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单词 sponge
释义

spongen.1

/spʌndʒ/
Forms: α. Old English– sponge (Middle English spunge). β. (Chiefly northern and Scottish) Middle English–1600s spounge, Middle English spoungge, spwnge, Middle English–1500s spownge, 1500s spoung, 1500s, 1800s spoonge. γ. 1500s–1800s spunge, 1600s spundge.
Etymology: Old English sponge (accusative -ean) and spunge (spiunge), < Latin spongia, spongea, < Greek σπογγιά, later derivative form of σπόγγος sponge. In other Germanic languages the word appears as Old Saxon spunsia, Middle Dutch spongie, sponge, sponse (West Flemish sponsie, Dutch spons, West Frisian spons, spouns), and in the Romanic group as Old French esponge (16th cent. in Littré), French éponge, Spanish esponja, Portuguese esponja, Italian spugna. Old English had also the more popular and older form spynge, spinge.
I. Senses relating to the aquatic organism and the absorbent material made from this.
1.
a. The soft, light, porous, and easily compressible framework which remains after the living matter has been removed from various species of porifers (see sense 3), characterized by readily absorbing fluids and yielding them on pressure, and much used in bathing, cleansing surfaces, etc.In older Scottish use (see β) apparently also ‘a brush’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > wiping > [noun] > sponging > sponge
spongec1000
water sponge1497
mop1838
sponge cloth1862
Turkey sponge1902
α.
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xxvii. 48 Ða hrædlice arn an heora & genam ane spongean [c1160 ænne spongen], & fylde hig mid ecede.
c1160 Hatton Gosp. Mk. xv. 36 Þa arn hyre an & fylde ane spunge mid eisile.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 191 Nes his pitance onrode bute an spunge of galle.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 185 Sponges i-watred and i-holde at hir nostrilles.
a1425 tr. Arderne's Treat. Fistula 26 In þe mornyng be it clensed with hote watre and a sponge.
1497 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 88 Sponges grete ij and small xxvj.
?1530 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry (rev. ed.) f. xxii Than wasshe your shepe there with a sponge or a pece of an olde mantell.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cciiijv The Crosse..Nayles, Sponge launce, Crowne of thorne.
1625 N. Carpenter Geogr. Delineated ii. v. 68 Others againe..suppose the earth to be like a sponge to drinke vp the water.
1678 R. L'Estrange tr. Of Anger xii. 120 in Seneca's Morals Abstracted (1679) He..caus'd their Mouthes to be stopt with Spunges.
1800 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 3 556 I have constantly recommended cold vinegar..to be applied..by means of a sponge.
1863 D. T. Ansted Ionian Islands 255 A considerable fishery for fine sponges, of which many, fully equal to fine Turkey sponges, come into the market.
1876 J. Harley Royle's Man. Materia Med. (ed. 6) 783 The Sponge is imported from the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.
β. c1400 Mandeville's Trav. (Roxb.) iii. 9 [Þai] held to þaire noses spoungez moisted with water.a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Mark xv. 36 And oon ranne, and fillide a spounge with vynegre.1483 Cath. Angl. 356/1 A Spoungge.., spongia.1491 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 188 For a spwnge to the Kingis claythis, ij s.1501 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1900) II. 27 Byrs spowngis for the Kingis bonatis, vj d.1549 in Accts. Ld. High Treasurer Scotl. (1911) IX. 353 Item, ane spoung send to Dunfermeling to his graces sone, iiij s.1612 Bk. Customs & Valuation in A. Halyburton Ledger (1867) 329 Spounges or brushes.γ. 1572 in A. Feuillerat Documents Office of Revels Queen Elizabeth (1908) 180 For spunges for snoballs.1580 J. Lyly Euphues & his Eng. (new ed.) f. 105 The spunge is ful of water, yet is it not seene.1660 J. Childrey Britannia Baconica 43 An earth porous like a spunge.1726 E. Fenton in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey V. xx. 189 And let th' abstersive spunge the board renew.1767 B. Gooch Pract. Treat. Wounds I. 259 To wipe it dry with a spunge.figurative.1602 T. Heywood How Man may chuse Good Wife v. ii For her death The spunge of either eye Shall weep red tears.a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1959) IV. 337 Every man is but a spunge, and but a spunge filled with teares.1726 Visct. Bolingbroke Lett. Study Hist. (1752) I. vii. 265 Colbert made the most of all these advantageous circumstances, and whilst he filled the national spunge, he taught his successors how to squeeze it.in extended use.1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 271 With flew or wooll of Hares..the Grecians made spunges..to clense the eies of men.1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Pyrotechnical Spunges, are made of the large Mushrooms or fungous Excrescences growing on old Oaks, Ashes, Firs, &c.
b. As a type of something of small value.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [noun] > that which is unimportant > of little worth
ivy-leafc1000
needle?c1225
sloec1250
peasea1275
strawc1290
bean1297
nutc1300
buttonc1330
leekc1330
trifle1375
cress1377
goose-wing1377
sop1377
niflec1395
vetcha1400
a pin's head (also point)c1450
trump1513
plack1530
toy1530
blue point1532
grey groat1546
cherry-stone1607
jiggalorum1613
candle-enda1625
peppercorn1638
sponge1671
sneeshing1686
snottera1689
catchpenny1705
potato1757
snuff1809
pinhead1828
traneen1837
a hill of beans1863
gubbins1918
1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd iv. 326 Collecting toys, And trifles for choice matters, worth a spunge . View more context for this quotation
c. to throw (also chuck) up the sponge: to abandon a contest or struggle; to submit, give in. colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > be irresolute or vacillate [verb (intransitive)] > give way or give in
benda1400
sink?a1513
to give over1530
to cry creak?1562
yield1576
to hold up1596
succumb1604
to give in1616
to hoist, lower, strike the topsaila1629
to cry cravena1634
to give up or cross the cudgels1654
incumb1656
to fall in1667
to knock under1670
to knock under board, under (the) table1692
to strike underc1730
knuckle down1735
to throw (also chuck) up the sponge1860
chuck up (the sponge)1864
to throw in one's hand1893
to sky the wipe (or towel)1907
to drop one's bundle1915
to throw (chuck, or toss) in the towel1915
to buckle up1927
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > absence of resistance > offer no resistance [verb (intransitive)] > give in
descend?a1400
to give up the girdlea1400
submita1525
to give over1530
subscribe1560
yield1576
come1607
to give in1616
to give the stoop1623
buckle1642
incumb1656
to knock under board, under (the) table1692
capitulate1714
to strike underc1730
knuckle down1735
cave1844
to throw (also chuck) up the sponge1860
incline1866
to give (it) best1878
give way1879
to roll over1919
1860 Slang Dict. 224 ‘To throw up the sponge,’ to submit, give over the struggle,—from the practice of throwing up the sponge used to cleanse the combatants' faces, at a prize~fight, as a signal that the ‘mill’ is concluded.
1872 ‘M. Twain’ Roughing It xlvii. 333 One of the boys has gone up the flume—..throwed up the sponge,..kicked the bucket—..he's dead!
1874 A. Trollope Phineas Redux I. xxxix. 325 When..Thursday afternoon came, Mr. Daubeny ‘threw up the sponge’.
1877 T. A. Trollope Life Pius IX II. 130 This tranquil confidence..degenerated..into inertness, acquiescence in evil, and..throwing up the sponge.
1889 ‘R. Boldrewood’ Robbery under Arms xxiv If Tim had got this letter..he'd have chucked up the sponge and cleared out for good and all.
2. Without article: The material of which this is composed.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > other animal raw materials > [noun] > sponge
sponge1398
1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum xiii. xxviii. (Tollem. MS.) It is made harde and turneþ in to sponge.
1683 W. Salmon Doron Medicum i. 110 If for Application by Spunge, Cloath, or Stuph.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word) A pound of spunge.., on drying carefully.., will be reduced to eleven ounces.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word) Burnt spunge is much recommended as a sweetner of the blood.
1813 J. Thomson Lect. Inflammation 345 The tent was formed of prepared sponge.
1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) I. 382/2 Inferior sponge, with a large-holed texture, called horse sponge.
in extended use.1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 2286/1 Artificial sponge is made of caoutchouc [etc.].
3.
a. Zoology. One or other of various species of aquatic (chiefly marine) animals (or colony of animals) of a low order belonging to the group Porifera, characterized by a tough elastic skeleton of interlaced fibres.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Parazoa > phylum Porifera > [noun] > member of
sponge1538
spongiary1860
poriferan1864
leuconoid1911
1538 T. Elyot Dict. Achilleum, a sponge, whiche is verye softe, and hath smalle holes.
1552 T. Cooper Bibliotheca Eliotæ (rev. ed.) Cystiolithi, certayne stones, whiche growe in spunges, holsome against diseases of the bladder.
1633 G. Herbert Providence in Temple xxxiv Frogs marry fish and flesh; bats, bird and beast; Sponges, non-sense and sense.
1651 Bp. J. Taylor XXVIII Serm. i. 4 We are no more such really, then Mandrakes are Men, or Spunges are living creatures.
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique (at cited word) The Ancients would have a Spunge to be Zoophite.
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique (at cited word) There are two sorts of Spunges, the Male..and the Female.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth I. 289 Here are seen the madrepores, the sponges, mosses, sea mushrooms, and other marine productions.
1834 H. McMurtrie tr. G. Cuvier Animal Kingdom (abridged ed.) 11 It is a kind of sponge, which has the same form as the body.
