| 释义 |
▪ I. spot, n.1|spɒt|
Also 3–7 spotte, 4–7 spott, 4–6 spote.
[ME. spot, = MDu. spotte, spot (WFlem. spotte), LG. (EFris.) spot, MDa. *spot (pl. spottæ), speck, spot, NFris. spot, spōt, Norw. spott, speck, spot, piece of ground; also ON. and Icel. spotti (spottr) small piece, bit. It is doubtful whether the word is original in all these languages.]
I.
1. fig. a. A moral stain, blot, or blemish; a stigma or disgrace.
a1200Vices & Virtues 95 Wepeð forð mid me..& waschen ðe spottes of ure euele ðeawes! c1340Hampole Pr. Consc. 2646 He suld..Mak him redy and clense hym clene Of al spottes of syn þat mught be sene. 13..E.E. Allit. P. A. 764 Cum hyder to me, my lemman swete, For mote ne spot is non in þe. c1400Apol. Loll. 53 He schal draw spott of good þing iuel tane. c1450tr. De Imitatione iii. lxi. 144 Lete us putte no spotte in our glory in fleyng fro þe crosse. 1526Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 185 b, This spot of synne god dothe away. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 129 To the intent they myght washe out this spotte, they invente an other waye more easye. 1639S. Du Verger tr. Camus' Admir. Events 45, I had rather dye a thousand deaths, then to set such a spot on my blood, and posterity. 1650T. Hubbert Pill Formality 104 Neither should their spot have been differenced or known from the spot of the wicked. 1784Cowper Tiroc. 685 Safe under such a wing, the boy shall show No spots contracted among grooms below. 1837Carlyle Fr. Rev. iii. ii. i, The Gironde has touched, this day, on the foul black-spot of its fair Convention Domain.
b. Without article, esp. in without spot.
a1340Hampole Psalter xiv. 2 He þat ingase wiþouten spot. 1390Gower Conf. II. 22 Goodlihiede and innocence Withouten spot of eny blame. 1404–826 Pol. Poems vii. 54 [Let] No fende spot vppon the spyȝe. 1548–9(Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer 126 b, Without spot of sinne. 1580Reg. Privy Council Scot. III. 281 His guidsire..and himself..hes faithfullie servit his Hienes..without spot or reproche. 1611Bible 1 Tim. vi. 14 Keepe this commandement without spot. 1781Cowper Expost. 261 Thy services, once holy without spot, Mere shadows now. 1821Shelley Adonais xlv, Sublimely mild, a Spirit without spot. 1844Dickens Chimes 11, As to character,..[they] will have it as free from spot and speck in us afore they'll help us.
†c. the spot of, the stain or stigma of (something disgraceful). Obs.
a1548Hall Chron., Edw. IV, 49 Lest he..should be noted with the spot of Nygardshyp. 1567in 6th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. 642/1 Quhairin gif we failȝe, we ar content to vndirly the spot of vntrewth, ingraitnes and defamatioun. 1603Reg. Privy Council Scot. VI. 524 The perpetuall spott of perjurie dew to thame for thair violatioun of the said assuirance. 1647N. Bacon Disc. Govt. Eng. i. xxxviii. (1739) 57 First Twelve men enquired of the fame and ground thereof; which if liked, rendred the party under the spot of delinquency.
d. Applied to persons.
1526Tindale 2 Pet. ii. 13 Spottes they are and filthynes. ― Jude 12 These are spottes which..feast togedder. 1606Shakes. Ant. & Cl. iv. xii. 35 Follow his Chariot, like the greatest spot Of all thy Sex. 1616R. C. Times' Whistle (1871) 79 By some devill got, For man could never, sure, beget a spot Of such vncleannesse. 1673Wycherley Gentl. Dancing-Master v. i, Thou spot, sploach of my family and blood!
2. a. A small discolouring or disfiguring mark; a speck or stain.
1340Ayenb. 228 Þe huite robe huerinne þe spot is uouler and more yzyenne þanne in anoþer cloþ. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. xiii. 315 Þi best cote..Hath many moles and spottes, it moste ben ywasshe. 1509Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxviii. (Percy Soc.) 196 Ful lyke the gold that is moost pure and fyne, Withouten spotte of blacke encombremente. 1591Harington Orl. Fur. xxxiii. lxx, The Moone was like a glasse all voyd of spot. 1617Moryson Itin. iii. 174 They cannot bee more provoked, then by casting any spot upon their heads. 1698Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 213 The Diamond..Without Spots or Foulness, is called a Paragon⁓stone, and in full Perfection. 1784Cowper Task iv. 554 The stain Appears a spot upon a vestal's robe, The worse for what it soils. 1827Faraday Chem. Manip. vii. (1842) 200 All retorts with spots..in the part to be heated should be rejected.
b. Const. of the substance causing the stain or disfigurement. (Passing into sense 7.)
c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) ix. 36 Ȝit þe spottes of þe qwhit mylk er sene apon þe stanes. c1440Alph. Tales 150 Onone as sho tuchid it þer apperid a dropp & a spott of blude. Ibid. 335 Þer was not on all his clothis a drope of myre nor a spott of clay. 1595Shakes. John iv. ii. 253 An innocent hand, Not painted with the Crimson spots of blood. 1677Miége Fr. Dict. ii, A spot of oyl on a sute of cloaths. 1736Bailey Household Dict. s.v., To take a Spot of Oil out of Sattin, &c. 1820Shelley Œd. Tyr. ii. ii. 77 A spot or two [of ditchwater] on me would do no harm. 1825Scott Talism. xxviii, What signifies counting the spots of dirt that we are about to wash from our hands?
3. In special senses:
†a. A mark or speck on the eye; also, a disease characterized by these.
a1400Stockholm Med. MS. fol. 98, For a spot in þe eye. 1483Cath. Angl. 356/1 A Spotte jn y⊇ eghe.., glaucoma. 1500Ortus Vocab., Glaucoma, a spott in the eye. c1623Lodge Poor Mans Talent C 2, The spotts in the eies may easily bee cured in the yonger sort. 1639O. Wood Alph. Bk. Secrets 59 This cureth Spot, Pearle, Web, or any thing else in the Eye.
b. An eruptive or other disfiguring mark on the skin.
a1425tr. Arderne's Treat. Fistula, etc. 50 Al spottez or filþez of þe skyn which giffeþ oute watre. c1440Alph. Tales 82 So þe pestelence come;..& when he had þe spottys þe fadur held hym vp in his armys. 1560Bible (Geneva) Lev. xiii. 4 If the white spot be in y⊇ skin of his flesh [etc.]. 1611Cotgr., Rousseurs, little, red, wan, or blackish pimples or spots in the face, &c. 1669[see blotch n. 1]. 1725N. Robinson Th. Physick 296 Scorbutic Spots and Blotches emboss the Legs, Arms, and Thighs. 1789Massachusetts Spy 15 Jan. 1/4 For common spots, or bunched cancers, put some of the salts on lint. 1818–20E. Thompson tr. Cullen's Nosology 319 Spilosis... Spots. 1843Abdy Water Cure 53 A girl..had..several spots in the face.
fig.1781Cowper Expost. 105 His unsuspecting sheep..Catch from each other a contagious spot, The foul fore⁓runner of a gen'ral rot.
c. A dark mark on the face of the sun, moon, or a planet. (Cf. sunspot.)
1605Camden Rem., Epigr. 15 Of the fiery colour of the Planet Mars, And the spotts in the Moone he giueth this reason. c1641Bp. R. Montagu Acts & Mon. (1642) 117 It is lately discovered that spots are in the Sun: and if our sight deceive us not, there be in the Moone. 1706E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) 48 You discover him by his Phrases, as apparently as you can the Spots of the Moon with a Telescope. 1784Cowper Task i. 714 Where finds Philosophy her eagle eye, With which she gazes at yon burning disk Undazzled, and detects and counts his spots? 1854Tomlinson tr. Arago's Astron. 79 The spots, which have served for determining the period of the rotation of Mars. 1872Ruskin Eagle's Nest §206 Science does its duty, not in telling us the causes of spots in the sun; but [etc.].
d. A discoloration produced upon the leaves or fruit of a plant by various fungi.
1852Beck's Florist 140 How to prevent the ‘spot’, and some other diseases to which Pelargoniums are heir. 1905Daily News 14 Apr. 4 That dread disease of cucumber and melon plants, known as ‘spot’.
e. colloq. (See quot.)
1894Daily News 1 Feb. 7/1 The eggs..are what we call ‘spots’, half good and half bad.
II.
