[f. SPREAD v.]
I. 1. One who spreads, strews or scatters.
1483. Cath. Angl., 356/2. A Spreder of gresse…, herbarius.
1641. Best, Farm. Bks. (Surtees), 33. One spreader will spreade as much in a day as sixe goode mowers will mowe.
1712. N. Blundell, Diary (1895), 105. All my Marlers, Spreaders,… and Carters din’d here.
1854. Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc., XV. I. 109. The spreaders carry the manure forward and deposit it in the bottoms of the drills.
1891. Labour Comm., Gloss., Spreaders, women who spread the softened jute on the card.
2. A diffuser, disseminator, or promulgator of something.
1555. Cranmer, Answ. Gardiner, 17. The Papistes … haue ben the chiefe spreaders abrode of it.
1562. Act 5 Eliz., c. 5 § 40. Such Persons shall be punished as Spreaders of false News are and ought to be.
1641. Prynne, Discov. Prelates’ Tyr., II. 152. The spreaders abroad of false, seditious and scandalous newes. Ibid. (1649), Demurrer to Jews’ Remitter, 83. The Jews … are the greatest venters, spreaders of abominable Blasphemies.
1710. Steele, Tatler, No. 223, ¶ 4. He … would be considered as a Spreader of false News is in Business.
1787. Bentham, Def. Usury, xiii. 187. The spreaders of English arts in foreign climes.
3. A piece of wood, metal, or other material, by which things or parts are stretched out or kept asunder: a. (See quots. and cf. SPREAD-BAT.)
1839. Sir G. C. Lewis, Gloss. Heref., Spreader, a crosspiece of wood, which prevents the traces of the fore-horses of a team from collapsing.
1852. C. W. Hoskyns, Talpa, i. (1854), 3. Bang goes a trace or a spreader, and the plough comes to a standstill.
1875. Knight, Dict. Mech., 2288/2. Spreader,… a stick which stretches apart the ends of a chain to which the single-trees are attached.
attrib. 1871. in De Vere, Americanisms, 351. The captain … was attacked with a spreaderstick (a piece of wood used as a swingle-tree on the tow-track).
b. In misc. uses (see quots.).
1875. Knight, Dict. Mech., 2004/1. Runner,… the slider of an umbrella to which the spreaders are pivoted.
1881. Raymond, Mining Gloss., Spreaders, pieces of timber stretched across a shaft as a temporary support of the walls.
1884. Erichsen, Surgery (ed. 8), I. 68. A wide ‘spreader’ made of a piece of wood with a hole in it for the rope … to pass through.
1888. Fenn, Dick o’ the Fens, 88. The net, at whose two ends was fixed a pole as spreader.
c. Naut. A bar attached to the mast of a yacht in order to tighten the shrouds.
1895. Daily News, 11 Sept., 5/5. In weathering it her gaff or spreaders struck Defender’s shrouds.
1901. Daily Chron., 6 June, 7/5. All her wire rigging except the masthead shrouds going over the spreader.
4. a. A machine by which heckled stricks of line are combined and drawn out into slivers.
1853. Ure, Dict. Arts (ed. 4), I. 758. In the preparation of line the first operation is called ‘spreading,’ and the machine employed a ‘spreader.’
1884. Western Morn. News, 9 Aug., 1/5. Cards, spreaders, drawings, rovings.
b. A device for spreading the jet of water issuing from a hose.
1858. Simmonds, Dict. Trade, Spreader, an attachment [to] the branch pipe of a fire-engine for scattering the water over a large surface.
1863. Appleby’s Handbk. Mach. & Iron Work, 59. Copper Branch-pipe … Brass Jet and Spreader extra, 7/6 each.
1894. Westm. Gaz., 3 May, 3/3. The Spiral Spreaders, which can be … fixed in position as lawn sprinklers, are excellent.
c. An apparatus or device by which something is spread or scattered.
1864. Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc., XXV. II. 368. Each shaft or inlet should be provided with a louver or ‘spreader’ within the stable, to prevent occasional down-draughts.
1882. Rep. Prec. Metals U.S., 586. The pulp goes on to the distributing board, which is provided with spreaders.
II. † 5. Cant. Butter. Obs. (Cf. SPREAD sb. 6.)
1610. Rowlands, Martin Mark-all, E iv. Spreader, butter.
6. Something that spreads or grows outwards.
a. 1639. Wotton, Surv. Educ. in Reliq. (1651), 321. If their Child be not such a speedy spreader, and brancher like the Vine.
1845. Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc., VI. I. 198. The oak is naturally a wide spreader.
b. A side-channel.
1845. Col. Hawker, Diary (1893), II. 252. We then poled up the ‘spreader,’ but the water was too low to allow my gun to bear on the birds.
c. A catch that operates by spreading.
1884. Knight, Dict. Mech., Suppl. 827/1. Socket, a tool used in well boring…, screwing on to the top of the rod, attaching by gripers, hooks, shoulders, collars, spreaders, etc.
