Forms: α. 3 spit(i)en (pa. t. spitede, pa. pple. i-spited, y-spited, -spyted), 5 spite, spyte. β. Sc. and dial. 6 spete, 6, 8–9 speet. γ. 5–6 spytte, 6 spyt, 6– spit (pa. t. and pa. pple. spitted), 7 spitt. [f. SPIT sb.1 Cf. MDu. (Du.) and MLG. speten, MDu. and LG. spitten, older G. (now dial.) spissen (G. spiessen).]
1. trans. To put on a spit; to thrust through with a spit.
c. 1205. Lay., 26522. He … smat hinc þurh mid þan spere swa he ispited weore.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 4213. Þis grisliche geant adde … yspited him þoru out mid an yrene spite.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 469. Spyte mete on a spete, veruo.
1483. Cath. Angl., 356/1. To Spytte … flesche, verutare.
1530. Palsgr., 729. I wyll spytte my meate or ever I wyl set my pyes in the oven.
1581. A. Hall, Iliad, II. 31. The gigots and the other flesh in peeces they did spit.
c. 1612. Chapman, Iliad, IX. 209. Then of a well fed swine, A huge fat shoulder he cuts out, and spits it wondrous fine.
1699. Dampier, Voy., II. I. 31. Dress little bits of Pork, spitted 5 or 6 of them at once on a small skiver, and roasted.
1749. Smollett, Gil Blas, X. x. He lighted a fire, spitted a leg of mutton.
1787. Farley, Lond. Art Cookery (ed. 4), 35. Having spitted your pig,… lay it down to a brisk clear fire.
1833. Loudon, Encycl. Archit., § 1515. The operation, when the meat is once spitted,… goes on of itself.
1879. Beerbohm, Patagonia, xi. 171. I lost no time in spitting some meat and setting it to roast.
b. transf. To pierce, transfix or stab with a sharp weapon, etc.; to fix or impale on or upon something sharp.
α, γ. c. 1430. Pilgr. Lyf Manhode, II. cxxviii. (1869), 124. A spere, that was al ful of eren of men perced, whiche weren spited ther on.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., III. iii. 38. Your naked Infants spitted vpon Pykes.
1607. R. C[arew], trans. Estienne’s World Wond., 144. Two brethren … who were spitted vpon a stake some fifteene yeares ago.
a. 1643. W. Cartwright, Ordinary, IV. i. Hee’l spit you, If he but know you are a Usurer.
1781. Cowper, Charity, 354. Whether he measure earth,… Weigh sun-beams, carve a fly, or spit a flea.
1847. E. Brontë, Wuthering Heights, vi. I. 106. If she had been spitted on the horns of a mad cow.
1870. Thornbury, Tour rd. Eng., I. ii. 51. They were found, side by side, each having spitted the other with his rapier.
fig. 1589. R. Harvey, Pl. Perc., 11. Heresay is too slender an euidence to spit a mans credit vpon.
refl. 1818. Scott, Rob Roy, x. My falcon Cheviot, who spitted himself on a heron’s bill.
β. 1513. Douglas, Æneid, IX. xii. 90. And Phegeas [he] doun brytnys in the feyld, Spetit throw owt the body and his scheyld.
1575. Gamm. Gurton, V. ii. 181. If he came, [he] bad me not sticke to speet hym.
1785. Burns, Jolly Beggars, xxxix. He swore by a’ was swearing worth, To speet him like a pliver.
2. To pierce or stud (a thing) with spikes.
a. 1225. Juliana, 57. [He] lette … a swiðe wunderlich hweol meten & makien & þurh spitien [v.r. spiten] hit al … wið irnene gadien.
3. a. To fix (herrings or other fish) on a spit or rod for drying or smoking.
1617. Minutes Archd. Colchester (MS.), Allegauit that his servant dyd spitt herrings vpon the saboth day,… for otherwise the herrings had bene all lost.
1865. W. White, E. Eng., II. 140. The fish are washed and speeted by gangs of women, who with nimble fingers hang them one by one through gills and mouth upon speets.
b. To string (needles) together by passing a wire through the eyes.
1862. Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit., II. No. 6449, These little labourers take the needles when they have been ‘eyed’ and proceed to ‘spit’ them, that is, to pass a wire through the eye of every needle.