4. a. A small, usually roundish, mark of a different colour from the main surface.
c1220Bestiary 736 in O.E. Misc., He is blac so bro of qual, mið wite spottes sapen al. c1400Mandeville (Roxb.) xxii. 101 Þai hafe on þaire heuedes a reed spotte. c1480Henryson Test. Cres. 260 Hir gyse was gray, and full of spottis blak. 1535Coverdale Jer. xiii. 23 Like as the man of Inde maye chaunge his skynne, & the cat of the mountayne hir spottes. 1590Shakes. Mids. N. ii. i. 11 The Cow⁓slips tall, her pensioners bee, In their gold coats, spots you see. 1638Junius Paint. Ancients 94, I shall but mention here..the partie-coloured spots of pretious stones. 1736Gray Statius ii. 25 A tiger's pride..With native spots and artful labour gay. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) II. 151 While we distinctly behold the black spots that are to the right and left. 1844Mardon Billiards 111 The marked ball should have but one spot, and that as small as possible. 1892Photogr. Ann. II. 578 The usual series of masks, upon which are placed the two white spots.
transf.1632Lithgow Trav. vi. 292 The Countrey..ouer⁓cled heere and there with spots of Sheepe and Goates. 1884G. Stables Our Friend the Dog vii. 61 Spot—A hollow between the eyes, marking the union of the frontal with the nasal bones.
fig.1634Milton Comus 5 Above the smoak and stirr of this dim spot, Which men call Earth. 1781Cowper Expost. 694 A world is up in arms, and thou, a spot, Not quickly found if negligently sought [etc.].
†b. A patch worn on the face; a beauty-spot.
1579Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 116 Their shadowes, their spots, their lawnes,..their ruffes, their rings. 1592― Midas i. ii, Earerings, borders, crippins, shadowes, spots, and so many other trifles. 1665Pepys Diary 13 Jan., The first time that ever I saw her to wear spots. 1667L. Stucley Gospel Glass xxi. (1670) 214 Are not some puff'd up with their fine Clothes,..Ribbons, Dressings, yea with their very Spots? 1735Pope Ep. Lady 43 Ladies, like variegated Tulips, show;..Their happy Spots the nice admirer take.
c. Phr. to knock (the) spots off or out of, to beat thoroughly, surpass, excel. orig. U.S.
1856Spirit of Times 22 Nov. 196/1 Addison County leads the van (or ‘knocks the spots off’, as we say here) in Vermont, and is celebrated over the world for its fine horses. 1861Atlantic Monthly June 747/1, I wish I had control of chain-lightning for a few minutes;..I'd make it come thick and heavy and knock spots out of Secession. 1867Latham Black & White 125 We did knock the spots off them that time. 1887F. Francis Saddle & Mocassin 152 She can knock the spots out of these boys at that game. 1888Pall Mall G. 24 Feb. 5/1 The breezes blowing..in a way which ‘knocked spots’..out of the fragrance of the hayfields. 1903A. Bennett Truth about Author xiii. 171 ‘We will write a play together... We can do something that will knock spots off―’ etc., etc. We determined upon a grand drawing-room melodrama which should unite style with those qualities which make for financial success on the British stage. 1943A. L. Rowse Cornish Childhood 186 They [sc. the Nazis]..have at any rate been intelligent, and knocked spots off those public-school gentlemen.
d. A pip on a playing-card. Also, a playing-card having a specified number of pips (cf. sense 5 d). In recent use U.S.
1578J. Stockwood Sermon preached..24 Aug. 142 They perfectlye can tell howe manye spottes there be in a payre of Cardes..when as they scarce reade a leafe of the Bible twice in a Moneth. 1844‘J. Slick’ High Life N.Y. II. xxx. 215 ‘Jest so,’ sez I, a fli[n]gin down the ten spot o' clubs and the ace-o' diamonds. 1873J. H. Beadle Undevel. West iv. 92 The ace is your winning card. The eight and ten spot win for me. 1976Washington Post 19 Apr. b8/3 South won the opening trump lead with his ten-spot. 1977D. Anthony Stud Game xix. 118, I had a poker game... I played mechanically, counting spots and backing the odds.
5. a. A variety of domestic pigeon, having white plumage with a spot of another colour above the beak.
a1672Willughby Ornith. (1676) 133 Spots, Anglicè, quoniam in fronte supra rostrum maculam habent singulæ. 1725Fam. Dict. s.v. Pigeon, There are, indeed, many Sorts of Pigeons, such as..Barbs,..Owls, Spots, Trumpeters. 1765Treat. Dom. Pigeons 132 The Spot..is about the size of a small runt, and was brought hither from Holland. 1834Mudie Feathered Tribes I. 74 The principal ones [sc. pigeons] are..the Smiter, the Spot, the Tumbler [etc.]. 1861Darwin Orig. Spec. (ed. 3) 26, I also crossed a barb with a spot, which is a white bird with a red tail and red spot on the forehead. 1881Lyell Pigeons 73 The spot has been described by every English writer, including Willoughby, and is common on the Continent.
b. A spotted textile material.
1798Jane Austen Lett. (1884) I. 186 My coarse spot I shall turn..into a petticoat very soon. 1839Ure Dict. Arts 1232 The draught and cording of a spot whose two sides are similar, but reversed.
c. In moth-names (see quots.).
1832J. Rennie Consp. Butterfl. & Moths 94 The Gold Spot..appears the middle of August. Ibid. 97 The Marbled White Spot. Ibid. 153 The Diamond Spot.
d. U.S. With numbers: A dollar(-bill).
1846Durivage & Burnham Stray Subjects 135, I moved towards the money, but he prevented my raising it, by covering it with a twenty-spot. 1848Lowell Biglow P. Ser. i. ix. 176 He said He'd give a fifty spot right out, to git ye, 'live or dead. 1896J. Lillard's Poker Stories 246 But one single dollar remained of that five spot.
e. U.S. Either of two marine food fishes of the family Sciænidæ, Leiostomus xanthurus or the channel bass, Sciænops ocellata.
1877C. Hallock Sportsman's Gazetteer 396 Spot.—Liostomus obliquus. 1882Jordan & Gilbert Syn. Fishes N. Amer. 574 Liostomus xanthurus, Spot; Goody; Oldwife. 1885Harper's Mag. Jan. 221/1 It might be a spot..or a tarpon. 1902Jordan & Evermann Amer. Food & Game Fishes 260 For bait use live mullet, spot, grunt, or other small fish. 1961E. S. Herald Living Fishes of World 192/1 The spot, Leiostomus xanthurus, found from Cape Cod to Texas, is easily recognized by the spot above the base of the pectoral fin.
f. = spot board in sense 15 below.
1922E. J. Evans Building Contracts xviii. 81 It is essential that all plant, such as Derby's sieves, cornice moulds..spots, scaffolding, etc.,..be on site in readiness. 1927A. H. Telling ABC of Plastering 195 It is part of the labourer's business to see that the ‘spot’ is supplied with ‘stuff’ for the plasterer's use. 1964[see spot board, sense 15 below].
6. Billiards.
a. One or other of the three marked places on a billiard-table, esp. the one at the upper end of the table upon which the red ball is placed. Similarly in Snooker, etc.
b. ellipt. The spot-ball, or the person who plays it; a spot stroke, or the score obtained by this.
18..Laws of Billiards xiii. in Mardon Billiards (1844) 115 If the red ball has been put into a pocket, it must not be placed on the spot till the other balls have done rolling. 1856Crawley Billiards (1859) 5 Three spots will be found on all good tables;..the third a distance of thirteen inches from the Cushion. This is called the spot. 1857‘C. Bede’ Nearer & Dearer i. 1 ‘How is the game?’ ‘Twenty spot; ten striker.’ Ibid. ii. 14, I can't make out the red from the spot. 1880Times 28 Sept. 11/5 He kept possession of the table until he had added up 151 (40 spots).
III. 7. a. A small piece, amount, or quantity; a particle, a drop. Usu. with of (cf. 2 b); now esp. colloq. with abstract nouns, as spot of bother, trouble, etc.
c1400Laud Troy Bk. 17137 For he lefft not of hir a spot That he ne hit hewe as flesch to pot. 1662Hibbert Body Divinity I. 284 The whole course of life is but..a little spot of time between two eternities. 1738Wesley Ps. ciii. iv, As high as Heaven its arch extends, Above this little Spot of Clay. 1799Wordsw. Ruth 71 As quietly as spots of sky Among the evening clouds. 1840Florist's Jrnl. (1846) I. 219 That most numerous class of growers, who grow but a little spot. 1849Cupples Green Hand xvi. (1856) 157 'Twas no use looking as yet for a spot of room. 1881Jefferies Wood Magic II. ii. 66 A few spots of rain came driving along. 1915H. Rosher In R.N.A.S. (1916) 117 Pity I'm not due for another spot of leave yet. 1924D. B. Wyndham Lewis At Sign of Blue Moon 272 What about a spot of lunch? 1933M. Allingham Sweet Danger ii. 21 Since the spot of bother last year, the tunnel is no longer a tunnel. 1951People 3 June 5/6 A dead-broke barrister who turns burglar following a spot of light coaching from a retired cracksman. 1959H. Hamilton Answer in Negative iv. 52 The police will be coming..to deal with a spot of trouble. 1976F. Muir Frank Muir Book 43 The first major French ballet company visited New York in 1827. They had a spot of bother with their tights.
