sb. Forms: α. 4, 6 spigote, 5 speget, 5–6 spygott(e, spygot, 6–7 spigott, 4– spigot. β. 7 spigget, spiggott, 7–9 spiggot. See also SPICKET1 and SPIDDOCK. [Of obscure history, but probably ad. early Prov. *espigot, f. espiga SPIKE sb.1
For the formation cf. mod.Prov. espigot (F. dial. épigot; OF. espigeot, F. dial. épigeot) a badly threshed ear of grain. Some approximation in sense appears in Prov. espigoun, espigou (= Sp. espigon, Pg. espigão, It. spigone), rung of a ladder, bar of a chair, bung of a cask. Pg. espicho (:—L. spīculum) has the sense of ‘spigot.’ Florio (1611) also gives It. spigo as ‘spigot,’ but for this there appears to be no other evidence.]
1. A small wooden peg or pin used to stop the vent-hole of a barrel or cask; a vent-peg; a similar peg inserted into and controlling the opening or tube of a faucet and used to regulate the flow of liquor.
α. 1383–4. Durham Acc. Rolls (Surtees), 593. In iij duodenis de Spigotes empt. pro butelaria,… iijs. iiijd.
1388. Wyclif, Job xxxii. 19. Lo! my wombe is as must with out spigot, ether a ventyng.
14[?]. Nom., in Wr.-Wülcker, 724. Hec clipsidra, a spygotte.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 469/1. Spygot, clipsidra, ducillus, ductileum.
1531–2. Durham Househ. Bk. (Surtees), 74. 2 dd. spigotts et cannells.
1590. Shuttleworths’ Acc. (Chetham Soc.), 63. Spigotes and facetes, ijd.
1598. Shaks., Merry W., I. iii. 24. O base hungarian wight: wilt thou the spigot wield?
1674. Grew, Anat. Pl., Disc. Mixture (1682), 226. When one Atome is admitted into the Concave or hole of another; as a Spigot is into a Fosset.
1768–74. Tucker, Lt. Nat. (1834), I. 568. If a careless servant does not mind to thrust the spigot fast into the barrel, the beer must necessarily run all away.
1809. Malkin, Gil Blas, IX. ix. ¶ 5. We have … wherewithal to keep the spit and the spigot in exercise.
1843. G. P. R. James, Forest Days, ix. A man with a mallet was busily engaged in driving a spigot and faucet to give discreet vent to the liquor within.
1896. Crockett, Cleg Kelly, viii. 61. Cleg went to the back of the door, where there was a keg with a spigot.
β. 1570. Levins, Manip., 177/11. A spiggotte, epistomium.
1594. Nashe, Unfort. Trav., Wks. (Grosart), V. 23. Nothing but spiggots and faussets of discarded emptie barrels.
1658. trans. Porta’s Nat. Magick, X. ii. 256. Pull out the Spigget, that the hot Water may run out.
1673. Ray, Journ. Low C., 462. They gather it [petroleum] up,… and put it in a barrel set on one end, which hath a spiggot just at the bottom.
1743. Lond. & Country Brewer, III. (ed. 2), 185. Sometimes the Weight of the Wort forces out the Spiggot.
1823. P. Nicholson, Pract. Build., 340. A small barrel of water at the top, furnished with a spiggot.
b. fig. That which controls, lets out, or restrains. Freq. used with reference to speech or language.
1780. Warner, in Jesse, Selwyn & Contemp. (1844), IV. 402. You must be very serious in what you say about a speech. Do but pull out the spigot and let it run, and nobody can sport a clearer or a sweeter stream.
1830. Carlyle, Misc. (1857), II. 174. Something which he called the rudder of Government, but which was rather the spigot of Taxation.
1834. Medwin, Angler in Wales, I. 224. I should find such enemies in the preachers, that I might bung up my spigot.
1900. Lapsley, County Pal. Durham, 127. Having but a limited control of the spigot of taxation.
† 2. A hollow wooden peg or tube used in drawing off liquor; a faucet. Obs.
Not always clearly distinguishable from sense 1.
