Chapter Spiritual Mother to Spread-eagle Oratory of S by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

cart when it went down-hill. The carts used by railway navvies, and tram-waggons used in collieries, still have a wheel “spoked” in order to skid it.

Sponge Throw up the sponge. Give up; confess oneself beaten. The metaphor is from boxing matches.

“We must stand up to our fight now, or throw up the sponge. There's no two ways about the matter.”- Boldrewood: Robbery under Arms, chap. xxxi.

“We hear that the followers of the Arab chief have thrown up the sponge.”- Newspaper paragraph, April 2nd, 1888.

Spontaneous Combustion Taking fire without the intervention of applied heat. Greasy rags heaped together, hay stacked in a damp state, coal-dust in coal mines, cinders and ashes in dust bins, are said to be liable to spontaneous combustion.

Spoon (See Apostle-Spoons .)
   He hath need of a long spoon that eateth with the devil. Shakespeare alludes to this proverb in the Comedy of Errors, iv. 3; and again in the Tempest, ii. 2, where Stephano says: “Mercy! mercy! this is a devil ... I will leave him, I have no long spoon.”

“Therefor behoveth him a ful long spoon
That schal ete with a feend.”
Chaucer: The Squieres Tale, 10,916.

Spoon (A). One who is spoony, or sillily love-sick on a girl.

“He was awful spoons at the time.”- Truth (Queer Story), March 25th, 1886.

Spooning, in rowing, is dipping the oars so little into the water as merely to skim the surface. The resistance being very small, much water is thrown up and more disturbed.

Spoony Lovingly soft. A seaphrase. When a ship under sail in a sea-storm cannot bear it, but is obliged to put right before the wind, she is said to “spoon;” so a young man under sail in the sea of courtship “spoons” when he cannot bear it, but is obliged to put right before the gale of his lady's “eyebrow.”

Sporran (Gaelic). The heavy pouch worn in front of the philibeg of a Highlander's kilt.

Sport a Door or Oak. To keep an outer door shut. In the Universities the College rooms have two doors, an outer and an inner one. The outer door is called the sporting door, and is opened with a key. When shut it is to give notice to visitors that the person who occupies the rooms is not at home, or is not to be disturbed. The word sport means to exhibit to the public, as, “to sport a new equipage,” “to sport a new tile [hat],” etc.; whence to have a new thing, as “to sport an aegrotat [sick-leave];” or merely to show to the public, as “sport a door or oak.” The word is a contraction of support. (French, supporter, to sustain, carry; Latin, supporto.)

Sporting Seasons in England
   Those marked thus (*) are fixed by Act of Parliament.
   Black Game,* from August 20th to December 10th; but in Somerset and New Forest, from September 1st to December 10th.
   Blackcock. August 20th to December 10th.
   Buck hunting, August 20th to September 17th.
   Bustard, September 1st to March 1st.
   Red Deer hunted, August 20th to September 30th.
   Male Deer* (Ireland) October 20th to June 10th.
   Fallow Deer (Ireland), June 20th to Michaelmas.
   Eels, (about) April 20th to October 28th.
   Fox hunting, (about) October to Lady Day.
   Fox Cubs, August 1st to the first Monday in November.
   Grouse shooting,* August 12th to December 10th.
   Hares, March 12th to August 12th.
   Hind, hunted in October and again between April 10th and May 20th.
   Moor Game (Ireland),* August 20th to December 10th.
   Oyster season, August 5th to May.
   Partridge* shooting, September 1st to February 1st.
   Pheasant* shooting, October 1st to February 1st
   Ptarmigan, August 12th to December 10th.
   Quail, August 12th to January 10th.
   Rabbits, between October and March, Rabbits, as vermin, are shot at any time.
   Salmon,* February 1st to September 1st.
   Salmon, rod fishing,* November 1st to September 1st.
   Trout fishing, May 1st to September 10th.
   Trout, in the Thames, April 1st to September 10th.
   Woodcocks, (about) November to