†b. A piece of work. Obs. (Cf. piece n. 7.)
1689Andros Tracts III. 203 Whether it would not be a fine spot of work..to restore them to their former places? 1723S. Centlivre Wonder iii. 31 Zounds! she here! I have made a fine spot of work on't. 1777Dibdin Quaker i. i, A very pretty spot of work this! 1821Scott Nigel xxvii, Here is a bonny spot of work, and me alone, and on foot too!
c. in spots, occasionally, at intervals; to some extent. U.S.
1852Mrs. Stowe Uncle Tom's C. xvi, Mammy has a kind of obstinacy about her, in spots, that everybody don't see as I do. 1859Bartlett Dict. Amer. (ed. 2) 437 A boatman on the Mississippi, being asked how he managed to secure sleeping time, answered, ‘I sleep in spots’; that is, at intervals, by snatches. 1872Schele de Vere Americanisms 636 The phrase ‘He is clever in spots’, gives a man credit for fragmentary ability.
d. colloq. A drop of liquor. Also preceded by a defining word and absol.
1885D. C. Murray Rainbow Gold ii, A little spot of rum, William, with a squeeze of lemon in it. 1896Evesham Jrnl. 11 Jan. (E.D.D.), Defendant..said he never had a spot of beer. 1924Lawrence & Skinner Boy in Bush vi. 85 Y' slog t' th' nearest pub t'cadge a beer spot. 1930J. Devanny Butcher Shop 200 The ‘spot’ she craved, or failing that a cup of tea. 1936Wodehouse Laughing Gas ix. 90 May I offer you a spot?.. I can recommend the Scotch. 1950G. Greene Third Man viii. 63 ‘Have another drink, Mr. Martins?’ ‘No, I don't think I will.’ ‘Well, I'd like another spot.’
e. slang (orig. and chiefly U.S.). A term of imprisonment. Usu. preceded by numeral, designating a term of the specified number of years. Cf. sense 5 d.
1901‘J. Flynt’ World of Graft 220/2 Spot, term in prison. A ‘one spot’ means a sentence of one year. 1907J. London Road 84 He had never been in the particular penitentiary to which we were going, but he had done ‘one-’, ‘two-’, and ‘five-spots’ in various other penitentiaries (a ‘spot’ is a year). 1966M. Brewer Man against Fear x. 105 He was serving a three spot for cunning... He got into a row with one of the warders.
8. a. A particular place or locality of limited extent.
13..E.E. Allit P. A. 13 Syþen in þat spote hit fro me sprange, Ofte haf I wayted [etc.]. Ibid., To þat spot..I entred in þat erber grene. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 439 Spot more delicious then those Gardens..of reviv'd Adonis, or renownd Alcinous. a1700Evelyn Diary Apr. 1646, The most pleasant spot in Italy. 1743Bulkeley & Cummins Voy. S. Seas 106 Having publickly declar'd, that he will never go off this Spot. 1857Livingstone Trav. iii. 54 Our next station is a lovely spot in the otherwise dry region. 1891Farrar Darkn. & Dawn xlvii, There was one spot in Rome which was calm amid all tumults.
b. A small space or extent of ground, etc.
c1440York Myst. xxxii. 332 A spotte of erthe for to by, wayte nowe I will, To berie in pilgrimes. 1677W. Hubbard Narrative (1865) II. 70 Some Spots and Skirts of more desirable Land upon the Banks of some Rivers. 1697Dryden Virg., Georg. iv. 191 Lab'ring well his little Spot of Ground. 1726Swift Gulliver ii. vii, Whoever could make..two blades of grass to grow upon a spot of ground [etc.]. 1765Museum Rust. IV. 259 You must not sow lucerne without corn, unless your spot of land is too small to use a harrow in. 1811Regul. & Orders Army 137 A Tent..pitched upon the best dry Spot of ground in the vicinity. 1845J. Coulter Adv. in Pacific v. 42 Nearly at the summit..there is a spot of excellent land, of four or five acres in extent. 1891M. E. Wilkins Humble Romance 53 The products of his garden spot were his staple articles of food.
transf.1779Forrest Voy. N. Guinea 122 Off the rock of Sipsipa, are three spots of breakers,..one without another.
c. north. dial. A place of employment; a situation.
1877–in northern glossaries, etc. 1892M. C. F. Morris Yorksh. Folk-talk 206 Martinmas was the season for the lads and lasses to change their spots, as they call their situations.
d. = slot n.2 6, esp. in a performance, show, or programme; spec. in Broadcasting, a short interval for an advertisement or announcement; an advertisement or announcement occupying such an interval. orig. U.S.
1923N.Y. Times 7 Oct. ix. 2 Spot, an act's position on a bill. 1926Amer. Mercury Dec. 465/1 Fields and Fink moved in to a homer in the next to closing spot. 1937Amer. Speech XII. 101 Spot or spot announcement refers to a brief announcement, usually commercial, spotted at various times. 1950Sport 22–28 Sept. 18/2 Jack..continued to fill the centre-half spot in the Celtic line-up. 1958Listener 25 Sept. 462/2 Occasional spectacular successes may please advertisers who happen to have ‘spots’ next to them. 1958Manch. Guardian 29 Sept. 4/4 Spots, unlike full-length programmes, would reach people not already prejudiced in favour of the candidate. 1960Twentieth Cent. Apr. 357 Dons..will do anything for a television spot. 1962H. E. Beecheno Introd. Business Stud. ix. 81 They [sc. TAM ratings] also help to determine, on the commercial channel, the prices of advertising ‘spots’. 1967Technology Week XX. 95/2 (Advt.), Your spot? Perhaps operating a ground computer complex. 1972Newsweek 10 Jan. 9/2 Among these super-rich, two families contend for the No. 1 spot in the financial pecking order. 1972G. Durrell Catch me a Colobus vii. 139 He appeared on the local television as ‘Uncle Ambrose’, doing a children's spot in which he always had an animal of some sort to show them and talk to them about. 1976Southern Even. Echo (Southampton) 17 Nov. 21/3 The 125cc solo class provides a championship medal for yet another Italian, Pietro Bianchi, with Spain's Angel Nieto in second spot. 1977J. Wainwright Do Nothin' till you hear from Me x. 177 Tricks to get the tempo moving... Tricks to introduce a solo spot. 1978S. Brill Teamsters iii. 98 What pervaded Fitzsimmons' union..was a generally low level of competence in the top-paying spots. 1980Times 5 Feb. 19/4 At present rates {pstlg}44,300 would buy 49 30-second spots on each [radio] station during day-time shows.
e. colloq. With preceding adj.: a situation of the (unpleasant or difficult) kind specified; in a spot, in difficulties, in trouble.
1929C. F. Coe Hooch v. 103 Jimmie Daust is in a bad spot, too. 1932Wodehouse Hot Water xvi. 257 If that guy's in a spot, I'm glad of it. 1940A. Christie One, Two, buckle my Shoe 160 It's the sort of business that might land him in a tight spot. 1967E. S. Gardner Case of Queenly Contestant vii. 84 He was afraid his father would find out. He was in a spot. So he turned to the troubleshooter. 1978A. Price '44 Vintage xviii. 200 She'd probably only been humouring him, like any nice girl in an awkward spot might do.
f. colloq. A place of entertainment; spec. = night spot s.v. night n. 14.
1954G. Greene Twenty-One Stories 205 I should be taken to plenty of Spots if I wasn't with a husband. 1956B. Holiday Lady sings Blues (1973) iii. 32 It was jumping with after-hour spots, regular-hour joints, restaurants, cafés, a dozen to a block. 1970C. Major Dict. Afro-Amer. Slang 108 Spot, usually a nightclub but also any popular place.
9. on (or upon) the spot:
a. Without having time to move from the place; straightway, at once.
1677Miége Fr. Dict. ii, To die on the spot, mourir sur la place. 1686tr. Chardin's Trav. Persia 229 Had I drank as much as my neighbours, I had dy'd upon the spot. 1709Steele Tatler No. 40 ⁋10 In which Engagement there were Eighteen Hundred Men kill'd on the Spot. 1760–72H. Brooke Fool of Qual. (1809) II. 151, I shall..run mad on the very spot for joy. 1835I. Taylor Spir. Despot. iii. 94 Punishing the refractory either on the spot or in the persons of their posterity. 1856Reade Never too Late xi, They had not yet.. murdered a single one on the spot. 1885‘Mrs. Alexander’ Valerie's Fate iii, I invited them both on the spot to afternoon tea on Saturday.
b. At the very place or locality in question. In phr. the man on the spot. See also on-the-spot a.
