Also 6–9 spunge (7–8 spung), 6 spundge; Sc. 6, 9 spounge, 9 spoonge. [f. SPONGE sb.1, or ad. OF. esponger (mod.F. éponger), late L. spongiāre (rare).]
I. 1. trans. To wipe or rub with a wet sponge for the purpose of cleaning. Also with advs., as down, over, up.
1392. Earl Derby’s Exp. (Camden), 178. Et per manus eiusdem pro spongyng j last barello.
1530. Palsgr., 729. I sponge a gowne or any other garment to scoure the fylthe out of it, je esponge.
1550. H. Rhodes, Bk. Nurture, in Babees Bk. 73. Brush thou, and spunge thy cloaths to, that thou that day shalt weare.
1609. T. Cocks, Diary (1901), 81. Given to nursse for spunginge my jerkyn ijd.
1612. Drayton, Poly-olb., ii. 440. In their sight to spunge his foame-bespawled beard.
1687. Miége, Gt. Fr. Dict., II. To spunge a Thing over.
1848. Mrs. Gaskell, M. Barton, vi. Too busy planning how her … gown … might be sponged, and turned.
1889. Gunter, That Frenchman! viii. 89. It [the dress-suit] looks very nice now, and Gretchen can sponge it up to-morrow.
absol. 1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., 326. Another … sponged freely and regularly … in water colored brown by coffee.
fig. 1842. Tennyson, St. Simon Stylites, 156. 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.
a. 1625. Nomenclator Navalis (Harl. MS. 2301), s.v., 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. Sturmy, Mariner’s Mag., To Rdr. To spunge, lade, and fire a Gun.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1780), s.v. 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 (ed. 2), 175. Number 1, points and commands; 2, sponges; 3, loads.
1863. Kinglake, Crimea (1877), III. i. 119. In less time than it took the Russian artillerymen to sponge and load their guns.
c. spec. (See quot.)
1775. Ash, 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.
1800. Med. Jrnl., III. 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. Bristowe, Th. & Pract. Med. (1878), 174. The patient should be … frequently sponged with tepid water.
1899. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., VIII. 780. The best treatment would be to sponge the parts with a one in two thousand perchloride of mercury.
† 2. With up: To make spruce, smart or trim.
1588. Greene, Pandosto, Wks. (Grosart), IV. 296. His Wife, a good cleanly wenche, brought him all things fitte, and spunged him vp very handsomelie.
1590. Tarlton, News Purgat. (1844), 83. On goes she with her holiday partlet & spundging herself up went with her husband to church.
1605. Chapman, All Fools, I. i. 73. Undressed, sluttish, nasty, to their husbands; Spung’d up, adorn’d, and painted to their lovers.
1626. Middleton, Women Beware Women, II. ii. When she was invited to an early wedding; She’ld dress her head o’r night, spunge up herself, And give her neck three lathers.
† b. Similarly without up. Obs.
1592. Greene, Upst. Courtier, Wks. (Grosart), XI. 239. He as neatly spunged as if he had been a bridegrome.
1594. 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–1.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts, 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 fig. context.
1624. Quarles, Job Militant, xii. O! bathe me in his Blood, spunge euery Staine, That I may boldly sue my Counterpaine.
1767. Gooch, Treat. Wounds, I. 258. When the Fissure is large, it is soon discovered after the bone is laid sufficiently bare, and the blood well spunged up.
1846. Brittan, trans. Malgaigne’s Man. Oper. Surg., 10. Carefully sponge away the blood or serum which exudes during the application of the caustic.
1906. F. S. Oliver, Alex. 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.
1686. trans. Chardin’s 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. Ibid. These [book-]plates, containing the names … of the owners from whose books they have been ‘sponged.’
4. To convert (flour or dough) into ‘sponge.’
1772. Ann. Reg., II. 109/2. So will a thimble-full of barm, by adding of warm water, raise or spunge any body of flour.
1876. Mid-Yorks. Gloss., 134/2.
5. intr. To issue or rise in a spongy form; to foam; to drip as from a sponge.
1790. J. Fisher, Poems, 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. Lomas, 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. Burroughs, Locusts & Wild Honey, 112. Rain … sponging off every leaf of every tree in the forest and every growth in the fields.
6. trans. To throw up the sponge on behalf of (one who is beaten in a fight). slang.
1851. Mayhew, Lond. Labour, II. 56. They’ll fight on till they go down together, and then if one [dog] leave hold, he’s sponged.
II. fig. 7. To rub or wipe out, to efface or obliterate: a. With out or out of.
a. 1548. Hall, Chron., Hen. VIII., 200 b. Which spot no wayes can be sponged out nor recompenced, for shame in a kynred can by no treasure be redemed.
1570. Foxe, A. & M., 688/1. I trust … yt your dyrtie pen … hath not so bedaubed and bespotted me … but I hope to spunge it out.
