Part 607

Spank"ing, a. 1. Moving with a quick, lively pace, or capable of so doing; dashing.

Four spanking grays ready harnessed.

G. Colman, the Younger.

2. Large; considerable. [Colloq.]

Spanking breeze (Naut.), a strong breeze.

Span"less (?), a. Incapable of being spanned.

Span"ner (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, spans.

2. The lock of a fusee or carbine; also, the fusee or carbine itself. [Obs.]

3. An iron instrument having a jaw to fit a nut or the head of a bolt, and used as a lever to turn it with; a wrench; specifically, a wrench for unscrewing or tightening the couplings of hose.

4. pl. A contrivance in some of the ealier steam engines for moving the valves for the alternate admission and shutting off of the steam.

Span"-new` (?), a. [Icel. spnn&?;r, properly, new as a ship just split; spnn chip + n&?;r new. See Spoon, and New.] Quite new; brand-new; fire-new. "A span- new archbishop's chair." Fuller.

Span"nish*ing (?), n. [From OF. espanir to spread, F. épanou&?;. See Expand.] The full blooming of a flower. [Obs.] Rom. of R.

Span"piece (?), n. (Arch.) The collar of a roof; sparpiece.

Span"worm` (?), n. (Zoöl.) The larva of any geometrid moth, as the cankeworm; a geometer; a measuring worm.

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Spar (?), n. [AS. spær in spærstn chalkstone; akin to MHG. spar, G. sparkalk plaster.] (Min.) An old name for a nonmetallic mineral, usually cleavable and somewhat lustrous; as, calc spar, or calcite, fluor spar, etc. It was especially used in the case of the gangue minerals of a metalliferous vein.

Blue spar, Cube spar, etc. See under Blue, Cube, etc.

Spar, n. [OE. sparre; akin to D. spar, G. sparren, OHG. sparro, Dan.& Sw. sparre, Icel. sparri; of uncertain origin. &?; 171. Cf. Spar, v. t. ] 1. (Naut.) A general term any round piece of timber used as a mast, yard, boom, or gaff.

2. (Arch.) Formerly, a piece of timber, in a general sense; -- still applied locally to rafters.

3. The bar of a gate or door. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Spar buoy (Naut.), a buoy anchored by one end so that the other end rises above the surface of the water. -- Spar deck (Naut.), the upper deck of a vessel; especially, in a frigate, the deck which is continued in a straight line from the quarter-deck to the forecastle, and on which spare spars are usually placed. See under Deck. -- Spar torpedo (Naut.), a torpedo carried on the end of a spar usually projecting from the bow of a vessel, and intended to explode upon contact with an enemy's ships.

Spar, v. t. [OE. sparren, AS. sparrian; akin to G. sperren, Icel. sperra; from the noun. &radic;171. See Spara beam, bar.] 1. To bolt; to bar. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. To To supply or equip with spars, as a vessel.

A vessel equipped with spars that are too large or too small is said to be oversparred or undersparred.

Spar, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sparred (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Sparring.] [Of uncertain origin; cf. OF. esparer to kick, F. éparer, or Icel. sperra to stretch out the legs, to struggle.] 1. To strike with the feet or spurs, as cocks do.

2. To use the fists and arms scientifically in attack or defense; to contend or combat with the fists, as for exercise or amusement; to box.

Made believe to spar at Paul with great science.

Dickens.