1687Miége Gt. Fr. Dict. ii, I was upon the spot, j'ai ete sur les Lieux. 1699Bentley Phal. 209 The Prizes..for those that perform'd best, were ready upon the spot, and made part of the Procession. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. (Globe) 309 The two Merchants..who liv'd just upon the Spot, and who..were very rich. 1740–1Challoner Mem. Missionary Priests Pref., Grave contemporary writers, informed by such as were upon the spot, or themselves eye-witnesses of what they write. 1811Regul. & Orders Army 80 Officers who may be ordered..to return Home from a Foreign Station, are to apply for a Passage to the principal Agent of the Transport Board, on the Spot. 1881L. B. Walford Dick Netherby xxii, Mischief was brewing..and he ought to be on the spot to counteract it. 1897I. Malcolm in R. S. Churchill W. S. Churchill (1967) I. Compan. ii. xii. 848, I write like the ‘man on the spot’ The most inconceivable rot. 1922M. Asquith Autobiogr. II. i. 21, I took my host aside and asked him if ‘the man on the spot’—generally a favourite with the stupid—had given him his views on South Africa. 1955G. Greene Quiet American i. ii. 21, I always like to know what the man on the spot has to say. 1978Listener 26 Jan. 119/3 If the man on the spot senses paralysis on the field, he ought to be able to abdicate.
c. Doing exactly what is necessary; precise and accurate. Also off the spot, inexact, irrelevant.
1884Daily News 16 Feb. 5/2 His county..will miss Midwinter sorely next summer, especially as he appears to be well on the spot. 1884Lillywhite's Cricket Ann. 6 Our ground fielding was well on the spot. 1886Athenæum 27 Mar. 420/3 Mr. Lang's new book..is his..in its tendency to be ‘off the spot’ and to make mistakes.
d. to put (a person) on the spot: (a) colloq. (orig. U.S.), to place (someone) in a particular location; to put in a difficult or embarrassing position; (b) U.S. slang, to arrange for the murder of (someone), to kill; also fig. Cf. sense 8 e above.
1928Detective Fiction Weekly 11 Aug. 735/2 We learned that the State still had one reliable witness, who could ‘put us on the spot’. 1929Amer. Speech IV. 343 Put-on-the-spot, left waiting at an appointed meeting place. 1929M. A. Gill Underworld Slang 9/2 Put on the spot, killed. 1930Punch 16 Apr. 442 You get rid of inconvenient subordinates..by ‘putting them on the spot’—that is deliberately sending them to their death. 1930Sun (Baltimore) 31 Oct. 1/3 Confident that America's prohibition law is about to be ‘put on the spot’, enterprising English vintners are already preparing for a resumption of their happy relations with their American clientele. 1934G. Ade Let. 24 June (1973) 184 The Democrats have put every independent voter on the spot by nominating [Sherman] Minton at the dictation of Paul McNutt. 1937Sunday Express 21 Feb. 1/3 (heading) Englishman ‘put on the spot’. 1951M. Lowry Let. 5 June (1967) 244 The last thing we'd want to do is to put you on the spot or embarrass you. 1960H. Innes Doomed Oasis ii. iii. 145, I couldn't exactly say it in my report of the search. It would have put the Company on the spot, if you see what I mean.
10. a. A particular small area, part, or definite point in any surface or body.
1827Faraday Chem. Manip. vii. (1842) 215 Delivering the products of the distillation through minute apertures, and upon particular spots. 1860Wraxall Life in Sea viii. 181 The Sea-snails have their gills at very different spots. 1884tr. Lotze's Metaph. 498 The many stimuli which at one and the same time excite the spots p q r{ddd}of the retina.
b. transf. with adjs.
Also ellipt. the spot, the affected part or important point.
1859Habits of Gd. Society (new ed.) 48 Those dreams which to some [people] are the only bright spots of their lives. 1887H. S. Cunningham Cæruleans I. 165 Mr. Ambrose touched a very tender spot in Camilla's heart. 1902Westm. Gaz. 12 July 10/1 Lord Kitchener has a particularly soft spot for pets.
c. Cricket. (a) The point at which a ball should pitch for optimum length and direction; (b) an irregular place on the pitch from which the ball, when bowled, may move in an unexpected direction.
1855F. Lillywhite Guide to Cricketers 29 The second day, however, Dean and Nixon found out the ‘spot’, and seemingly deposited every ball..on the precise place. 1859All Year Round 23 July 305/2 The wicket..had no dead spots, no lively ones; no chance for ‘shooters’, none for ‘bumpers’. 1901Encycl. Sport I. 247/1 To bowl ‘on the spot’ is to bowl a good ‘length’. 1908W. E. W. Collins Leaves from Old Country Cricketer's Diary ix. 145 Their fast bowler found a spot on which the ball shot dead instead of bumping. 1950F. N. S. Creek Teach yourself Cricket vi. 111 A mere mechanical ability to pitch the ball on some regular spot called a ‘good length’ is of little value. 1980Wisden Cricket Monthly Apr. 31/1 He was heartened by the presence of an awkward spot—a pretty large one, right on his length—from which the ball flew viciously from the very start.
d. Phr. to hit (or go to or touch) the spot: to be exactly what is required, ‘to fit the bill’ (said esp. of food or drink). colloq. (chiefly U.S.).
1868Putnam's Mag. I. 670/1 ‘I hope that last corjul set you up?’ ‘Yes, Mr. Plunkitt, it went right to the spot.’ 1897Strand Mag. May 500/2 Then percussion or detonation was tried, and that ‘touched the spot’! 1908‘O. Henry’ Voice of City 235 Oh, pass the bottle... That hits the spot... My first drink in three months. 1923W. Nutting Massachusetts Beautiful 241 Did ever a dish of apple dowdy go to the spot like that? 1949F. P. Keyes Dinner at Antoine's xvii. 268 That hot chocolate and those big chunks of roast beef certainly hit the spot. 1974P. de Vries Glory of Hummingbird xviii. 275 ‘They haven't got a name for it [sc. a pancake] yet.’.. ‘Batter Up. It hits the spot.’ 1976‘E. McBain’ Guns (1977) vii. 194 Colley would love a drink... A gin and tonic would hit the spot.
e. Stock Exchange. With preceding adj.: a share in which dealings are of the specified kind.
1928Daily Sketch 10 Aug. 20/3 Courtaulds' shares remain a firm spot at 4½. 1981Times 23 Apr. 18/3 Another dull spot was Danish Bacon, which gave up 2p to 104p after results.
f. Assoc. Football. With the: the penalty spot (see penalty 5).
1970Liverpool Daily Post 26 Sept. 5/5 Smith made no mistake from the spot: Smith scored a penalty. 1976Ilkeston Advertiser 10 Dec. 19/5 Penalty expert Alan Crisp gave the goalkeeper no chance from the spot. 1977Guardian 9 Mar. 20/3 Amid strong protests from several Forest players, the referee pointed to the spot.
11. Comm. (From 9.)
a. ellipt. as adv. At immediate cash rates; for cash payment.
The full phrase on the spot (or on spot) is also in use.
1884York Herald 23 Aug. 7/2 Cottonseed steady, at {pstlg}8 5s. od. to {pstlg}9 on the spot... Linseed oil..spot and up to the end of the year 18s. 7½d. 1900Daily News 13 June 2/3 Silver remained nominally at 275/8d. per ounce spot, and 27 9–16d. forward.
b. pl. Goods at immediate cash rates. Also in sing.
1881Harper's Mag. Apr. 734/2 ‘Spots’, ‘futures’, ‘longs’ and ‘shorts’ were unknown terms. 1890Pall Mall G. 3 Sept. 6/2 He was supposed to have held from 130,000 to 150,000 bales—spots and futures. 1930Sunday Times 12 Oct. 2/4 Raw Rubber prices became easier, and spot was dealt in down to 3 11–16d. 1976Scotsman 25 Nov. 2/8 Silver fluctuated with sterling and ended about 2p down at 262.50p for spot and 273p for three-month.
12. ellipt. for spotlight n. (a).
1920Wodehouse Jill the Reckless xvi. 231 Another debate on the subject of blues, ambers, and the management of the ‘spot’. 1930[see flood n. 7]. 1960J. Symons Progress of Crime xl. 218 We cut off our engines after putting the spots on first to make sure this was the right show. 1968K. Weatherly Roo Shooter 40 While the kangaroo shooter swings the spot in wide-reaching sweeps, the rabbit shooter uses it at about thirty-five yards and shoots into the sidelight. 1977Times 24 Sept. 22/4 Wall spots are just over {pstlg}6, table and standard lamps at reasonable prices.
