| 释义 |
▪ I. spancel, n.|ˈspænsɪl|
Also 7 spanciall, 8 spancill, 9 dial. spenchil, -shel, etc.
[ad. Flem., Du., or LG. spansel (in Kilian spanssel), f. spannen span v.2 Cf. spannel, and ON. spennsl (Norw. spensl, MSw. spenszel) clasp, tie.]
A rope or fetter for hobbling cattle, horses, etc.; esp. a short, noosed rope used for fettering the hind legs of a cow during milking. Also transf.
1610[implied in spancel v.]. 1674Ray N. Co. Words 44 A Spancel, a Rope to tye a Cows hinder Legs. [Hence in Grose and later glossaries.] 1689Irish Hudibras 84 See'st thou that Monster with the Tail, That ugly Monaghan Spanci-all [marg. Fetterd] The worst of all the Devils? 1784Smyth Tour in U.S. I. 172 The horses are turned loose in the woods, only with leather spancills or fetters on two of their legs. 1841A. M. Hall Ireland I. 114 Upon the neighbouring bushes and wooden crosses hang fragments of clothes, or halters and spancels. 1882Blackw. Mag. LI. 253 He snatched up a spancel that hung at the dairy window.
▪ II. spancel, v.|ˈspænsɪl|
Also 9 spansel, spencill.
[f. prec.]
1. trans. To fetter or hobble with a spancel or spancels.
1610J. Guillim Heraldry iii. xxvi. 184 He beareth Sable a Horse passant Argent, Spanceled on both legs of the neerer side. Ibid., Albeit this Horse be now Spanceled as you see. 1820J. Oxley Jrnls. Two Exped. into Australia 47 The animals [horses] were all spencilled, but such is the scarcity of both water and grass, that they will wander in search of each. 1825Croker Fairy Leg. Irel. i. 333 Neither could his neighbours' cattle have been guilty of the trespass, for they were spancelled. 1882Mrs. Heckford Lady Trader in Transvaal 260 It is the fashion in Africa to spancel a horse by tying its head to one of its legs.
fig.1844Sir C. Napier Let. to H. Napier in Life (1862) III. 153 Gough himself is all right, only spancelled by his staff; they wanted to tie my legs too, but I kicked the pail over, and spoiled the milking.
2. transf. (See quot.) U.S.
1859Bartlett Dict. Amer. (ed. 2) 431 To spancel,..to prevent a crab from biting, by sticking the point of a leg into the base of each movable claw.
Hence ˈspancelled ppl. a. and pa. pple. Also fig.
1835Fraser's Mag. XI. 142 We should be about as much in a fit state..as..a spancelled pig to run a race with a greyhound. 1899Somerville & Martin Irish R.M. 267 Driving two brace of coupled and spancelled goats. 1910J. M. Synge Deirdre of Sorrows ii. 35 You're seven years spancelled with Naisi and the Pair. 1965New Statesman 26 Nov. 848/1 In England it is the wives who regard themselves as the spancelled party. 1980Times Lit. Suppl. 20 June 688/4 He was..spancelled by a lack of money that meant he could never be apprenticed to a leading London surgeon. |