrow from a bow, and spread-eagling his field in a style not often seen.
2. (Stock Exchange).—See quots.
18[?]. Hunt, Merch. Mag. (Century). This term [spread eagle] is frequently used among stock speculators. A broker, satisfied with small profits . . . sells say one hundred shares Eric Railroad stock at fifty-eight, buyer sixty days, and at the same time buys the same quantity at fifty-seven, seller sixty days. The difference is . . . one per cent, which would be so much profit, without any outlay of capital, provided both contracts run their full time. Having sold buyer's option sixty days, and bought seller's option sixty days, the time is equal, but . . . he does not control the option in either case. The buyer can call when he pleases, which will compel the spread-eagle operator to deliver; and the seller may deliver any time,