IV. attrib. and Comb.
13. Simple attrib.a. In terms relating to the weaving of spotted fabrics, as spot-leaf, spot-thread, spot-treadle.
1839Ure Dict. Arts 1233 The spot threads..[are represented] by marks in the intervals. Ibid., The spot-treddles on the right hand work the row contained in the first six spot-leaves.
b. In sense 3 c, as spot-cavity, spot-cycle, spot-display, etc.
1867–77G. F. Chambers Astron. i. i. 30 At epochs of minimum spot-display. 1885A. M. Clerke Hist. Astron. 200 The absolute depth of spot-cavities..was determined by Father Secchi. 1903― Astrophysics 18 The mode of their conformity to the spot-cycle. Ibid. 92 It is commonly taken for granted that the widened lines constitute the spot-spectra. 1909G. Forbes Hist. Astron. 105 During the sun-spot maximum the corona seems most developed over the spot-zones—i.e., neither at the equator nor the poles. 1926H. Macpherson Mod. Astron. iii. 41 The regions where the bombs are likely to appear are around and among active spot-groups. Ibid. 45 A relation between high-rotation speeds and spot-development.
c. In sense 6, as spot-break, spot-hazard, spot-stroke, etc.
1844E. R. Mardon Billiards Pl. xxviii: The ‘Spot’ Stroke. 1869Roberts Billiards 137 Spot hazard: When⁓ever the red is cut or driven off the spot into any pocket. 1873Bennett & Cavendish Billiards 12 His largest spot⁓break 57 hazards. Ibid. 25 One ball is coloured red; the other two are white, but one of the white balls has a black spot on it, and is called the Spot-white. 1875Encycl. Brit. III. 676/2 The spot stroke is a winning hazard made by pocketing the red ball in one of the corners from the spot.
d. In sense 11, as spot market, spot parcel, spot price, spot rate, spot sale, etc.
1881Standard 14 Sept. 4/7 The ‘spot’ transactions..form the smallest proportion of the operations of the market. 1882Times 22 Feb., A similar succession of movements has taken place in the spot price of No. 2 Spring. 1887Pall Mall G. 20 June 10/2 The spot sales at Liverpool on Saturday were only 5,000 bales. 1887Daily News 16 July 6/8 Spot parcels continue in good demand, and prices steady. 1888Times 26 June 12/1 There has been no alteration in the value of spot oil during the past week. 1933Spot rate [see premium 3 c]. 1939Sun (Baltimore) 12 Dec. 17/6 As the price of tin for future delivery advanced..local cash or spot market prices declined slightly. 1956Ann. Reg. 1955 436 Dealings in lire were restricted to the spot market. The Bank of England began the publication of official spot T.T. rates for lire. 1971Spot rate [see premium 3 c]. 1982Daily Tel. 3 Aug. 13/2 Saudi oil is being traded on the spot market at up to $3 a barrel discount.
e. In sense 9: = ‘made on the spot’, as spot decision, spot fine, etc. See also spot test (b), sense 15 below, and spot check n.
1921Z. Cope Early Diagnosis Acute Abdomen i. 3 Spot-diagnosis is impressive but unsafe. 1934Amer. Speech IX. 113/1 One man may make a spot count, for eight or nine hours. 1953Times 29 July 6/6 He said that the ‘spot scrutiny’ of vehicles such as has been carried out in Bedfordshire was one of the best ways of indentifying those which should not be on the roads. 1959Economist 21 Mar. 1047/1 He may now be obliged to make spot decisions with inadequate notice in highly controversial circumstances. 1976Wymondham & Attleborough Express 17 Dec. 2/1 Prosecution is a waste of time of already crowded courts, so what about spot fines for these moronic motor maniacs. 1979H. S. Kent In on Act xxii. 247 Although..I would often be glad of a ‘spot opinion’ on one of my new problems, it was never quite the same again.
14. In parasynthetic adjs., as spot-billed, spot-eared, spot-lipped, spot-winged.
1713Petiver Aquat. Anim. Amboinæ Tab. iv, Smooth spot-lipt Casket. 1809Shaw Gen. Zool. VII. ii. 328 Spot-winged Shrike. 1811Ibid. VIII. i. 244 Spot-eared Creeper. 1905Westm. Gaz. 9 Oct. 6/3 The spot-billed toucanet (Seleindera maculirostris), now to be seen..at the ‘Zoo’.
15. Special Combs.: spot ad, advertisement Broadcasting, an advertisement occupying a short break during or between programmes; so spot advertising vbl. n.; spot announcement Broadcasting, an announcement occupying a short break during or between programmes; spot-barred a., Billiards (see quot.); spot board Plastering (see quot. 1964); spot cash orig. U.S., money paid on the spot; spot commercial = spot advertisement; spot dance, a competitive dance in which a spotlight plays on the dancers until the music stops, at which time the couple on whom the spotlight rests wins; † spot-dial, a sun-dial indicating the time by means of a spot; spot effect Broadcasting, a sound effect created in the studio (see quots. 1941 and 1976); also attrib. in pl.; spot fairy, a variety of domestic pigeon; spot-fish = sense 5 e; spot height Surveying, the height of a point above mean sea level, usu. as marked on a map; spot kick Assoc. Football, a penalty kick; also attrib.; spot lamp = spotlight n.; spot-lens, a lens having the central portion obstructed by a spot; spot level Surveying = spot height; also fig.; spot-like a., resembling a spot; spot-list v. trans., to place (a building) on a list (list n. 6 a (b)) as the result of special consideration; so spot-listing vbl. n.; spot-made a., made on the spot, makeshift; spot map, a map in which spots or points indicate individual locations or occurrences of something; spot meter, a photometer that measures the intensity of light received within a cone of small angle, usu. 2° or less; spot news Journalism (orig. U.S.), news reported of events as they occur; also attrib.; spot pigeon = sense 5 a; spot plate Chem., a plate having several small depressions in which spot tests can be performed; spot-proof a., (of a fabric) that is not susceptible to small stains; spot-reducing vbl. n., reduction of fat in selected areas of the body; spot-removing a., taking out stains; spot-skin a., having spotted skins; spot snapper, an American fish (see quot.); spot stitch (see quot.); spot test, (a) a chemical test performed using a single drop of sample; (b) = spot check n.; also spot-test v. trans., to subject to a spot test; spot testing vbl. n.; spot welding Engin., a form of resistance welding in which one or more small, localized welds are produced on the overlapping surfaces to be joined; so spot weld n., a weld of this kind; also (with hyphen) as v. trans., to join by spot welding; spot-welded ppl. a.; spot welder, an apparatus that carries out spot welding; spot wobble Television (now disused), small periodic oscillation of the scanning spot, formerly used to render the scanning lines less noticeable; spot zoning U.S., the special rezoning (see zoning vbl. n.) of an area to meet a particular interest.
1934J. Rorty Our Master's Voice Advertising 269 Canada prohibits the broadcasting of ‘*spot ads’.
1962Rep. Comm. Broadcasting 1960 82 in Parl. Papers 1961–2 (Cmnd. 1753) IX. 259 The principle of the control of advertising time applied only to ‘*spot’ advertisements, and not in any analogous way to advertising magazines.
1961Ann Reg. 1960 452 The amount of ‘*spot’ advertising in the clock hour was to be reduced to 7½ minutes. 1979Guardian 4 Aug. 8/7 This danger [of competition] can..be avoided..if only a different kind of advertising is permitted on the new commercial channel: if it may show only block not spot advertising.
1937*Spot announcement [see sense 8 d above]. 1949Consumer Reports May 236/2 A ‘spot announcement’..can..be inserted between the close of one commercial program and the opening of the next. 1976National Observer (U.S.) 3 July 13 To defend his position, Mr. Reagan taped a 1½ minute ‘spot’ announcement.
1885Rules Billiards §43 In a *spot-barred game only one winning hazard is allowed to be made in the top pockets.
1931W. Verrall in T. Corkhill Brickwork, Concrete & Masonry VIII. xxxi. 1940 The *spot board, as it is sometimes called, is made of floor boards, about 3 ft. long, nailed together with cleats at the back. 1939Archit. Rev. LXXXV. 213 Where hand-mixing [of plaster] is carried out the mess and waste that are inevitable when plaster is mixed on ‘banker-boards’ and then transferred to ‘spot-boards’ should be avoided where possible. 1964J. S. Scott Dict. Building 307 Spot board or gauge board or spot, a plasterer's board about 3 ft square on which he works up the plaster before he puts it on. It rests on a stand about 27 in. high.