1629. Lynde, Via Tuta, 285. After I … had noted six hundred seuerall passages to be spunged and blotted out.
1654. R. Whitlock, Ζωοτομια, 258. To spunge out prejudicate Notions or Opinions.
1838. Eliza Cook, Lines written at Midn., vi. Time … That sponges out all trace of truth.
1887. D. C. Murray & Herman, One Traveller Returns, v. 69. Its gloom saturated the forest rim, and then sponged it out of sight.
1888. W. Richmond, Chr. Econ., 232. The difficulty is one to be met in detail. It cannot be sponged out by any general statement.
b. Without adv.
a. 1636. 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?
1819. Keats, Otho, I. iii. 44. No, not a thousand foughten fields could sponge Those days paternal from my memory.
1866. Crump, 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.)
1720. A. Hutcheson, Collect. Calcul. S. Sea Scheme, 138. Whether the Parliament had, by an express Law, Spunged off Seven Millions of this Debt.
1803. Cobbett, in Pol. 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–1.
1594. Kyd, 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.
1610. Guillim, Heraldry, III. xvi. 147. When they haue done, and their Clients purses well spunged, they are better friends then euer they were.
1814. Scott, Wav., xlvi. This the young Highlander performed, not without examining the pockets of the defunct, which, however, he remarked, had been pretty well spunged.
c. To deprive (one) of something by sponging; to press (one) for money; to squeeze.
1631. R. H., Arraignm. Whole Creature, i. 11. Those Hogs hee must feed, till they spunge him of all his substance.
1677. Miége, Fr. Dict., II. To spunge one, to get what one can of him.
1692. South, Serm. (1697), I. 538. How came such multitudes … to be spunged of their Plate and Money.
1716. Wodrow’s Corr. (1843), II. 132. Yea, taking the clothes off the people’s very backs,… and always spunged them for money.
1724. Ramsay, Vision, xii. By rundging, and spunging, The leil laborious pure [= poor].
9. † a. To obtain by pressure or extortion. Obs.
1686. trans. Chardin’s Trav. Persia, 95. Their Principal Revenue arising from what they spunge from their Vassals.
1691. T. H[ale], Acc. New Invent., 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.
1676. Wycherley, Pl. Dealer, Prol. If y’ave any wit, ’Tis but what here you spunge and daily get.
1707. J. Stevens, trans. Quevedo’s Com. Wks. (1709), 369. Any that would spunge a Dinner.
1735. 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.
1760–2. Goldsm., Cit. W., xxvii. They spunged up my money whilst it lasted.
1871. B. Taylor, Faust (1875), I. 201. Once many a bit we sponged; but now, God help us, that is done with.
10. intr. To live on others in a parasitic manner; to obtain assistance or maintenance by mean arts.
1673. R. Head, Canting Acad., 103. He may Spunge, and have his Leachery for nothing.
a. 1700. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, Spunge, to drink at others Cost.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulgar T., To spunge, to eat and drink at another’s cost.
1849. W. Irving, Goldsmith, 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.).
(a) 1677. Miége, Fr. Dict., To spunge upon one, écornifler.
1693. Humours Town, 101. The poor Curate is fain to Spunge upon the Wealthier Sinners of his Parish.
1706–7. Farquhar, Beaux’ Strat., IV. iii. I had rather spunge upon Morris, and sup upon a Dish of Bohee scor’d behind the Door.
1730. Fielding, Tom Thumb, II. i. There when I have him, I will spunge upon him.
1824. Hist. Gaming, 41. Frequenting shabby ale-houses, sponging upon credulous persons.
1857. Ruskin, Pol. Econ. Art, 198. They will cheat the public at their shops or sponge on their friends at their houses.
1887. Miss Braddon, Like & Unlike, x. I hope I shall never be obliged to sponge upon you.
(b) 1681–6. J. Scott, Chr. Life, III. Mortification iii. What man in his Wits would keep such a Company of devouring Lusts about him, that are perpetually spungeing upon his Estate.
a. 1692. Pollexfen, Disc. Trade (1697), 155. [They] must live by preying, pilfering or spunging upon other Mens Labours.
1855. Trollope, Warden, xx. 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. Biogr., III. iii. 114. Humbugs, ready to … sponge upon his benevolence.
c. With for (something).
1719. D’Urfey, Pills (1872), I. 200. That all Bullies should pay; And sponge no more for recreation.
1735. Sheridan, Lett. to Swift, 5 Oct. Do not think to sponge upon me for anything but meat, drink, and lodging.
1837. Lytton, E. Maltrav., I. xvii. A doubt lest I should some day or other sponge upon his lordship for a place.
1883. Stevenson, Treas. Isl., I. v. 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.
1825. Jamieson, Suppl., s.v.
1866. Lond. Rev., 3 March, 245/2. Soldiers … loafing and spunging from tavern to tavern during the entire day.
III. 12. intr. (See quot.)
1881. E. Ingersoll, Oyster-Industr. (Hist. Fish. Industr. U.S.), 248. Sponge, or To go Sponging.—To go on a cruise for gathering sponges.
