sail. — Spanish sheep (Zoöl.), a merino. — Spanish white, an impalpable powder prepared from
chalk by pulverizing and repeated washings, — used as a white pigment. — Spanish windlass (Naut.),
a wooden roller, with a rope wound about it, into which a marline spike is thrust to serve as a lever.
Spanish
(Span"ish), n. The language of Spain.
Spank
(Spank) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spanked ; p. pr. & vb. n. Spanking.] [Of unknown origin; cf. LG.
spakken, spenkern, to run and spring about quickly.] To strike, as the breech, with the open hand; to
slap.
Spank
(Spank), n. A blow with the open hand; a slap.
Spank
(Spank), v. i. To move with a quick, lively step between a trot and gallop; to move quickly. Thackeray.
Spanker
(Spank"er) n.
1. One who spanks, or anything used as an instrument for spanking.
2. (Naut.) The after sail of a ship or bark, being a fore-and-aft sail attached to a boom and gaff; —
sometimes called driver. See Illust. under Sail. Totten.
3. One who takes long, quick strides in walking; also, a fast horse. [Colloq.]
4. Something very large, or larger than common; a whopper, as a stout or tall person. [Colloq.]
Spanker boom (Naut.),
a boom to which a spanker sail is attached. See Illust. of Ship.
Spanker
(Spank"er), n. A small coin. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
Spanking
(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
(Spanking breeze) (Naut.), a strong breeze.
Spanless
(Span"less) a. Incapable of being spanned.
Spanner
(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
(Span"-new`) a. [Icel. spannr, properly, new as a ship just split; spann chip + nr new. See
Spoon, and New.] Quite new; brand-new; fire-new. "A span- new archbishop's chair." Fuller.