1879Bradstreet's 8 Oct. 4/3 A business Utopia where credit shall be unknown and ‘*spot cash’ an unvarying rule. 1909A. M. N. Lyons Sixpenny Pieces ii. 12 The spot-cash practitioners of Mile End Road are rather strange..to us. 1957V. Packard Hidden Persuaders xii. 131 After the car went on sale reports from dealers stated that 90 per cent of the people buying paid spot cash. 1978Dumfries & Galloway Standard 21 Oct. 21/3 (Advt.), Caravans wanted, spot cash, any size, any make.
1955Times 28 July 9/7 Television uses many old pictures to fill less valuable time, mainly as vehicles for strings of ‘*spot’ commercials that effectively break any thread they may possess. 1962A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio i. 18 He [sc. the announcer] also presents programme trailers and (in many countries outside Britain) spot commercials. 1976National Observer (U.S.) 10 Apr. 2/5 The networks have said they will make regular prime-time spot-commercial time available.
1944M. Laski Love on Supertax iii. 40 Such refinements as ‘*spot-dances’ and..jazz superbly played. 1947Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 4 Nov. 15/1 Spot dances, raffles, games and a grand floor show.
1687G. Clerke Spot-dial 5 The *Spot-Dial is of two sorts; in the one the Lines go to a black Spot, in the other a bright Spot goes to the Lines. 1734Watts Reliq. Juv. lxvii. 295 On a Ceiling Dial, usually called a Spot-Dial.
1941B.B.C. Gloss, Broadcasting Terms 31 *Spot effects, effects created in a studio where the performance of which they form part is taking place. 1944L. MacNeice Christopher Columbus 17 ‘Effects’..are of two kinds—records on a gramophone or spot effects in the studio. 1961G. Millerson Telev. Production i. 14 A spot-effects man sounds the horn of an ‘approaching car’ . 1976B. Armstrong Gloss. TV terms 84 Spot effect, a brief sound—door closing, bell ring—added during the dub.
1881Lyell Pigeons 88 The stork..has been already described in a late publication, under the name of ‘*Spot Fairy’.
1875Fur, Fin & Feather 122 You are always welcome to a seat in his boat, if disposed for snipe or duck, or *spot-fish.
1913A. R. Hinks Maps & Survey i. 23 There is a strong tendency to give *spot heights for summits, and not for the bottoms of depressions. 1928E. D. Laborde Pop. Map Reading iii. 65 In actual practice, it is often difficult to find the exact height of ground: small areas of high ground are not always marked with spot heights. 1977D. Beaty Excellency vi. 74 He drew his track on the maps and charts..and memorized the spot-heights over the Alps.
1950Sport 22–28 Sept. 4/4 He has handed over the responsibility of taking penalty kicks to left-back ‘Jock’ Ferrier, who converted a *spot-kick last Saturday. 1971Post (S. Afr., Cape ed.) 9 May 23/5 Dumile Melane never faltered with the spot-kick amid cheers from jubilant Cubs supporters. 1977Belfast Tel. 22 Feb. 30/6 Magee remains the Blues' spot kick expert and, if a penalty is awarded.., he will be the man to take it.
1937Motor Catal. (East London Rubber Co.) 151 ‘Raydyot’ *Spot Lamp... Universal movement. 1962H. C. Weston Sight, Light & Work (ed. 2) vi. 197 A low voltage 50 watt spot-lamp unit..can be mounted at a distance of 6 ft. from the work and yet provide an illumination upwards of 300 lm/f.2 1976Liverpool Echo 22 Nov. 14/3 (Advt.), Daimler Sovereign 1973, automatic, power steering,..spotlamps, [etc.].
1862Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit. II. No. 2948, That portion of the light of the ordinary *spot lens, which really tends to obliterate the shadows.., is stopped.
1908N. F. Mackenzie Methods of Surveying x. 118 From these ‘*spot levels’ the actual contour lines are sketched in by interpolation. 1920J. K. Finch Topographic Maps & Sketch Mapping i. i. 19 The exact height of the ground is only shown at important points on hachure maps. This is done by means of ‘spot levels’ or ‘spot heights’ scattered over the map. 1958Listener 20 Nov. 813/1 As the polls attempt a nation⁓wide cross-section one would expect them to reflect the gradual development and movement of political opinion..more steadily and consistently than the spot-levels, so to speak, which are taken at by-elections, with all their variations of locality, candidate, and so on. 1974W. H. Irvine Surveying for Construction iii. 12/1 At present spot levels are shown to the nearest foot but with metrication the levels will be to the nearest 100 mm.
1847–9Todd's Cycl. Anat. IV. i. 69 The species begins as a *spot-like crust of uniform texture. 1887W. Phillips Brit. Discomycetes 360 Sporidia hyaline; cups seated on a spot-like crust.
1974Country Life 31 Jan. 197/3 After representations by the Victorian Society, the building was recently *spot-listed. 1977M. Binney in Binney & Burman Change & Decay 188/1 If a church is of any merit yet still not listed it is worth asking the Department of the Environment to consider spotlisting it.
1973Times 8 Jan. 3/3 Widespread ‘*spot listing’ to save buildings threatened by development may be counter-productive.
1894Outing XXIV. 173/2 The bridles were mostly *spot-made with a bit of cord doing service as reins.
1901Parkes & Kenwood Hygiene & Public Health xi. 666 ‘*Spot maps’—maps of a district, on which the deaths or cases of various infectious diseases are spotted out—furnish valuable graphic expressions of any grouping. 1973J. J. McKelvey Man against Tsetse ii. 81 In three months the commission acquired 460 collections of flies and made a spot map of tsetse locations. 1979Dictionaries I. 36 The spot maps will be effectively utilized to show the distribution of a single [dialectal] term.
1955J. Lipinski Miniature & Precision Cameras vi. 240 The incident light meter may measure the light incident upon the scene. Or the *spot meter may measure it from a white card. 1976Physics Bull. Sept. 395/3 A range of luminance (brightness) spotmeters and illuminance meters will be displayed.
1912S. Washburn Cable Game 9 The other type, the ‘cable men’, are collectors of what might be called ‘*spot’ news. 1936E. Waugh Waugh in Abyssinia 82 There were demands from Fleet Street for daily items of ‘spot news’. 1976National Observer (U.S.) 15 May 2/3 Other Pulitzer winners were: Sydney Schanberg of the New York Times, international reporting;..and the staff of the Chicago Tribune, spot-news reporting.
1783Latham Gen. Synop. Birds II. ii. 615 *Spot Pigeon. This is remarkable, from having on the forehead, above the bill, a spot, which is of the same colour as the tail.
1928Chemist-Analyst XVII. i. 18/2 *Spot plate for outside indications. 1937J. W. Matthews tr. Feigl's Spot Tests ii. 5 Spot plates are made from glazed porcelain, and usually contain 6–12 adjacent depressions of equal size that hold 0·5–1 c.c. of liquid. 1981Sci. Amer. Feb. 128/1 The aluminum compound responsible for the buffering effect of buffered aspirin can be detected with filter paper or a spot plate.
1950*Spotproof [see habutai]. 1958Times 6 Oct. 13/1 Leather and suède jackets and coats many of which are treated to be spot-proof against rain.
1960Sunday Express 27 Nov. 14/3 Gymnasia with *spot-reducing and general slimming equipment. 1970Harrod's Catal. May 14/1 Spot reducing ‘Faradic’ and ‘G.5’ from {pstlg}2. 2. 0.
1670Eachard Cont. Clergy 56 Many a good-wife..knows not any thing of the all-powerfulness of aqua-fortis, how that it is such a *spot-removing liquor.
1871Browning Balaust. 1318 With them fed in fellowship..*spot-skin lynxes.
1876Goode Fishes Bermudas 55 The *Spot snapper and the Yellow-tail correspond doubtless to Mesoprion uninotatus..and to Ocyurus chrysurus.
1882Caulfeild & Saward Dict. Needlework 125/2 *Spot stitch, a stitch made with a Foundation of Double Crochet with spots upon it in Treble Crochet.
1921Chem. Abstr. XV. 2599 *Spot tests which depend upon the formation of PbCrO4 or of AgCrO4 are fairly sensitive. 1948Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. XLIX. 268 Prior to quantitative analysis..the fractions are spot-tested on paper impregnated with ninhydrin. 1955Times 16 June 9/3 ‘Spot tests’ could be extended, and it would be well if the Minister were to declare his intention with regard to them. 1960Jrnl. Iron & Steel Inst. CXCIV. 285/3 For Cu, a spot test is suggested which allows estimation in the range 0·1–0·5 p.p.m.
