Part 676

2. Anything which resembles a spoon in shape; esp. (Fishing), a spoon bait.

3. Fig.: A simpleton; a spooney. [Slang] Hood.

Spoon bait (Fishing), a lure used in trolling, consisting of a glistening metallic plate shaped like the bowl of a spoon with a fishhook attached. -- Spoon bit, a bit for boring, hollowed or furrowed along one side. -- Spoon net, a net for landing fish. -- Spoon oar. see under Oar.

Spoon, v. t. To take up in, or as in, a spoon.

Spoon, v. i. To act with demonstrative or foolish fondness, as one in love. [Colloq.]

Spoon"bill` (?), n. (Zoöl.) (a) Any one of several species of wading birds of the genera Ajaja and Platalea, and allied genera, in which the long bill is broadly expanded and flattened at the tip.

The roseate spoonbill of America (Ajaja ajaja), and the European spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) are the best known. The royal spoonbill (P. regia) of Australia is white, with the skin in front of the eyes naked and black. The male in the breeding season has a fine crest.

(b) The shoveler. See Shoveler, 2. (c) The ruddy duck. See under Ruddy. (d) The paddlefish.

Spoon"-billed` (?), a. (Zoöl.) Having the bill expanded and spatulate at the end.

Spoon"drift (?), n. [Spoom + drift.] Spray blown from the tops waves during a gale at sea; also, snow driven in the wind at sea; -- written also spindrift.

Spoon"ey (?), a. Weak-minded; demonstratively fond; as, spooney lovers. [Spelt also spoony.] [Colloq.]

Spoon"ey, n.; pl. Spooneye (&?;). A weak-minded or silly person; one who is foolishly fond. [Colloq.]

There is no doubt, whatever, that I was a lackadaisical young spooney.

Dickens.

Spoon"ful (?), n.; pl. Spoonfuls (&?;). 1. The quantity which a spoon contains, or is able to contain; as, a teaspoonful; a tablespoonful.

2. Hence, a small quantity. Arbuthnot.

Spoon"i*ly (?), adv. In a spoony manner.

Spoon"-meat` (?), n. Food that is, or must be, taken with a spoon; liquid food. "Diet most upon spoon-meats." Harvey.

Spoon"wood` (?), n. (Bot.) The mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia).

Spoon"worm` (?), n. (Zoöl.) A gephyrean worm of the genus Thalassema, having a spoonlike probiscis.

Spoon"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) Scurvy grass.

Spoon"y (?), a. & n. Same as Spooney.

Spoor (?), n. [D. spoor; akin to AS. spor, G. spur, and from the root of E. spur. √171. See Spur.] The track or trail of any wild animal; as, the spoor of an elephant; -- used originally by travelers in South Africa.

Spoor, v. i. To follow a spoor or trail. [R.]

||Spor"a*des (?), n. pl. [L., fr. Gr. spora`des. Cf. Sporadic.] ||(Astron.) Stars not included in any constellation; -- called also ||informed, or unformed, stars.

Spo*ra"di*al (?), a. Sporadic. [R.]

Spo*rad"ic (?), a. [Gr. &?; scattered, fr. &?;, &?;, scattered, fr. &?; to sow seed, to scatter like seed: cf. F. sporadique. See Spore.] Occuring singly, or apart from other things of the same kind, or in scattered instances; separate; single; as, a sporadic fireball; a sporadic case of disease; a sporadic example of a flower.

Sporadic disease (Med.), a disease which occurs in single and scattered cases. See the Note under Endemic, a.