1857 D. Livingstone Missionary Trav. S. Afr. xiv. 249 Around the reeds..we see fresh-water sponges.
1884 R. Rathbun in G. B. Goode et al. Fisheries U.S.: Sect. I v. 843 Nearly all Sponges possess a skeleton or the rudiments of one.
b. With distinctive premodifiers, denoting various species of these.glass-rope sponge: see glass-rope n. at glass n.1 Compounds 3; glass-sponge: see glass-rope n. at glass n.1 Compounds 3.
ΚΠ
1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis ii. v. ii. 251 The Hollow Cylindrick or Pipe-Sponge.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word) 9. The branched river-spunge. 10. The hairy spunge. 11. The sail spunge [etc.]
1797 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 708 Branched sponge;..cock's comb sponge;..tow-sponge [etc.].
1861 R. T. Hulme tr. C. H. Moquin-Tandon Elements Med. Zool. ii. iii. ii. 89 Fine Syrian Sponge... Fine Archipelago Sponge... White Sponge of Syria, called also Venetian Sponge.
1883 A. J. Adderley Fisheries Bahamas 49 The finest type of all, the Levant toilet or Turkish cup~sponge (Spongia officinalis).
†c. sponge of the river: (see quot. 1611). Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Esponge d'eau douce, a certaine hearbe, that flotes on riuers, and is called, Spunge of the riuer.
4.
a. A moistened piece of the above substance (sense 1) as used for wiping a surface in order to obliterate writing, etc. Also in figurative context.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > writing > writing materials > other writing equipment > [noun] > moist sponge for wiping written surface clean
sponge1555
1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde iii. xi. f. 161v The leaues, wheron they wryte with any sharpe instrument, and blotte the same againe with a spunge or sum suche other thynge.
1591 E. Spenser Ruines of Time in Complaints 361 Great ones.., Of whome no word we heare, nor signe now see, But as things wipt out with a sponge to perishe.
1644 E. Dering Disc. Proper Sacrifice c iiij b Clavis Mystica under-went a great deal of Spunge.
a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued (1777) III. ii. 175 The hand-writing against us is not blotted out, yet..we have a sponge given us to wipe it away ourselves.
1865 M. E. Braddon Only a Clod iv Do you think two years' absence won't act as a sponge, and wipe my image out of her thoughts.
1867 G. Smith Three Eng. Statesmen (1882) 212 No great nature ever passes a sponge over its former self.
b. figurative. That which blots out of existence, wipes out of memory, effaces, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > memory > effacement, obliteration > [noun] > one who or that which erases
rasor1431
sponge1558
razer1583
obliterator1786
1558 Bp. T. Watson Holsome Doctr. Seuen Sacramentes xviii. f. cxiiiv Daylye confession..is..a sponge to wype awaye the fylthynesse of oure synnes.
1657 J. Trapp Comm. Ezra ix. 7 Confession..is that happy Spunge, that wipeth out all the blottes and blurres of our lives.
1748 J. Geddes Ess. Composition Antients 268 Fear, grief, pain, and desire, are the most effectual spunges.
1799 H. More Strict. Mod. Syst. Fem. Educ. (ed. 4) I. 36 Which fits of charity are made the sponge of every sin, and the substitute of every virtue.
c. A method of cancelling or wiping off debts without payment.
ΚΠ
1717 (title) Fair Payment no Spunge: or, some Considerations on the Unreasonableness of Refusing to Receive back Money Lent on Publick Securities.
1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea II. xlvii. 313 We have an example in France of..large national debt being paid with a spunge.
1787 J. Bentham Def. Usury xii. 124 A spunge..is the only needful, and only availing remedy.
1803 in Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. (1817) 8 Feb. 176 Your tax upon the funds, or..that admirable sponge which you are now about to apply to one twentieth part of the debt.
5. A kind of mop or swab for cleansing a cannon-bore after firing.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > instrument for cleaning bore
moppet1512
scouring-stick1577
scourer1591
spongea1625
scouring-rod1697
sponge-staff1772
gun-brush1799
fire-swab1813
wiping-stick1817
wiper1826
washing-rod1850
sponge cloth1862
swab1863
wiping-rod1875
a1625 H. Mainwaring Nomenclator Navalis (Harl. 2301) (at cited word) The spunge of a peece of Ordnaunce is that which makes it cleane; they are comonlie Sheepeskins putt at the ende of a Staffe.
1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. xiv. 66 A Spunge is such another staffe, with a peece of a Lambe skin at the end..to thrust vp and downe the Peece.
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. v. xii. 45 A Gunner..ought to have in readiness..Sheep-skins to make Spunges.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Cannon In the land-service, the handle of the spunge is nothing else than a long wooden staff.
1846 A. Young Naut. Dict. 292 For a long gun, the sponge and rammer are fixed each on a separate staff.
1884 ‘H. Collingwood’ Under Meteor Flag 40 A sponge was thrust out of one of the upper deck ports, catching him in the face.
II. Something resembling the organism in appearance or consistency.
6.
†a. The fibrous matted root of asparagus shoots. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular vegetables > [noun] > stalk vegetables > asparagus > matted roots of
spongec1440
c1440 Pallad. on Husb. iv. 233 This seedis [of asparagus] wol connect intil oon roote, This calle a sponge.
1563 T. Hill Arte Gardening (1593) 58 The small rootes will be so folded and tyed one to an other, that they will seeme to be fastned and ioyned togither in one, and this is named of the ancient Gardner, a Spunge.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 54 The rootes haue sundry long threedes, which they call the Sponge.
b. A spongy gall or excrescence on rose-bushes; = bedeguar n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > disease or injury > [noun] > gall or abnormal growth > on particular plants
oak-apple1440
bedeguar1578
sponge1608
oak-berry1626
oak nut1626
Aleppo gall1698
grape-gall1753
rose gall1753
oak galla1774
ear cockle1777
honeysuckle apple1818
sage-apple1832
robin's pincushion1835
oak spangle1836
robin's cushion1837
oak-wart1840
spangle1842
shick-shack1847
spangle-gall1864
tomato gall1869
Robin redbreast's cushion1878
knopper1879
trumpet-gall1879
spongiole1884
knot-gall1894
1608 E. Topsell Hist. Serpents 97 A certaine little Worme which is found in the sponge of the Dogge bryer (called of the Physitions Bedeguar).
1698 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 20 464 In brief, it is nothing else but the Sponge of the Dogs Rose, called by some Bedeguar.
1861 R. T. Hulme tr. C. H. Moquin-Tandon Elements Med. Zool. ii. iii. v. 153 Bedeguars—commonly called ‘Soft Apples’ or ‘Vegetable Sponges’.
c. Something having the appearance or consistency of a sponge.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > an opening or aperture > [noun] > small opening > minute hole > quality of being full of > porous part or thing
porosity?a1425
spongiosity1543
porousness1644
poriness1653
sponge1682
1682 G. Hartman Digby's Choice Coll. Rare Secrets i. 12 The ☉ and ☿ will be precipitated indistinguishible, in the form of a black Spunge.
1893 F. F. Moore Gray Eye or So xxvii Sitting for five or six hours on gigantic sponges (damp) of heather.
d. The soft fermenting dough of which bread is made. Frequently in the phrase to set (or lay) the sponge.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > bread > [noun] > dough for bread
dougheOE
rye dough1584
bread dough1698
sponge1748
turnpike1850
sourdough1868
1748 H. Glasse Art of Cookery (ed. 3) xvii. 297 To make White Bread... When your Spunge has stood its proper Time clear the Oven, and begin to make your Bread.
1796 A. Simmons Amer. Cookery 38 Butter biscuit. One pint each milk and emptins, laid into flour, in sponge.
1822 Imison's Sci. & Art II. 152 This is called setting the sponge.
1830 M. Donovan Domest. Econ. I. x. 355 To this strained matter, one half of the whole quantity of flour is to be added, and well worked up with the hands so as to form sponge.
1857 W. A. Miller Elements Chem. III. 113 The mass swells up, or, as the baker terms it, the sponge rises.
1896 T. Hardy Jude v. iii He was obliged to go to bed at night immediately after laying the sponge.
e. A stretch of ground of a swampy nature.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > marsh, bog, or swamp > [noun]
marsheOE
fenc888
sladec893
moorOE
mossOE
marshlandlOE
lay-fena1225
lay-mirea1225
moor-fenc1275
flosha1300
strother?a1300
marish1327
carrc1330
waterlanda1382
gaseync1400
quaba1425
paludec1425
mersec1440
sumpa1450
palus?1473
wash1483
morass1489
oozea1500
bog?a1513
danka1522
fell1538
soga1552
Camarine1576
gog1583
swale1584
sink1594
haga1600
mere1609
flata1616
swamp1624
pocosin1634
frogland1651
slash1652
poldera1669
savannah1671
pond-land1686
red bog1686
swang1691
slack1719
flowa1740
wetland1743
purgatory1760
curragh1780
squall1784
marais1793
vlei1793
muskeg1806
bog-pit1820
prairie1820
fenhood1834
pakihi1851
terai1852
sponge1856
takyr1864
boglet1869
sinkhole1885
grimpen1902
sphagnum bog1911
blanket bog1939
string bog1959
1856 F. L. Olmsted Journey Slave States 157 I am aware of but a single attempt, as yet, to cultivate the sponge or true swamp soil.
1890 Contemp. Rev. Jan. 137 The ‘great sponge’, from which the Zambesi and the Congo draw their remote supplies.
1901 Q. Rev. July 22 It has been conjectured that some of these sponges may be fed by the waters of the Victoria Nyanza.
f. technical. Metal in a porous or sponge-like form, usually obtained by reduction without fusion.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > metal in specific state or form > [noun] > metal in other forms
foil1398
scissel1622
skelp1835
punching1838
sponge1861
expanded metal1890
weldment1945
1861 W. Fairbairn Iron 176 M. Chenot makes steel direct from the ore by converting it into a substance he calls sponge, in a peculiarly constructed furnace.
