spanker
[spang-ker]
|
noun
Nautical.
- a fore-and-aft sail on the aftermost lower mast of a sailing vessel having three or more masts.
- a designation given to the mast abaft a mizzenmast, usually the aftermost mast in any vessel.
Informal. a smartly moving person or animal, especially a fast horse.
Chiefly New England. something remarkably fine.
adjective Nautical.
of or relating to a spanker mast or its rigging.
Origin of spanker
First recorded in 1745–55; akin to spanking
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for spanker
Historical Examples of spanker
It was all that was left of Spanker—the stick with which he had been tied.
White FangJack London
The British built at least one sail-propelled battery, the Spanker, in 1794.
As "Dolly" Spanker, my husband, he was inimitable, and brought down the house two or three times during the evening.
Recollections of Calcutta for over Half a CenturyMontague Massey
The writer has many times seen a fellow who travelled the country, nicknamed the Spanker.
The Funny Side of PhysicA. D. Crabtre
To become the owner of this old friend again and of his new companions, Spanker and Pony, was a work of necessity.
spanker
noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012