1942Industr. & Engin. Chem. (Analytical Ed.) 15 Apr. 278/2 (heading) Application of infrared radiation to *spot-testing. 1969Listener 28 Aug. 287/1 Miss Atwood's Toronto heroine works for Seymour Surveys, spot-testing consumer products.
1908Engineering 9 Oct. 486/1 The pedal of one of the machines on view had been made..by attaching a piece of angle iron on each side of the lever by two ‘*spot welds’. 1951Ibid. 13 Apr. 439/1 The shear strength of an individual spot weld was nearly twice that of a rivet. 1977Modern Railways Dec. 488/1 The main handicap..was the high labour cost which resulted from the 50,000 rivets and 60,000 spot-welds involved in the construction of one vehicle.
1909Engineering 15 Jan. 69/3 We have seen three thicknesses of 3/16-in. iron *spot-welded together, the spot being about 3/8 in. in diameter. 1958Ibid. 14 Mar. 344/2 The panels are..automatically seam-welded before being spot-welded to the framing. 1973A. Parrish Mech. Engineer's Ref. Bk. vi. 34 Aluminium is readily spot welded but the welding parameters must be closely controlled because the metal has a short plastic temperature range.
1921Automobile Engineer Mar. 106/3 (caption) A *spot welded bonnet. 1969J. G. Tweeddale Welding Fabrication II. iii. 87 In a spot welded assembly the joint is comparatively rigid.
1914Proc. Inst. Mech. Engineers 167 An attempt was made to put down one small machine, a *spot welder or a contact welder. 1963H. R. Clauser Encycl. Engin. Materials & Processes 573/2 Semi-portable spot welders are..available for assemblies such as automotive structures, housings, and cases that cannot be handled by permanently placed..machines. 1976Spot welder [see seam welder s.v. seam n.1 10].
1908Engineering 9 Oct. 486/1 The method of *spot-welding appears cheaper, quicker, and as good as riveting. 1912Automobile Engineer 30 Oct. 387/3 In the spot-welding machine the sheets are joined at spots instead of rivets. 1970K. Ball Fiat 600, 600 D Autobook xii. 141/1 The body structure is made up from nine separate assemblies joined together by spot welding.
1951Sun (Baltimore) 19 Oct. (B ed.) 5/7 First sets to incorporate ‘*spot wobble’ are 15-inch home receivers. Focusing is by the normal line⁓pattern method, but the flick of a switch converts to ‘spot wobble’. 1956B.B.C. Engin. Monogr. No. 1. 5/2 The obliteration of the line structure by carefully adjusted spot wobble is of course essential in any telerecording system if beat patterns are to be avoided when the film is scanned.
1932Sun (Baltimore) 6 May 14/2 All cities which have zoning laws go through a period of attacks that aim to break them down for private as opposed to public interests. The practice is called ‘*spot’ zoning. 1933Ibid. 16 Nov. 12/1 The Board of Zoning Appeals has disapproved a proposed ‘spot-zoning’ ordinance in the interest of the promoters of a distillery. 1946Amer. Home Sept. 96/3 There is..one very deplorable habit among the creators and administrators of Zoning Laws which was, to permit what is known as ‘spot zoning’. This may allow a small ‘spot’ of business to establish itself in an exclusively residential area. 1976Tulane Law Rev. L. 357 The term ‘spot zoning’..may mean rezoning not in accordance with a comprehensive plan, rezoning in the absence of a mistake or change, or rezoning which is arbitrary and improper.
Add:[III.] [7.] f. In greyhound racing: one hundredth of a second. Usu. in pl.
1977Daily Mirror 16 Mar. 29/3 His time of 29.47s. was thirteen spots faster than that recorded by Gaily Noble two races later. 1986Greyhound Mag. Sept. 14/1 The proof wasn't long in coming, an eight length victory in 29.44, twenty two spots faster than any other heat winner. 1988Greyhound Star June 8/3 He had improved 50 spots in his three qualifying trials and ran second in his first race after coming from fifth place.
▪ II. spot, n.2
[f. spot v. 9.]
A person employed by an omnibus company to keep secret watch on its employees.
1894Daily Graphic 24 Mar. 11/2 The men were continually being harassed, and ‘spots’ were jumping on their 'buses at all times to spy on them.
▪ III. spot, v.|spɒt|
Also 5–6 spotte, 6–7 spott.
[f. spot n.1 Cf. WFlem. spotten to mark or stain, NFris. spotte to fix, settle.]
I.
1. a. trans. To stain, sully, or tarnish, in respect of moral character or qualities.
c1412Hoccleve De Reg. Princ. 3766 His disciples loued so clennesse..Hir eyen they out of hir heedes brente, Lest sighte of hem spotte myght her entente. c1450Lydg. Secrees 741 That ther Imperial magnanymyte Shulde nat be spottyd..Towchyng the vice of froward Coveityse. 1502W. Atkynson tr. De Imitatione i. i. (1893) 154 For them that folowe sensuall pleasure,..they spot theyr conscience, & lese the grace of god. 1560J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 8 b, Neither to suffer so greate an evill to spot & blemishe that noble house of Saxonie. 1623Fletcher Rule a Wife v. Wks. 1906 III. 231 You rob two Temples,..You ruine hers, and spot her noble Husbands. 1669Dryden Tyrannic Love v. i, Be all the Discords of our Bed forgot, Which, Virtue witness, I did never spot. 1855Motley Dutch Rep. i. iii. (1866) 113 Who might be spotted merely with the errors introduced by Luther. 1858H. Bushnell Nat. & Supernat. xv. (1864) 498 He spots with blemish the religion that already has a right to his faith.
refl.1577tr. Bullinger's Decades (1592) 128 If..wee doe spot our-selues with a filthie and uncleane life. 1599Sandys Europæ Spec. (1632) 18 Some,..not content to spott themselves with all Italian impurities, proceed on to empoyson their country also.
†b. To stain with some accusation or reproach; to asperse or vilify. Obs.
a1542Wyatt in Tottell's Misc. (Arb.) 58 Mistrust me not, though some there be, That faine would spot my stedfastnesse. 1623T. Scott Tongue-Combat 9 Those of the Reformed Religion whom..you spot with three or foure crimes. 1652Brough Preserv. agst. Schism 27 St. Jude spots them thus; There they feed themselves without feare. a1718Penn Tracts Wks. 1782 I. 492, I do not mention it to spot that Doctor.
2. a. To mark with spots of some defiling or discolouring substance; to stain in spots.
c1440Promp. Parv. 470 Spotton, maculo. 1530Palsgr. 729 Who hath spotted your shyrte sleve with ynke? 1549Latimer 5th Serm. bef. Edw. VI (Arb.) 151 He yat medleth wyth pitch is like to be spotted with it. 1600Surflet Countrie Farme 502 It spotteth and staineth the linnen so mightily, as that such staines will neuer be got out. 1675Hobbes Odyssey vi. (1686) 71 Your Cloths..(Which in the house sulli'd and spotted lie). 1763Mills Syst. Pract. Husb. II. 415 Two..kinds of mildew, one of which spots the blades and stems of corn. 1798Coleridge France 69 Ye that, fleeing, spot your mountain-snows With bleeding wounds. 1831Scott Ct. Rob. xvii, The blood which we have shed may spot our hand,..but it shall scarce stain our forehead. 1870Morris Earthly Par. III. 91 With rust his armour bright was spotted o'er.
b. absol. (in fig. use).
a1743Savage False Historians Poems (1790) 292 Sure of all plagues with which dull prose is curst, Scandals, from false historians, spot the worst.
3. intr. To be subject or liable to spots; to become spotted.
1850Rep. Comm. Patents: Agric. 1849 (U.S.) 456 These varieties spot better, and produce a finer leaf than any I have ever seen. 1879Warehousemen & Drapers' Trade Jrnl. 13 Dec. 594 Even those [gloves] which have been so treated continue to ‘spot’. 1882Garden 11 Mar. 168/2 A damp, cool atmosphere, with little artificial heat, causes the flowers to spot.
II.
4. trans. a. To mark, cover, or decorate, with spots.
1591Greene Conny Catch. (1592) ii. 4 They will straight spot him by sundry pollicies, and in a blacke horse, marke saddle spots. 1687Miége Gt. Fr. Dict. ii, To spot Gawze-Hoods, broder des Coifes de Gaze. [See also spotter n. 1.] 1713Guardian No. 10 ⁋5 Sometimes I take a Needle, and spot a Piece of Muslin for pretty Patty Cross-stitch. 1720Lond. Gaz. No. 5914/1 If any Person..shall file, square, or new spot any Dice. 1818Art Bookbinding 51 This colour is for spotting the edges. 1864Athenæum 854/2 He spots the other spear-bearers [with blood] in a similar manner. 1885D. Glasgow Watch & Clock Making 118 The art of spotting such small pieces by hand is not easily acquired.
b. To ornament (the face) with a patch or patches.