1877 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 389 To remove the silver sponge, which falls to the bottom and is taken out. This sponge is very light.
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 844 The sponge..is plunged in a bath of resin, tar, or some fatty matter.
g. With defining word: a type of thick jelly eaten as a dessert.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > jelly > [noun] > sweet and other jellies
blancmange1377
manger blanc1574
moonshine1608
viper-jelly1702
saloop1712
jelly1728
salep1736
bread jelly1750
hartshorn jelly1769
arrowroot1822
table jelly1830
pineapple jelly1841
fruit-jelly1846
jujube paste1858
sponge1859
stone cream1861
pavlova1911
tracklement1954
1859 J. H. Walsh Eng. Cookery Bk. 275 Lemon sponge... Take half an ounce of isinglass..the juice of eight lemons.
1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 55/1 Sweets..Lemon Sponge, Raspberry Sponge (in copper moulds, 10/0 extra, returnable).
1978 E. Lothian Country House Cookery from West 19 Orange sponge. 1 oz (30 g) gelatine. 4 oranges.
h. A sponge cake; the mixture from which such a cake is made.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > cake > [noun] > a cake > sponge-cake
Savoy cake?1750
sponge cake1808
muffin1835
Madeira cake1845
Victoria sandwich1861
angels' food1865
marble cake1871
sponge1877
angel cake1878
angel food cake1878
layer cake1882
sponge sandwich1884
Lady Baltimore cake1889
sand cake1892
sandwich cake1911
Victoria sponge1934
red velvet1951
1877 Cassell's Dict. Cookery 920/1 Sponge, Savoy,..pour the batter gently into a mould.
1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 55/2 Golf Sponge, iced chocolate, coffee, pink or white..each of 0/11.
1917 Harrods Gen. Catal. 1269/2 Sponge Swiss Roll..per lb. 1/8... Caracas Roll (Rich Chocolate Sponge)..per lb. 1/10.
1948 Good Housek. Cookery Bk. ii. 447 Steamed sponge puddings.
1948 Good Housek. Cookery Bk. ii. 579 Genoese Sponge (basic recipe) 3 oz. butter 21/ 2 oz. flour 1/ 2 oz. cornflour 3 large eggs 4 oz. caster sugar.
1960 R. Daniel Death by Drowning v. 54 A jam sponge, please.
1975 Times 10 May 13/4 The mixture can be baked..as a sponge flan.
†7. An open-work coat of mail. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > armour > body armour > [noun] > coat of mail or corselet
ring netOE
burnec1050
briniec1175
hauberk1297
coatc1300
bryn1330
habergeon1377
jackc1380
doublet of defence (or fence)1418
petticoatc1425
gesteron1469
byrnie1488
coat of fence1490
corset1490
corse1507
sark of mail1515
plate-coat1521
shirt of mail1522
mail-coat1535
corslet1563
costlet1578
pewter coat1584
cataphract1591
pyne doublet1600
sponge1600
coat-armour1603
brace1609
coat of arms1613
frock of mail1671
mail-shirt1816
mail-sark1838
1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. ix. xl. 344 Their brest and stomack was fenced with spounges, the left leg armed with a good greeue.
III. Figurative uses.
8. An immoderate drinker; a soaker.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > thirst > excess in drinking > [noun] > one who drinks to excess
houndOE
drinkerc1200
keach-cup?c1225
gulchcupa1250
bollerc1320
taverner1340
ale stake?1515
wine-bibber1535
bibber1536
swill-bowl1542
malt-wormc1550
rinse-pitcher1552
bibblera1556
ale knight1556
tosspot1568
ring-pigger1570
troll-the-bowl1575
malt-bug1577
gossip-pint-pot1580
black pot1582
alehouse knight1583
worrier1584
suck-spigot1585
bezzle1592
bezzlera1593
cup-leech1593
soaker1593
carouser1596
barley-cap1598
swiller1598
rob-pot1599
Philistine1600
sponge1600
wine-knight1601
fill-knaga1605
reel-pot1604
faithful1609
fill-pot1609
bouser1611
spigot-sucker1611
suck-pint1611
whip-can1611
bib-all-night1612
afternoon man1615
potling1616
Bacchanalian1617
bombard1617
pot-shot1617
potisuge1620
trougha1625
tumbrila1625
borachioa1627
pot-leech1630
kill-pota1637
biberon1637
bang-pitcher1639
son of Bacchusc1640
shuffler1642
suck-bottlea1652
swill-pot1653
poter1657
potatora1660
old soaker1665
fuddle cap1666
old toast1668
bubber1669
toper1673
ale-toast1691
Bacchant1699
fuddler1699
swill-belly1699
tickle-pitcher1699
whetter1709
draughtsmanc1720
bender1728
drammer1740
dram-drinker1744
drammist1756
rum-bud1805
siper1805
Bacchanal1812
boozera1819
rum-sucker1819
soak1820
imp of the spigot1821
polyposist1821
wineskin1821
sack-guzzler1823
sitfast1828
swill-flagon1829
cup-man1834
swiper1836
Lushington1851
lushing-man1859
bloat1860
pottle pot1860
tipsificator1873
tipsifier1873
pegger1874
swizzler1876
bibulant1883
toss-cup1883
lusher1895
stew-bum1902
shicker1906
stiff1907
souse1915
booze-hound1926
stumblebum1932
tanker1932
lush-hound1935
lushy1944
lush-head1945
binge drinker1946
pisshead1946
hophead1948
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice i. ii. 96 I will doe any thing Nerrissa ere I will be married to a spunge . View more context for this quotation
1693 W. Bowles tr. Juvenal in J. Dryden et al. tr. Juvenal Satires v. 74 For him is kept a Liquor more Divine, You Spunges must be Drunk with Lees of Wine.
1708 Brit. Apollo 20–22 Oct. For ever too th' Amphibious Spunge does drink.
1785 F. Grose Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue Spunge, a thirsty fellow, a great drinker.
1887 W. E. Henley Villon's Good Night 3 You spunges miking round the pubs.
9.
a. One who or that which absorbs, drains, or sucks up, in a sponge-like manner.In various passages of Elizabethan writers the exact sense of the word is not quite clear.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > action or process of absorbing > [noun] > one who or that which absorbs like a sponge
sponge1603
obsorbent1747
sorbefacient1873
1603 J. Davies Microcosmos 157 These senslesse spunges of Improbity Are full of pleasure, but it is vnright.
1607 T. Walkington Optick Glasse (1664) xii. 130 We count a Melancholick man the very Spunge of all sad Humors.
1677 T. Otway Cheats of Scapin ii. i, in Titus & Berenice sig. G3v Do you not see every day how the Spunges [sc. the lawyers] suck poor Clyents.
1755 E. Young Centaur iii. 134 Our thirsty Spunges of Sensuality, who suck up every drop of it.
1891 O. W. Holmes Over Teacups viii. 181 The muscles are great sponges that suck up and make use of large quantities of blood.
1893 E. Saltus Madam Sapphira 219 After hours of that sponge for thought [sc. fatigue] which the saddle alone supplies.
b. spec. One who or that which appropriates or absorbs material or other advantages, wealth, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > taking possession > [noun] > appropriation > one who or that which
sponge1601
1601 W. Cornwallis Ess. II. xl. sig. Cc4 This spunge sucketh dry the commerce of societies.
1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iv. ii. 13 Ros. How a spunge my Lord? Ham. I sir, a spunge, that sokes vp the kings Countenance.
1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. i. 59 Ireland, which had been a Spunge to draw..all that could be got from England.
c. A person, etc., of this kind as a source from which something may be recovered or extracted.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > supply > [noun] > source of supply
breastOE
store1297
teata1382
sponge1603
resource1611
fund1628
quarry1630
stock1638
fond1685
feeder1817
stockpile1942
1603 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iv. ii. 19 T'is but squeesing of you, And spunge, you shall be dry againe.
a1618 W. Raleigh Prerogatiue Parl. (1628) 9 The people,..when they saw hee had squeased those spunges of the Common-wealth,..willingly yeelded to giue him satisfaction.
c1670 T. Hobbes Dial. Com. Laws (1681) 156 Empson and Dudley were no Favourites of Hen. the 7th, but Spunges, which King Hen. the 8th did well squeeze.
1699 A. Boyer Royal Dict. at Eponge Presser l'éponge,..to squeeze the Spunge, to make one refund.
1779 Earl of Carlisle in J. H. Jesse G. Selwyn & his Contemp. (1844) IV. 256 He is a sponge full of knowledge, which you may squeeze at your leisure.
d. An object of extortion; a source of profit or pecuniary advantage.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > income, revenue, or profit > [noun] > source of
revenue?a1439
revenuable1610
sponge1625
plum tree1893
trough1906
cash cow1975
1625 S. Purchas Pilgrimes II. 1480 Which make Merchants to conceale their Riches lest they should be made Spunges.
1630 R. Brathwait Eng. Gentleman 55 Another, not so proud as he is covetous:..such an one makes all his inferiours his Sponges.
1781 W. Cowper Expostulation 531 Thy monarchs..in distress Found thee a goodly sponge for Power to press.
1821 Examiner 744/1 Ireland has been made all along a sponge for sinecurists, a field for jobbers.
1835 G. P. R. James Gipsy ii I will be no sponge to be squeezed for any man's pleasure.
10. One who meanly lives at the expense of others; a parasite, a sponger.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > flattery or flattering > servile flattery or currying favour > [noun] > servile flatterer > parasite
clienta1393
lick-dishc1440
maunche present1440
scambler?a1513
smell-feast1519
parasite1539
hanger-on1549
parasitaster1552
waiter at the table1552
lick-trencher1571
hang-by1579
shadow1579
trencher-fly1590
trencher-friend1590
fawnguest1592
pot-hunter1592
lick-spigot1599
trencherman1599
shark1600
tub-hunter1600
zany1601
lick-box1611
by-hangera1626
cosherer1634
shirk1639
panlicker1641
clientelary1655
tantony1659
led friend1672
sponger1677
fetcher and carrier1751
myrmidon1800
trencher-licker1814
onhanger1821
tag-tail1835
sponge1838
lick-ladle1849
lick-platter1853
sucker1856
freeloader1933
bludger1938
ligger1977
joyrider1990
1838 J. L. Stephens Incidents Trav. Greece, Turkey, Russia 36 As I could only contribute [to the meal] a couple of rolls of bread,..I am inclined to think that he considered me rather a sponge.
1866 E. P. Whipple Character & Characteristic Men 22 That large..class of our fellow-citizens who are commonly included in the genus ‘sponge’.
1883 H. Drummond Nat. Law in Spiritual World 350 All social sponges; all satellites of the court; all beggars of the market-place.

