spread-eagleism
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of spread-eagleism
An Americanism dating back to 1855–60; spread-eagle + -ism
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The result shows how far —oh, how very far!—our present intellectuals have departed from the naive spread-eagleism that so shocked the sensibilities of Dickens and Mrs. Trollope.
From Time Magazine Archive
Nothing is so damaging to appeals to prejudice, spread-eagleism, and fustian bombast as an impassive reception.
From Public Speaking by Clarence Stratton
I am uneasy, fearing we may commit some spread-eagleism towards France during this present Mexican imbroglio.
From Diary from March 4, 1861, to November 12, 1862 by Adam G. de Gurowski, Count
The admirers of poor argument, of spread-eagleism, and of ignorant quotations stolen from history, make a fuss about Mr. Seward's State papers.
From Diary from November 12, 1862, to October 18, 1863 by Adam G. de Gurowski, Count
Lanier desired, however, to avoid anything like spread-eagleism, and so after the chorus of jubilation just quoted, there is a note of doubt as to how long the nation will last.
From A Biography of Sidney Lanier by Edwin Mims
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