1666M. M. Solomon's Prescr. 82 Go, Gallants, get to your Glass; Powder and Curle, Paint and Spot, Deck and Adorn you, as you were wont. 1711Addison Spect. No. 81 ⁋1 The Faces on one Hand, being spotted on the right Side of the Forehead, and those upon the other on the left.
c. U.S. (See quots.)
1792J. Belknap Hist. New Hampsh. III. 75 Where they find the land suitable for a road, the trees are spotted by cutting out a piece of the bark. 1828–32in Webster. 1859Bartlett Dict. Amer. (ed. 2), Spot, to mark a tree by cutting a chip from its side.
d. N.Z. To form by selecting the choicest spots or parts of a piece of land.
1856E. M. Curr Waste Lands of Province of Wellington 30 The practice of which I speak is called in New Zealand ‘spotting’ or ‘spoiling’ country. 1864E. Muter Trav. & Adv. Officer's Wife II. xiii. 260 ‘Cockatoos’, as the station-owners call the other [class of land-purchasers], who ‘spotted’ his run all over with fifty and one hundred acre sections. 1898Morris Austral Eng. s.v. Spotting, The squatter spotted his run, purchasing choice spots.
e. To moisten with a drop of liquid; to place a drop of (liquid) on (to) a surface, etc.
1954R. E. Oesper tr. Feigl's Spot Tests (ed. 3) II. iv. 158 The moist reagent paper is spotted with the test solution. 1972Sci. Amer. June 34 (caption) The mixture is spotted at one corner (X) of a square of filter paper; the fragments are separated by chromatography in one direction and by electrophoresis in another. 1977Lancet 26 Nov. 1140/2 Blood is spotted on to filterpaper. 1978Nature 9 Feb. 577/2 Even concentrated lysates did not result in killing or lysogenisation when spotted on a lawn of Mu-sensitive bacteria.
5. a. Of things: To form, appear as, spots upon (a surface); to stud.
1801Southey Thalaba i. xi, No palm-tree rose to spot the wilderness. 1817Shelley Rev. Islam ix. iii, Many ships spotting the dark blue deep. 1822–7Good Study Med. (1829) V. 568 Pimples very minute..; chiefly spotting the limbs. 1892‘M. Field’ Sight & Song 22 Pinks and gentians spot her robe.
b. intr. Of rain: To fall in large, scattered drops, esp. before a shower or storm.
1849–in dial. glossaries. 1909Westm. Gaz. 21 Aug. 2/2 It began to spot with rain.
6. Billiards. To place (a ball) on some particular spot.
1844E. R. Mardon Billiards 99 Missing the balls, the player must spot a ball. 1873Bennett & Cavendish Billiards 139 Spot the white just behind the left-hand corner of the D. 1899Allbutt's Syst. Med. VIII. 258 If they play billiards, they let their adversary spot the red and take the balls out of the pockets.
7. To free from spots or small defects; to remove or efface (small marks). † Also with out.
1885C. G. W. Lock Workshop Rec. Ser. iv. 382/2 After the prints are mounted, dried, and spotted out, roll them upon a hot steel plate. 1896Kodak News Sept. 87/1 Any little holes or scratches..should be carefully spotted out with a fine sable brush and stiff water colour. 1915B. E. Jones Cinematograph Bk. 176 Having cleaned and spotted the film, attention may be given to any torn portions or broken perforations. 1937Discovery Feb. p. xiv/1 This book [sc. J. Deschin New Ways in Photography]..contains many suggestions and practical methods for getting better results in..spotting prints. 1979Amateur Photographer 7 Feb. 4 (Advt.), A custom hand print, cropped, hand printed, spotted, dry mounted and heat sealed.
8. N. Amer. To place (something) in a particular location; esp. to place (a railway car) in the proper place for loading or unloading.
1917Dialect Notes IV. 329 Spot, to stop (a car) at the proper place on a railroad track. 1936B. Brooker Think of Earth i. iii. 38 It was a wilderness of rusting steel and rotten ties where old dump-cars were ‘spotted’ for repairs. 1937Liberty 25 Dec. 20/1 Already strategically spotted throughout.. our population are sergeants and lieutenants and chiefs of police of the new ‘supertrained’ school. 1947Sun (Baltimore) 13 May 6/3 Passengers would walk..under cover to their planes spotted alongside the pier. 1956T. Raddall Wings of Night (1957) xii. 106 You might phone the railway people and tell 'em to spot four or five boxcars on the Hall's Creek siding not later than Tuesday. 1962J. Onslow Bowler-Hatted Cowboy xiv. 136 When I arrived at the yards the cars were ready spotted opposite the loading-chutes. 1970J. H. Gray Boy from Winnipeg 55 The rest of us spotted our lunch kits, towels, and swimming things at a convenient table. 1979Arizona Daily Star 22 July i. 6/4 If you're playing a Nevada audience, you can't give them all new stuff, and you have to be careful how you spot it.
III. 9. a. Cant. To mark or note as a criminal or suspected person.
1718Acc. Trial Isaac Rabbins 1 Isaac, You have been spotted before, How came you to go so far from your own Home now? 1851Mayhew Lond. Lab. I. 484 At length he became ‘spotted’. The police got to know him. 1859Slang Dict. 99 Spotted, to be known or marked by the police.
b. To inform against, split upon (a person).
1865Dickens Mut. Fr. i. xii, This man had ‘spotted’ the other, to save himself and get the money.
10. colloq.
a. To single out or guess beforehand (the winner in a horse race).
1857Morn. Chron. 22 June (Encycl. Dict.), Having met with tolerable success in spotting the winners. 1866G. A. Lawrence Sans Merci xix, It was quite a sight to see those two, conning over the handicaps, and ‘spotting’ probable ‘good things’. 1888E. J. Goodman Too Curious xi, I spotted a few winners.
b. To catch sight of; to mark or note; to recognize or detect.
1848E. Z. C. Judson Mysteries & Miseries of New York i. 116 To spot is to recognize—to mark. 1849G. G. Foster New York in Slices 15 The expertness acquired by the keepers of these shops in ‘spotting’ their man is truly wonderful. 1860O. W. Holmes Elsie V. xxi, The inside Widow having ‘spotted’ the outside one through the blinds. 1868M. E. Braddon Run to Earth I. i. 17, I saw the landlord spot the notes and gold. 1880J. Payn Confid. Agent II. 271 Honest John had known him to be a policeman—‘spotted him’, as he had expressed it—at the first glance.
c. To hit in shooting.
1882B. Harte Flip ii, It's an even thing if she wouldn't spot me the first pop [i.e. with a revolver].
d. Mil. To locate (an enemy position). Also intr. and const. for.
1914Aeroplane 11 Nov. 425/2 He poised..for a spell to spot the lurking place of the battery. 1915D. O. Barnett Let. 23–25 Jan. 51, I had a man with a periscope spotting for me, and he registered some near things for the Bosch's face. 1916‘Boyd Cable’ Action Front 135 ‘Stand by for trouble. That brute is spotting for his gun.’ The aeroplane dropped a light, turned, and circled round to the left. 1918C. Bright Telegraphy, Aeronautics & War 51 While he is spotting he is continually subjected to tremendous shelling. 1942Hutchinson's Pictorial Hist. War 18 Mar.–9 June 62 (caption) Men of a Cypriot company..spotting for enemy aircraft. 1973R. Dentry Encounter at Kharmel ix. 152 I'll come in low. You spot. I'll be busy.
e. To watch out for and observe (a certain class of objects) as a hobby. See also train-spot v.
1919G. B. Shaw Inca of Perusalem in Heartbreak House 212 Chips keeps owls and rabbits. Spots motor bicycles. 1957Times Lit. Suppl. 8 Nov. 675/2 As other boys spot railway engines, Alan Villiers as a child in Melbourne spotted and studied the big sailing ships lying at anchor in Port Phillip bay.
Add:[III.] 11. Sport. Const. with dative of person. To give or concede (an advantage or lead) to an opponent. U.S. colloq.
1934J. T. Farrell Young Manhood x. 163 We'll play fifty straight pool, and I'll spot you ten. 1939Sun (Baltimore) 21 June 14/2 No fighter can spot Mr. Joe Louis his entire offensive program and hope to wrest the world's championship from him. 1972Newsweek 31 July 42/3 After arrogantly spotting Spassky a two-game lead, Fischer had proceeded to catch up to his opponent. 1985Los Angeles Times 14 July iii. 6/2 The Dodgers,..could have spotted the Cubs an extra out for nine innings, and it wouldn't have mattered. |