Compounds

C1.
a. General attributive. In various uses.Chiefly in the senses ‘forming part of, found in, sponges’, ‘producing or yielding sponges’, ‘used in fishing for sponges’, ‘used or intended for holding a sponge’.
sponge-bank n.
ΚΠ
1885 A. Brassey In Trades 333 Then we went..to see the sponge-bank, where some of the finest specimens of sponge are procured.
sponge-basin n.
ΚΠ
1862 Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit. II. No. 5825 Sponge basin, soap box.
sponge-bath n.
ΚΠ
1859 Habits Good Society (new ed.) i. 106 The best bath for general purposes..is a sponge bath.
sponge-bed n.
ΚΠ
1883 in Adderley Fisheries Bahamas 55 The complete exhaustion of the sponge beds.
sponge box n.
ΚΠ
1895 Army & Navy Co-op. Soc. Price List 191/2 Sponge box for travelling, patent aluminium.
1970 Canad. Antiques Collector Oct. 18/2 Similar trifles for feminine use included snuff boxes, sponge boxes and bodkin cases.
sponge boat n.
ΚΠ
1885 A. Brassey In Trades 310 It is through this strait that many if not most of the sponge~boats go.
sponge cell n.
ΚΠ
1849 Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 4 87 When living and isolated the sponge-cell is polymorphous.
sponge field n.
ΚΠ
1883 A. J. Adderley Fisheries Bahamas 7 A new sponge-field was discovered last year.
sponge flesh n.
ΚΠ
1855 T. R. Jones Gen. Outl. Animal Kingdom (ed. 2) ii. 28 To this contractile substance..he [sc. M. Dujardin] proposed to give provisionally the name of Halisarca (sponge-flesh).
sponge ground n.
ΚΠ
1883 A. J. Adderley Fisheries Bahamas 53 To..protect the selected sponge grounds from robbery.
sponge hole n.
ΚΠ
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 128 Drilling through their pores or spung~holes.
1674 N. Fairfax Treat. Bulk & Selvedge 185 Any little spungholes or crannies.
sponge market n.
ΚΠ
1883 A. J. Adderley Fisheries Bahamas 6 They are taken to Nassau to be sold in the sponge-market.
sponge particle n.
ΚΠ
1870 H. A. Nicholson Man. Zool. v. 70 The so-called ‘sponge-particles’ or ‘sarcoids’.
sponge pore n.
ΚΠ
1889 Hardwicke's Sci.-gossip 25 230 Sometimes casts of the exhalant sponge pores were made in chalcedony overlaid with quartz.
sponge pressure n.
ΚΠ
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 821 The free bleeding will be staunched by sponge-pressure.
sponge spicule n.
ΚΠ
1877 T. H. Huxley Physiography xvi. 271 A highly 'fossiliferous' limestone with..sponge spicules.
sponge structure n.
ΚΠ
1885 J. E. Taylor Our Common Brit. Fossils i. 17 The various appearances of sponge structure under the microscope.
sponge trade n.
ΚΠ
1887 Encycl. Brit. XXII. 429/2 Recent statistics as to the extent of the sponge trade.
sponge tray n.
ΚΠ
1862 Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit. II. No. 6130 Sponge tray, soap boxes.
sponge tribe n.
ΚΠ
1844 W. B. Carpenter Animal Physiol. ii. 113 The class of Porifera, or the Sponge tribe.
sponge-work n.
ΚΠ
1883 Encycl. Brit. XVI. 689/1 Within the trabeculæ of the sponge-work blood circulates.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VII. 266 The blood-vessels form an expressible sponge-work.
sponge yard n.
ΚΠ
1885 A. Brassey In Trades 310 Many sponge-yards, where the process of cleaning and drying sponges is carried on.
b. In the sense ‘made of sponge’.
sponge brush n.
ΚΠ
1859 R. H. Semple tr. P. Bretonneau et al. Mem. Diphtheria 248 The sponge-brush is moistened with the caustic liquid.
sponge director n.
ΚΠ
1849 H. M. Noad Lect. Electr. (ed. 3) 490 A rapid series of shocks may thus be communicated..by means of the sponge directors.
sponge rammer n.
ΚΠ
1837 Penny Cycl. IX. 27/1 Its interior may be..cleaned by..running sponge-rammers through the..straight pipes.
sponge tent n.
ΚΠ
1739 S. Sharp Treat. Operations Surg. p. xxi A piece of Sponge-Tent, which is made by dipping a dry bit of Sponge in melted Wax [etc.].
1803 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 10 490 Keeping the abscess open by means of a sponge tent.
1876 Trans. Clin. Soc. 9 106 Sponge-tents are to be used to dilate the wound.
C2.
a. Parasynthetic.
sponge-coloured adj.
ΚΠ
1845 G. Dodd Brit. Manuf. 4th Ser. 33 A very curious sponge-coloured slab of stalagmitic marble.
sponge-footed adj.
ΚΠ
1896 Westm. Gaz. 26 Apr. 1/3 The silent sponge-footed camels.
sponge-leaved adj.
ΚΠ
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. at Pine Spunge-leaved Pine.
sponge shaped adj.
ΚΠ
a.
a1832 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) XVIII. 580/2 Fluviatile, sponge-shaped.
b. With agent-nouns.
sponge-diver n.
ΚΠ
1879 Cassell's Techn. Educator (new ed.) II. 238 The sponge-divers in the Archipelago.
sponge-fisher n.
ΚΠ
1858 I. S. Homans & I. S. Homans Cycl. Commerce & Commerc. Navigation 1751 The principal sponge-fishers of the Archipelago and Levant.
1867 Chambers's Encycl. IX. 57/2 The number of men employed in the Ottoman sponge-fishery is between 4000 and 5000.
sponge-maker n.
ΚΠ
1788 6th Rep. Deputy Keeper Public Rec. ii. 179 Henry Cook,..Spunge Maker.
sponge trimmer n.
ΚΠ
1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 23 Feb. 9/1 The prisoner..was a sponge trimmer.
c. With verbal nouns and participial adjectives, as sponge-bearing, sponge-farming, sponge-fishing, etc.
ΚΠ
c.
1861 E. A. Beaufort Egypt. Sepulchres II. 334 The sponge-gathering is a very lucrative business.
1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. III. 2286/1 On the Barbary coast sponge-fishing is..actively prosecuted.
1885 J. E. Taylor Our Common Brit. Fossils i. 16 Fossil sponge-hunting.
1885 J. E. Taylor Our Common Brit. Fossils i. 23 Sponge-bearing chalk-flints.
1887 Encycl. Brit. XXII. 428/2 The method of sponge-farming.
C3.
a. Special combinations:
sponge biscuit n. a flour-biscuit of a similar composition to sponge cake.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > biscuit > [noun] > other biscuits
dorcake14..
cracknelc1440
hard breada1500
crackling1598
Naples biscuit1650
gingerbread man1686
chocolate biscuit1702
biscotin1723
sponge biscuit1736
maple biscuita1753
butter biscuit1758
nut1775
Oliver biscuit1786
funeral biscuit1790
rock biscuit?1790
ratafia1801
finger biscuit1812
Savoy drop1816
lady's finger1818
snap1819
Abernethy1830
pretzel1831
wine-biscuit1834
gingersnap1838
captain's biscuit1843
lebkuchen1847
simnel1854
sugar cookie1854
peppernut1862
McClellan pie1863
Savoy ring1866
Brown George1867
beaten biscuit1876
digestive1876
Osborne1876
Bath Oliver1878
marie1878
boer biscuit1882
charcoal biscuit1885
biscotti1886
fairing1888
snickerdoodle1889
pfeffernuss1891
zwieback1894
Nice1895
Garibaldi biscuit1896
Oswegoc1900
squashed fly1900
amaretto1905
boerebeskuit1905
Romary1905
petit beurre1906
Oswego biscuit1907
soetkoekie1910
Oreo1912
custard cream1916
Anzac1923
sweet biscuit1929
langue de chat1931
Bourbon biscuit1932
Afghan1934
flapjack1935
Florentine1936
chocolate chip cookie1938
choc chip cookie1940
Toll House cookie1940
tuile1943
pizzelle1949
black and white1967
Romany Cream1970
papri1978
1736 N. Bailey Dict. Domesticum at Biscuit To make Spunge Biscuit.
1837 E. C. Gaskell Let. 18 Mar. (1966) 10 Aunt L. has..expressed a strong wish to hear ‘her dear little voice once again’ and has a spunge biscuit behind her pillow this 4 days to give her.
1892 T. F. Garrett & W. A. Rawson Encycl. Pract. Cookery 147/1 Sponge Biscuit.—Beat ten eggs very thick and smooth.
1954 D. Hartley Food in Eng. vii. 218 (heading) Egg and lemon jelly (using sponge biscuits).
sponge cloth n. (a) (see quots.); (b) a thin piece of spongy material used for cleaning; (c) a type of cotton fabric (see quot. 1957).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > wiping > [noun] > sponging > sponge
spongec1000
water sponge1497
mop1838
sponge cloth1862
Turkey sponge1902
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric made from specific material > cotton > [noun] > coarse
humhum1620
Surat1643
negannepaut1725
drill1743
cottonade1803
manta1848
sponge cloth1862
cotton drill1899
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > instrument for cleaning bore
moppet1512
scouring-stick1577
scourer1591
spongea1625
scouring-rod1697
sponge-staff1772
gun-brush1799
fire-swab1813
wiping-stick1817
wiper1826
washing-rod1850
sponge cloth1862
swab1863
wiping-rod1875
1862 Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit. II. No. 3643 Patent sponge cloths for cleaning machinery and fire-arms.
1876 G. E. Voyle & G. de Saint-Clair-Stevenson Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) 397/1 Sponge Cloth, a peculiar kind of cloth, moist with oil; it is used to clean the screws of Armstrong guns.
1902 D. Salomons in A. C. Harmsworth et al. Motors & Motor-driving (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) vi. 93 Sponge cloths are a desirable accessory for cleaning and for polishing up.
1919 Queen 26 July 138 White sponge cloth is the thing for this new coat and skirt.
1923 Daily Mail 5 Feb. 13 For the opening of the Tennis Season, nothing looks nicer than plain Sponge Cloth.
1957 M. B. Picken Fashion Dict. 318/2 Sponge cloth... Cotton fabric of coarse yarn woven in honeycomb weave to produce open spongy effect.
1976 ‘W. Trevor’ Children of Dynmouth iii. 58 Timothy rinsed the sponge-cloth he was using, squeezing it out in his bowl of dirty water. He wiped the inside of the oven..and closed the door.
sponge crêpe n.
ΚΠ
1923 Daily Mail 19 Feb. 7 Sponge Crepe. This useful material is greatly in demand.
sponge finger n. an elongated form of sponge biscuit.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > cake > [noun] > a cake > small cake > types of small cake
