sb. Chiefly colloq. [A slang word of obscure origin: cf. SPRAY sb.4]
1. A lively or boisterous frolic; an occasion or spell of somewhat disorderly or noisy enjoyment (freq. accompanied by drinking).
1804. Tarras, Poems, 73. I’m blythe to see a rantin spree.
1810. Sporting Mag., XXXV. 69/1. Wednesday.—wanted a spree.
1840. E. E. Napier, Scenes & Sports For. Lands, II. v. 145. A stanch sportsman, always foremost in a spree of this kind.
1856. B. Taylor, North. Trav., 34. The little public square … was crowded with people, many of whom had already commenced their Christmas sprees.
1878. Besant & Rice, Celia’s Arb., xxii. We went ashore, the men had a spree, and the officers made themselves agreeable to the young ladies.
transf. 1849. Mrs. Carlyle, New Lett. & Mem. (1903), II. 4. I have taken a spree of Novel reading, too.
b. spec. A more or less prolonged bout or spell of drinking; a drunken carousal.
Not always clearly separable from prec.
1811. Lexicon Balatronicum, Spree,… a drinking bout.
1854. Poultry Chron., II. 381. The cock was half seas over, or in other words, drunk, and having a regular spree.
1890. ‘R. Boldrewood,’ Col. Reformer (1891), 132. A strong man gets over it … till the time of the next spree comes round.
c. In the phrases on a spree, on or upon the spree.
(a) 1847. Illustr. Lond. News, 10 July, 27/3. The balloon looked something like the dome of St. Paul’s out on a spree.
1865. J. G. Holland, Plain Talk, v. 168. It is further complained that operatives drink and go on sprees.
1880. Webb, Goethe’s Fause, II. vi. 144. She’s out on a spree!
(b) 1851. Mayhew, Lond. Labour, I. 446. We were too fond of what was called getting on the spree.
1859. Slang Dict., 99. ‘Going on the spree,’ starting out with intent to have a frolic.
1892. Stevenson, Across the Plains, 113. The cheap young gentleman upon the spree.
2. Rough amusement, merrymaking or sport; prolonged drinking or carousing; indulgence or participation in this.
1808. Jamieson, Spree, innocent merriment.
1828. Sporting Mag., XXIII. 34. I will give you a frequent line on the spree of the West.
1899. F. T. Bullen, Log Sea-waif, 291. The captain … did not return for several days, being supposed … to have entered upon a steady course of spree.
Hence Spree v. intr., to have or take part in a spree; also with it. Spreeing vbl. sb., indulgence or participation in a spree or sprees; also attrib. Spreeish a., given to indulgence in sprees; slightly intoxicated; also absol.
1855. Mrs. Gaskell, North & S., xvii. I’ve longed for to be a man to go *spreeing, even if it were only a tramp to some new place in search o’ work.
1859. Bartlett, Dict. Amer. (ed. 2), 438. To spree it, to get intoxicated.
1864. Ramsbottom, Lanc. Rhymes, 38. Bo while aw’d brass, aw’r sure to spree.
1874. Elmslie, in Brit. Wkly. (1911), 2 Nov., 138/3. We generally ‘spree together,’ whenever we can find time.
1890. Gunter, Miss Nobody, x. Paying their spreeing expenses when occasion offered. Ibid., xvii. After the wicked has been spreeing, gaming, and tooting all night.
1825. C. Westmacott, Engl. Spy, I. 382. The *spreeish or the sprightly.
1888. Times (weekly ed.), 16 Nov., 3/4. [She was] not drunk, but … a little spreeish.