1530. Palsgr., 693/2. I ronne, as lycour dothe out of a vessell by a spigot or faulset, whan it ronneth styll after a stynte.
1644. Digby, Nat. Bodies, xx. § 3. 177. [To have] a little spigott, or quile att the outside of the hole, that by the narrow length of it helpeth in some sort (as it were) to sucke it.
1675. J. Rose, Eng. Vineyard Vind., 43. Drawing out your must by a spigot at the bottom of your vessel.
1725. Fam. Dict., s.v. Birch-Wine, [It] will need neither Stone nor Chip to keep it open, nor Spiggot to direct it to the Recipient.
3. In figurative or allusive use: a. In various proverbial phrases (see quots.)
1562. J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 194. We apply the spigot, till tubbe stande a tilte.
1591. Greene, Farew. to Follie, Wks. (Grosart), IX. 249. The foole was a fidler, and knewe scarse a speare from a spigot.
1594. Lyly, Mother Bombie, II. v. Memp. Ile teach my wag-halter to know grapes from barley. Pris. And I mine to discerne a spigot from a faucet.
1677. Miége, Fr. Dict., II. s.v. Spare, To spare at the spiggot, and let it run out at the bung-hole.
b. Brother, knight, man, son of the spigot, a tapster; a seller of liquor; an alehouse-keeper; hero, imp of the spigot, one who indulges in liquor.
1821. Scott, Kenilw., i. ‘What, ho! John Tapster.’ ‘At hand, Will Hostler,’ replied the man of the spigot. Ibid., viii. When an old song comes across us merry old knights of the spigot, it runs away with our discretion.
1828. Miss Mitford, Village, Ser. III. (1863), 42. Like that renowned hero of the spiggot [Boniface].
1839. Sir J. Stephen, Eccl. Biog. (1850), 309. Under the guidance … of the imp of the spigot, Martin Luther.
4. A plain end of a pipe entering an enlargement (a ‘socket’ or ‘faucet’) of another as a means of forming a joint. Chiefly in attrib. phrases, as spigot and faucet joint, spigot and socket piece.
1797. J. Curr, Coal Viewer, 55. The joints [of jack-head pumps] may be either spigot and faucet, or hoboy joints run with lead and regulus.
1840. Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl., III. 121/1. Some cocks of the smaller sizes have heretofore been cast with spigot and socket instead of flange outlets. Ibid. The outlets are generally made with flanges, to which a socket and spigot piece with corresponding flanges are bolted.
1849. Greenwell, Coal-trade Terms, Northumb. & Durh., s.v., Spigot and Faucit, a description of pump joint, in which each pump is cast with a cup or faucit end; the other, or spigot end, being plain, for the purpose of insertion into the cup.
b. An annular projection (as on a cylinder cover or a flange) entering a corresponding depression in the adjacent piece.
1900. Hasluck, Mod. Eng. Handybk., 84. The spigots of the cylinder-covers are also chipped away the same width as the ports.
5. attrib., as spigot-end, -hole; also spigot-joint, a spigot and faucet joint; † spigot-sucker, one given to drinking or tippling.
1611. Cotgr., Pinteur, a tippler, pot-companion, spiggot-sucker.
1849. Spigot end [see 4 above].
1875. Knight, Dict. Mech., 2266/1. Spigot (or Faucet) Joint.
1879. Miss Jackson, Shropsh. Word-bk., 33. The … strainer placed over the spigot-hole within the mash-tub, to prevent the grains passing through into the wort.
1884. Rose Terry Cooke, in Harper’s Mag., Sept., 608/2. The agile creatures made their escape through the spigot-hole.
Hence Spigot v. trans., to thrust a spigot into. In quots. fig.
a. 1809. J. Palmer, Like Master Like Man (1811), II. xiv. 211. But I must obey orders, or he might spigot me, mayhap, as they do in the foot-cavalry.
1824. Landor, Imag. Conv., Wks. 1853, I. 173/2. Did not you or your father flay the devil alive? Did not you spigot him nor singe him?