lozengec1430
rundle1587
macaroon1611
cookie1701
Savoy biscuit1719
queen cake1734
madling cake1747
dough1777
butter biscuit1789
rock cake1815
biscuit1818
madeleine1829
éclair1861
fairy cake1867
puftaloon1871
Eccles cake1872
petit four1875
rock bun1879
baby cake1880
rock1892
marigold1896
sponge finger1906
muffin top1914
palmier1920
lamington1929
whoopee pie1929
mandazi1937
French fancy1969
fondant fancy1974
1906 Westm. Gaz. 11 Sept. 10/2 The biscuits, sponge-fingers, sultana-cakes [etc.].
sponge-glass n. a device for discovering sponges at the bottom of the sea.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sight and vision > optical instruments > instrument for distant vision > [noun] > water glass
water telescope1782
water glass1804
sponge-glass1885
sea-glass1895
1885 A. Brassey In Trades 301 Their sponge-glasses..may perhaps be best described as square buckets with a glass bottom to them.
1887 G. B. Goode Fisheries U.S. 823 The sponge-glass as originally constructed consisted of a small, square, wooden box having a glass bottom.
sponge-gold n. gold as it remains after the silver has been removed in the process of ‘parting’.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > precious metal > [noun] > gold > other types of gold
angel gold1526
rux1586
flour-gold1869
quickgold1877
sponge-gold1882
1882 Rep. Precious Metals (U.S. Bureau of Mint) i. 648 Pouring melted phosphorus upon hot sponge~gold.
sponge-head n. the top of an artillery sponge-staff.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > instrument for cleaning bore > top of
sponge-head1828
1828 J. M. Spearman Brit. Gunner 177 Number 2 passes his sponge..to 4, who straps on the sponge-head.
1840 Gen. Mercer in R. J. Macdonald Hist. Dress Royal Regiment Artillery (1899) 56 Mine [i.e. a hat] was one of the low fans, with the spunge-head feather.
sponge-hook n. a hook with which sponges are pulled up from the sea-bottom.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > other specific types of equipment > [noun] > sponge-gathering tool
sponge-hook1881
1881 E. Ingersoll Oyster-industry (10th Census U.S.: Bureau of Fisheries) 248 Sponge-hook.—The bent, two-pronged iron tool at the end of a pole, with which sponges are gathered from the bottom.
1887 G. B. Goode Fisheries U.S. 823 The sponge-hooks are made of iron, with three curved prongs, measuring in total width about 5 or 6 inches.
sponge-iron n. iron ore rendered light and porous by the removal of foreign matter.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > mineral material > ore > [noun] > iron-ore > types of
sponge-iron1874
sinter1909
1874 J. A. Phillips Elem. Metall. 434 The precipitation of copper is very rapidly effected by the use of sponge-iron.
sponge mixture n. (a) a packet of prepared dry ingredients for making a sponge cake; (b) the ingredients of a sponge cake mixed together ready for baking.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > substances for food preparation > [noun] > batter or cake-mix
battera1475
pancake batter1615
cake mix1913
mix1922
sponge mixture1926
1926–7 Army & Navy Stores Catal. 50/1 Sponge mixture..pkt. -/5½.
1962 ‘O. Mills’ Headlines make Murder x. 119 She..poured boiling water on her sponge mixture.
1975 Times 10 May 13/4 A sponge mixture that you bake yourself tastes very much nicer than a shop bought one.
sponge-painted adj.
ΚΠ
1921 Spectator 2 Apr. 421/1 The woodwork has all been ‘sponge-painted’ in blue and white... Here I must add a word as to sponge-painting. The paint is put on with sponges instead of with a brush.
sponge-painting n. (see quot.).
ΚΠ
1921 Spectator 2 Apr. 421/1 The woodwork has all been ‘sponge-painted’ in blue and white... Here I must add a word as to sponge-painting. The paint is put on with sponges instead of with a brush.
sponge-pole n. = sponge-staff n. (b).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > other specific types of equipment > [noun] > sponge-gathering tool > part of
sponge-pole1881
sponge-staff1883
1881 E. Ingersoll Oyster-industry (10th Census U.S.: Bureau of Fisheries) 248 Sponge-pole.—The pole by which the hook is operated in gathering sponges.
sponge rubber n. liquid rubber latex processed into a sponge-like substance; frequently attributive.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > rubber materials > [noun] > other rubber materials
white rubber1807
rubber cement1849
spreadsheet1863
pale crêpe1908
Sorbo1917
Onazote1920
paragutta1931
sponge rubber1932
pliofilm1934
1932 New Yorker 9 Apr. 56/3 A luxurious soft pile combined with a sponge rubber back.
1934 G. F. Charnock Mech. Technol. (ed. 2) xxii. 278 Sponge rubber, such as is sometimes used for upholstery, and in which the pores are many times larger than the cells of expanded rubber, is not such an effective insulator.
1951 Archit. Rev. 109 164 (caption) A sponge rubber overlay is fitted over the springs.
1967 N. Freeling Strike Out 20 Metal furniture, upholstered in sponge rubber, covered with grey plastic.
sponge sandwich n. a sponge cake consisting of two halves sandwiched together with a filling; in earlier use, covered with custard and eaten as a pudding.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > cake > [noun] > a cake > sponge-cake
Savoy cake?1750
sponge cake1808
muffin1835
Madeira cake1845
Victoria sandwich1861
angels' food1865
marble cake1871
sponge1877
angel cake1878
angel food cake1878
layer cake1882
sponge sandwich1884
Lady Baltimore cake1889
sand cake1892
sandwich cake1911
Victoria sponge1934
red velvet1951
1884 Myra's Cookery Bk. xiv. 309 Sponge sandwiches... Sponge cakes 6—cut in half lengthways.
1917 Harrods Gen. Catal. 1269/2 Sponge Sandwiches..each 1/6.
1967 A. Laski Seven Other Years iii. 30 I want you to go..and get a sponge sandwich for tomorrow. A chocolate sponge with cream.
sponge-staff n. (a) the staff of an artillery sponge; (b) the staff of a sponge-hook.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > weapon > device for discharging missiles > firearm > equipment for use with firearms > [noun] > instrument for cleaning bore
moppet1512
scouring-stick1577
scourer1591
spongea1625
scouring-rod1697
sponge-staff1772
gun-brush1799
fire-swab1813
wiping-stick1817
wiper1826
washing-rod1850
sponge cloth1862
swab1863
wiping-rod1875
society > occupation and work > equipment > other specific types of equipment > [noun] > sponge-gathering tool > part of
sponge-pole1881
sponge-staff1883
1772 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 62 90 I took..sheet lead..and beat it on a sponge staff to make it round.
1883 Official Catal. Internat. Fisheries Exhib. (ed. 4) 160 Sponge Staffs, with Hook attached, used in obtaining..sponge.
† sponge-stone n. Obsolete (see quots.).
ΚΠ
1668 W. Charleton Onomasticon Zoicon 253 Lapis Spongiæ,..the Sponge-stone.
1712 J. Browne tr. P. Pomet et al. Compl. Hist. Druggs I. 100 The Spunge-Stone..is made of the Matter of Spunges petrified.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word) The spunge-stone, or tartarous incrustation on this plant.
sponge-swamp n. (see sense 6e).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > water > rivers and streams > system > [noun] > head or source
headeOE
wellspringOE
springOE
uptaking1241
head wella1325
wellheadc1330
sourcec1386
headspringa1398
headstreama1398
risinga1398
surge1523
springhead?a1560
head fountain1563
water head1567
fountainhead1585
headwater1612
fill1622
water source1651
urn1726
vomica1838
sponge-swamp1901
1901 Q. Rev. July 22 There is a ‘sponge’ swamp, or stream-head.
b. In names of crustacea, insects, etc.
sponge centre-shell n.
ΚΠ
1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis i. vi. ii. 148 The Spung-Centre-Shell. Balanus Spongiarum.
sponge crab n.
ΚΠ
1848 S. Maunder Treasury Nat. Hist. 197/1 Sponge Crab.—Dromia vulgaris.
sponge moth n.
ΚΠ
1891 Cent. Dict. Sponge-moth, the gipsy-moth.
sponge shrimp n.
ΚΠ
1888 Amer. Naturalist 22 256 The Sponge Shrimp. Alpheus.
† sponge spy n. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1605 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. i. v. 157 And so the Sponge-Spye, warily awakes The Sponges dull sence, when repast it takes.
c. In names of plants, etc.
sponge-cucumber n.
ΚΠ
1891 Cent. Dict. Sponge-cucumber, same as sponge-gourd.
sponge gourd n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > plants used to scrub or scour > [noun] > loofah plant or fruit
vegetable sponge1837
dish-rag1839
sponge gourd1861
towel-gourd1872
hechima1883
loofah-tree1887
dishcloth gourd1900
wash-gourd-
1861 R. Bentley Man. Bot. ii. iii. 548 The fruit of Luffa fœtida is termed the Sponge Gourd, as it consists of a mass of fibres entangled together, and is used for cleaning guns, &c.
sponge-leather n.
ΚΠ
1887 Cassell's Encycl. Dict. VI. Sponge-leather,..Polytrichum commune.
sponge mushroom n.
ΚΠ
1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis ii. iii. iv. 239 The Sponge Mushroom..hath the substance of a Tree-Mushroom.
sponge-tree n.
ΚΠ
1760 J. Lee Introd. Bot. App. 317/2 Spunge-tree, Mimosa.
1836 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Plants (rev. ed.) 858 Acacia farnesiana, Sponge Tree... [Native of] St. Domin[go].
sponge-wood n.
ΚΠ
a1832 Encycl. Metrop. (1845) XIX. 487/2 One species, Gastonia spongiosa, native of the Island of Bourbon; a tree with bark similar to sponge, it is called by the natives Sponge wood.
1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. II. 1086/2 Spongewood, Æschynomene aspera.

Draft additions 1993

A piece of sponge or similar material (esp. one impregnated with spermicide) inserted into the vagina as a form of barrier contraceptive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > procreation or reproduction > contraception > [noun] > devices or methods
sponge1823
French tickler1905
Gräfenberg ring1930
male condom1938
skin1956
Johnny1963
internal condom1969
female condom1982
contragestive1987
Femidom1989
1823 To Married of Both Sexes in J. Lane Soc. Hist. Med. (2001) 43 If the sponge be large enough, that is; as large as a green walnut, or a small apple, it will prevent conception.
1902 F. Hollick Origin of Life (new ed.) xxxviii. 428 No certain dependence can be placed upon introducing any object into the vagina before association, as a sponge, for instance, which, on being withdrawn, may bring the semen with it.
1933 C. I. B. Voge Chem. & Physics of Contraceptives v. 196 The sponge itself acts as a barrier and the action of coitus forces the spermicide out of the sponge into the vaginal cavity.
1983 N.Y. Times 13 Mar. 25/3 Physicians said the sponge proved to be about as effective as the diaphragm in tests on 2,000 women in several countries, including the United States.

Draft additions 1993

sponge-fly n. = spongilla fly n. at spongilla n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > division Endopterygota or Metabola (winged) > [noun] > order Neuroptera > family Sisyridae > member of
sponge-fly1901
spongilla fly1901
1901 J. G. Needham in Bull. N.Y. State Mus. No. 47. 560 I would suggest that as a common name for the insects of these two genera, spongilla flies, or sponge flies, would not be inappropriate.
1968 Oxf. Bk. Insects 36/1 Sponge-fly (Sisyra fuscata). A small, semi-aquatic Lacewing which flies from May to September.

Draft additions March 2014

sponge candy n. North American = honeycomb n. 2c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > confections or sweetmeats > sweets > [noun] > a sweet > other sweets
scrochat1448
gobbet riala1500
Portugal1560
sugar-pellet1591
muscadine1599
moscardino1616
rock candy1653
covering-seeds1687
lollipop1784
turn-over1798
lavender-sugar1810
humbug1825
kiss1825
elecampane1826
Gibraltar1831
yellow man1831
rose cake1834
cockle1835
maple candy1840
butterscotch1847
sponge candy1850
squib1851
honeycomb1857
marshmallow1857
motto kiss1858
fondant1861
coffee cream1868
candy-braid1870
candy bar1885
suckabob1888
nut bar1896
crackerjack1902
teiglach1903
red-hot1910
violet cream1912
mouldy1916
patty1916
lace1919
Tootsie Roll1925
sugar mouse1931
Parma1971
cinder toffee1979
1850 Indiana State Sentinel (Indianapolis) 12 Dec. (advt.) Sponge Candy, Rose Almonds, Candy Hearts.
1950 Wood County (Quitman, Texas) Democrat 12 Oct. 9/3 I remember the good sponge candy we used to buy as children.
2011 R. L. Herne Mended Hearts i. 11 Hannah nipped a piece of fresh sponge candy, closed her eyes in appreciation and breathed deep.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

spongen.2

Forms: Also 1600s–1700s spunge.
Etymology: < sponge v.
1. The act of living parasitically on others.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > flattery or flattering > servile flattery or currying favour > [noun] > parasitism or sponging
bloodsucking1583
parasitism1611
parasitry1663
sponging1677
sponge1693
parasiticalness1727
freeloading1937
1693 Humours & Conversat. Town 37 Another..is faine to live upon the Spunge the rest of his days.
1716 Lady Cowper Diary (1864) 105 Lady W. Powlett complains of Mademoiselle Schutz, and says she is so importunate and troublesome, and always upon the Spunge.
2. An act of wetting or wiping (off) with or as by means of a sponge. Also with adverbs.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > wiping > [noun] > sponging
sponging1575
sponge1720
magic sponge1921
the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > [noun] > action or process > with or as with a sponge
sponge1720
1720 A. Hutcheson Coll. Calculations S. Sea Scheme 138 Whether the Parliament..shall now take the Benefit of such a Spunge made by the Directors of the South-Sea Company.
1873 H. B. Tristram Land of Moab xv. 285 For myself a sponge at that heat was quite enough.
1905 Daily Chron. 21 Apr. 4/5 The mildest form of the cold bath is the cold sponge down.
1954 M. Stewart Madam, will you Talk? vii. 60 I hadn't time for a bath, but I took a quick cool sponge down.
1960 House & Garden Mar. 63/1 All the paper will need will be a sponge down.
1977 W. Golding Moving Target (1982) 66 Ann has just had a sponge-down in the beastly bath.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online December 2020).

† spongen.3

Forms: Also spunge.
Etymology: < older French esponge (modern French éponge), alteration of Old French esponde < Latin sponda frame (of a bed, etc.).
Obsolete.
A heel of a horseshoe.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping or management of horses > shoeing of horses > [noun] > horseshoe > parts of horseshoe
calkin1445
sponge1566
stopping1566
calk1587
spurn1696
quarter1727
welt1758
heel1770
cock1789
cork1806
seating1831
toe-weight1901
1566 T. Blundeville Order curing Horses Dis. cxliiii. f. 100, in Fower Offices Horsemanshippe The Graueling..commeth by meanes of little grauell stones getting betwixt the houe, or calkin, or sponge of the [horse's] shoe.
1596 L. Mascall Bk. Cattell 156 In shooing the fore feete, make your shooes with a broade webbe and with thick sponges.
1607 G. Markham Cavelarice vi. 62 The heeles shal be made with extraordinary long spunges, & those spunges more broad & flat then commonly is vsed.
1717 Dict. Rusticum (ed. 2) at Spunge Those who make the spunges of their Horses Shoes too long..spoil their Feet.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online March 2021).

spongev.

/spʌndʒ/
Forms: Also 1500s–1800s spunge (1600s–1700s spung), 1500s spundge; Scottish1500s, 1800s spounge, 1800s spoonge.
Etymology: < sponge n.1, or < Old French esponger (modern French éponger), late Latin spongiāre (rare).
I. To wipe or clean with a sponge, and related uses.
1.
a. transitive. To wipe or rub with a wet sponge for the purpose of cleaning. Also with adverbs, as down, over, up.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > wiping > clean by wiping [verb (transitive)] > clean with a sponge
sponge1392
1392 Earl Derby's Exp. (Camden) 178 Et per manus eiusdem pro spongyng j last barello.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 729 I sponge a gowne or any other garment to scoure the fylthe out of it, je esponge.
?1545 H. Rhodes Bk. Nurture sig. A.ii Sponge & brusshe thy clothes clene, that ye shalte on were.
1609 T. Cocks Diary (1901) 81 Given to nursse for spunginge my jerkyn ijd.
1612 M. Drayton Poly-olbion ii. 33 In their sight to spunge his foame-bespawled beard.
1688 G. Miege Great French Dict. ii. sig. Sssv/1 To spunge a Thing over.
1848 E. C. Gaskell Mary Barton I. vi. 110 Too busy planning how her..gown..might be spunged, and turned.
1889 A. C. Gunter That Frenchman! viii. 89 It [sc. the dress-suit] looks very nice now, and Gretchen can sponge it up to-morrow.
absolute.1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. 326 Another..sponged freely and regularly..in water colored brown by coffee.figurative.1842 Ld. Tennyson St. Simeon Stylites in Poems (new ed.) II. 60 God hath now Sponged and made blank of crimeful record all My mortal archives.
b. To swab the bore of (a cannon), esp. after a discharge. Also absol.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > action of propelling missile > discharge of firearms > fire (a gun) [verb (transitive)] > clean
scour1613
spongea1625
scale1784
a1625 H. Mainwaring Nomenclator Navalis (Harl. 2301) (at cited word) Wee have it also fitted to the ends of a stiff roape..to spunge and lade within Board. We over spung a Peece [etc.].
1669 S. Sturmy Mariners Mag. To Rdr. To spunge, lade, and fire a Gun.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine at Cannon To spunge a piece therefore is to introduce this instrument into the bore, and thrusting it home..to clean the whole cavity.
1828 J. M. Spearman Brit. Gunner 175 Number 1, points and commands; 2, sponges; 3, loads.
1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea II. xvi. 329 In less time than it took the Russian artillerymen to sponge and load their guns.
c. spec. (See quot. 1775.)
ΚΠ
1775 J. Ash New Dict. Eng. Lang. Sponge (v.t.),..to take off the gloss of new cloth with a sponge.
d. To wipe, wet, or moisten, with some liquid applied by means of a sponge.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > liquid > condition of being or making wet > make wet [verb (transitive)] > with liquid supplied by means of a sponge
sponge1800
1800 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 3 557 I then directed..the whole surface of his body to be sponged with cold vinegar.
1815 J. Smith Panorama Sci. & Art II. 742 To make the colour of the sky spread more evenly, it is a frequent practice to sponge the paper with clean water.
1876 J. S. Bristowe Treat. Theory & Pract. Med. ii. i. 172 The patient should be..frequently sponged with tepid water.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 780 The best treatment would be to sponge the parts with a one in two thousand perchloride of mercury.
†2.
a. With up: To make spruce, smart, or trim.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautify (the person) [verb (transitive)]
highta1200
atiffe?c1225
tiff?c1225
wyndre?a1366
kembc1386
picka1393
prunec1395
tifta1400
varnishc1405
finea1425
tifflea1425
quaint1484
embuda1529
trick?1532
trick1545
dill1548
tricka1555
prink1573
smug1588
sponge1588
smudge1589
perk1590
primpc1590
sponge1592
tricksy1598
prime1616
sprug1622
briska1625
to sleek upa1625
trickify1678
prim1688
titivate1705
dandify1823
beflounce1824
befop1866
spry1878
lustrify1886
dude1899
doll1916
tart1938
youthify1945
pansy1946
spiv1947
dolly1958
zhuzh1970
1588 R. Greene Pandosto sig. Fv His Wife a good cleanly wenche, brought him all things fitte, and spungd him vp very handsomlie.
1590 Tarltons Newes out of Purgatorie 30 On goes she with hir holiday partlet, and spoonging hir selfe vp, went with hir hus band to Church.
1605 G. Chapman Al Fooles i. i. 73 Undressed, sluttish, nasty, to their husbands; Spung'd up, adorn'd, and painted to their lovers.
a1627 T. Middleton Women beware Women ii. ii, in 2 New Playes (1657) 117 When she was invited to an early wedding; She'ld dress her head o'r night, spunge up her self, And give her neck three lathers.
†b. Similarly without up. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautify (the person) [verb (transitive)]
highta1200
atiffe?c1225
tiff?c1225
wyndre?a1366
kembc1386
picka1393
prunec1395
tifta1400
varnishc1405
finea1425
tifflea1425
quaint1484
embuda1529
trick?1532
trick1545
dill1548
tricka1555
prink1573
smug1588
sponge1588
smudge1589
perk1590
primpc1590
sponge1592
tricksy1598
prime1616
sprug1622
briska1625
to sleek upa1625
trickify1678
prim1688
titivate1705
dandify1823
beflounce1824
befop1866
spry1878
lustrify1886
dude1899
doll1916
tart1938
youthify1945
pansy1946
spiv1947
dolly1958
zhuzh1970
1592 R. Greene Quip for Vpstart Courtier sig. Dv He as neatly spunged, as if he had beene a bridegrome.
1594 T. Nashe Terrors of Night To Rdr. You shal haue them..spend a whole twelue month in spunging & sprucing them.
3.
a. To apply with a sponge. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > coating or covering with a layer > coat or cover with a layer [verb (transitive)] > smear or spread with a substance > smear (a substance)
cleamc1000
smeara1400
spread?a1425
strike1525
splet1530
dab1592
stroke1594
sponge1607
daub1647
wipe1738
plaster1799
teerc1850
slather1866
cake1944
1607 E. Topsell Hist. Foure-footed Beastes 184 Diuers Authors haue also prescribed these outward medicines against the bitinges of Dogs in generall, namely Vineger spunged, the lees of Vineger [etc.].
b. To remove, wipe away, off, or up, by means of a sponge. Also in figurative context.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > wiping > clean by wiping [verb (transitive)] > clean with a sponge > remove (dirt) with a sponge
sponge1624
1624 F. Quarles Iob Militant xii O! bathe me in his Blood, spunge euery Staine, That I may boldly sue my Counter~paine.
1767 B. Gooch Pract. Treat. Wounds I. 258 After the bone is laid sufficiently bare, and the blood well spunged up.
1846 F. Brittan tr. J. F. Malgaigne Man. Operative Surg. 10 Carefully sponge away the blood or serum which exudes during the application of the caustic.
1906 F. S. Oliver Alexander Hamilton iv. iv. 309 All the old accounts were sponged off the slate.
c. To take out, extract, by means of a sponge or in a similar manner.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > extraction > extract [verb (transitive)] > (as) by means of a sponge or filter
sponge1686
discuss1802
to filter out1823
1686 tr. J. Chardin Trav. Persia 91 Golden-sand which the People spong'd out of the Water with their sheep-skins.
1894 Daily News 17 July 6/3 The collector would not fairly be stigmatised as a Vandal if he sponged out the plate.
1894 Daily News 17 July 6/3 These [book-]plates, containing the names..of the owners from whose books they have been ‘sponged’.
4. To convert (flour or dough) into ‘sponge’. Also intransitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparation of bread > prepare bread [verb (transitive)] > add leaven or raise
sourdoughc1384
leavena1400
raisea1500
set1743
sponge1773
1773 Ann. Reg. 1772 ii. 109/2 So will a thimble-full of barm, by adding of warm water, raise or spunge any body of flour.
1876 C. C. Robinson Gloss. Words Dial. Mid-Yorks. 134/2.
1962 M. E. Murie Two in Far North ii. vii. 171 The [bread] sponge didn't sponge in spite of red damask tablecloth and fur parka I had lovingly wrapped it in.
5. intransitive. To issue or rise in a spongy form; to foam; to drip as from a sponge.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > gas > gas or air in liquid or effervescence > effervesce [verb (intransitive)] > foam or froth
foamc950
spumec1400
creamc1440
ream1440
fry1590
mantle1595
froth1603
sud1603
freathe1786
sponge1790
yeast1880
the world > matter > liquid > liquid flow > action or process of dripping or falling in drops > drip or fall in drops [verb (intransitive)] > as from a sponge
sponge1790
1790 J. Fisher Poems Var. Subj. 93 Sips o' it seem to come spunging Out frae your mouth.
1867 Stamford Mercury 20 Sept. She did not even sponge at her mouth.
1880 J. Lomas Man. Alkali Trade iii. 73 The cast-iron burner pipe..should project some 6 or 9 in. into the interior, to prevent any sponging back of the acid.
1884 J. Burroughs Locusts & Wild Honey (new ed.) 112 Rain..sponging off every leaf of every tree in the forest and every growth in the fields.
6. transitive. To throw up the sponge on behalf of (one who is beaten in a fight). slang.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > absence of resistance > accept without resistance [verb (transitive)] > give in on behalf of
sponge1851
1851 H. Mayhew London Labour II. 56/1 They'll fight on till they go down together, and then if one [dog] leave hold, he's sponged.
II. Figurative uses.
7. To rub or wipe out, to efface or obliterate:
a. With out or out of.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > memory > effacement, obliteration > efface, obliterate [verb (transitive)] > by rubbing
planec1350
to rub outc1400
to rub offa1425
sponge1548
wipe1564
spongea1636
sponge1720
smear1838
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. ccv Which spot no wayes can be sponged out nor recompenced, for shame in a kynred can by no treasure be redemed.
1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) I. 688/1 I trust..yt your dyrtie pen..hath not so bedaubed and bespotted me..but I hope to spunge it out.
1629 H. Lynde Via Tuta 285 After I..had noted six hundred seuerall passages to be spunged and blotted out.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 258 To spunge out prejudicate Notions or Opinions.
1838 E. Cook Lines written at Midnight vi Time..That sponges out all trace of truth.
1887 D. C. Murray & H. Herman One Traveller Returns v. 69 Its gloom saturated the forest rim, and then sponged it out of sight.
1888 W. Richmond Christian Econ. 232 The difficulty is one to be met in detail. It cannot be sponged out by any general statement.
b. Without adverb.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > memory > effacement, obliteration > efface, obliterate [verb (transitive)] > by rubbing
planec1350
to rub outc1400
to rub offa1425
sponge1548
wipe1564
spongea1636
sponge1720
smear1838
a1636 H. Lynde Case for Spectacles (1638) 103 Or must we beleeve, that your Inquisitors would take such infinite care and paines to review all Authours for 1600. yeares, and spunge them onely in the Index?
a1821 J. Keats Otho i. iii, in R. M. Milnes Life, Lett. & Lit. Remains Keats (1848) II. 131 No, not a thousand foughten fields could sponge Those days paternal from my memory.
1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking ii. 70 It would remain in the power of the tribunal..to sponge from their name the least suspicion.
c. With off. (Chiefly of debts.)
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > memory > effacement, obliteration > efface, obliterate [verb (transitive)] > by rubbing
planec1350
to rub outc1400
to rub offa1425
sponge1548
wipe1564
spongea1636
sponge1720
smear1838
1720 A. Hutcheson Coll. Calculations S. Sea Scheme 138 Whether the Parliament had, by an express Law, Spunged off Seven Millions of this Debt.
1803 in Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. (1817) 8 Feb. 177 There is none of the debt sponged off by this tax.
1824 Examiner 817/2 The debt would be spunged off.
8.
a. To divest of something. rare.
ΚΠ
1594 T. Kyd tr. R. Garnier Cornelia ii. 7 O eyes,..make the blood..trickle by your vaults; And spunge my bodies heate of moisture so, As my displeased soule may shunne my hart.
b. To drain or empty; to clear out. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > leave unoccupied [verb (transitive)] > empty > empty or exhaust
draw1483
rinse1575
sponge1610
clear1699
bottom1808
to clean out1844
deplete1850
deplenish1859
1610 J. Guillim Display of Heraldrie iii. xvi. 147 When they haue done, and their Clients purses well spunged, they are better friends then euer they were.
1814 W. Scott Waverley II. xxii. 341 This the young Highlander performed, not without examining the pockets of the defunct, which, however, he remarked, had been pretty well spung'd . View more context for this quotation
c. To deprive (one) of something by sponging; to press (one) for money; to squeeze.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > extortion > practise extortion on [verb (transitive)]
ransom?a1425
to poll and pill1528
exact1534
bloodsuck?1541
extort1561
rack1576
flay1584
shave1606
wire-draw1616
punisha1626
sponge1631
squeeze1639
screwa1643
to screw up1655
bleed1680
torture1687
to screw down1725
to shake down1872
to squeeze (someone) until the pips squeak1918
to bleed white1935
rent1956
1631 S. Jerome Arraignem. Whole Creature i. 11 Those Hogs hee must feed, till they spunge him of all his substance.
1677 G. Miege New Dict. French & Eng. ii. sig. Zz 4/1 To spunge one, to get what one can of him.
1692 R. South 12 Serm. I. 608 How came such multitudes..to be spunged of their Plate and Money.
1716 R. Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 132 Yea, taking the clothes off the people's very backs,..and always spunged them for money.
1724 A. Ramsay Vision in Ever Green I. xii By rundging, and spunging, The leil laborious pure [= poor].
9.
†a. To obtain by pressure or extortion. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > extortion > practise extortion on [verb (transitive)] > extort
wringa1300
bribec1405
compela1500
extort1529
poll1559
wrest1565
scruze1590
rack1591
strain1600
squeeze1602
extorque1623
squeeze1639
screw1648
sponge1686
pinch1770
strike1894
1686 tr. J. Chardin Trav. Persia 95 Their Principal Revenue arising from what they spunge from their Vassals.
1691 T. Hale Acct. New Inventions p. lxxiv To spunge Composition out of such as are willing to buy their Peace.
b. To get from another in a mean or parasitic manner. Also with up.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > acquisition > obtain or acquire [verb (transitive)] > obtain or acquire in a certain way > by irregular means
miswinc1400
sorn1563
shirk1635
sponge1676
whizzle1787
mooch1865
honeyfuggle1905
hot-stuff1914
scrounge1917
hum1918
ponce1938
organize1941
bludge1944
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > flattery or flattering > servile flattery or currying favour > flatter servilely or curry favour with [verb (transitive)] > sponge on > obtain by sponging
shirk1635
sponge1676
1676 W. Wycherley Plain-dealer Prol. If y'ave any wit, 'Tis but what here you spunge and daily get.
1707 J. Stevens tr. F. de Quevedo Comical Wks. (1709) 369 Any that would spunge a Dinner.
1735 J. Swift in Portland Papers VI. 61 (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I spend six hogsheads every year, which some of my Prebendaries..sponge from me at noon or evening.
1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World I. 109 They spunged up my money whilst it lasted.
1871 B. Taylor tr. J. W. von Goethe Faust I. xxii. 245 Once many a bit we sponged; but now, God help us! that is done with.
10.
a. intransitive. To live on others in a parasitic manner; to obtain assistance or maintenance by mean arts.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > flattery or flattering > servile flattery or currying favour > flatter servilely or curry favour [verb (intransitive)] > be a parasite or sponger
hang1535
lick1602
parasite1609
shirk1633
sponge1673
scunge1846
coat-tail1852
leech1937
freeload1940
lig1960
1673 R. Head Canting Acad. 103 He may Spunge, and have his Leachery for nothing.
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Spunge, to drink at others Cost.
1785 F. Grose Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue To spunge, to eat and drink at another's cost.
1849 W. Irving Oliver Goldsmith (rev. ed.) xxv. 222 An Irishman..who lived nobody knew how nor where, sponging wherever he had a chance.
1884 G. Moore Mummer's Wife (1887) 203 Fearing to look as if she were sponging, Kate insisted on..standing treat.
b. Const. on or upon (a person, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > flattery or flattering > servile flattery or currying favour > flatter servilely or curry favour with [verb (transitive)] > sponge on
live1583
sponge1677
to feed on1733
(a)
1677 G. Miege New Dict. French & Eng. ii. sig. Zz4/1 To spunge upon one, écornifler.
1693 Humours & Conversat. Town 101 The poor Curate is fain to Spunge upon the Wealthier Sinners of his Parish.
1707 G. Farquhar Beaux Stratagem iv. 51 I had rather spunge upon Morris, and sup upon a Dish of Bohee scor'd behind the Door.
1737 H. Fielding Tom Thumb (ed. 3) ii. i. 17 There, when I have him, I will spunge upon him.
1824 Hist. Gaming Houses 41 Frequenting shabby ale-houses, sponging upon credulous persons.
1857 J. Ruskin Polit. Econ. Art Add. 198 They will cheat the public at their shops, or sponge on their friends at their houses.
1887 M. E. Braddon Like & Unlike I. x. 233 I hope I shall never be obliged to sponge upon you.
(b)a1695 J. Scott Christian Life: Pt. III (1696) 315 What Man in his wits would keep such a company of devouring Lusts about him, that are perpetually spunging upon his Estate.1697 J. Pollexfen Disc. Trade & Coyn 155 [They] must live by preying, pilfering or spunging upon other Mens Labours.1855 A. Trollope Warden xx. 311 It was an easy matter to abandon his own income, as he was able to sponge on that of another person.1902 L. Stephen Stud. of Biographer III. iii. 114 Humbugs, ready to..spunge upon his benevolence.
c. With for (something).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > flattery or flattering > servile flattery or currying favour > flatter servilely or curry favour with [verb (transitive)] > sponge on > obtain by sponging > seek to
sponge1719
1719 T. D'Urfey Wit & Mirth I. 200 That all Bullies should pay, And sponge no more for Recreation.
1735 T. Sheridan Let. to Swift 5 Oct. Do not think to sponge upon me for anything but meat, drink, and lodging.
1837 E. Bulwer-Lytton Ernest Maltravers I. i. xvii. 158 A doubt lest I should some day or other sponge upon his lordship for a place.
1883 R. L. Stevenson Treasure Island i. v. 40 I'm to be a poor, crawling beggar, sponging for rum, when I might be rolling in a coach!
11. To go about in a sneaking or loafing fashion, esp. in order to obtain something.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > progressive motion > specific manner of progressive motion > move progressively in specific manner [verb (intransitive)] > idly or aimlessly
wantonc1550
random1561
sponge1825
slosh1854
to scull around1921
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl.
1866 London Rev. 3 Mar. 245/2 Soldiers..loafing and spunging from tavern to tavern during the entire day.
III. To gather freshwater or marine sponges.
12. intransitive. (See quot. 1881.)
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > diving or dredging > dive or dredge [verb (intransitive)] > dive > for sponges
sponge1881
1881 E. Ingersoll Oyster-industry (10th Census U.S.: Bureau of Fisheries) 248 Sponge, or To go Sponging.—To go on a cruise for gathering sponges.

Derivatives

ˈspongeable adj. able to be wiped with a sponge.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > washing > [adjective] > that can be washed with a sponge
spongeable1971
1971 Ideal Home Apr. 75/2 Spongeable wallpaper.
1976 Milton Keynes Express 23 July 22/5 (advt.) Roller blind kits and dozens of fabulous spongeable fabrics at Bedford Wednesday Market behind statue.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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