Also 8–9 Sc. spairge. [app. ad. OF. espargier or L. spargĕre to sprinkle; but in sense 1 answering to PARGET v. and having the earlier variants SPARGEN and SPARGET.]
1. trans. To plaster; to rough-cast.
1560. Edinb. Burgh Recs., 62. To reparrall the kirk, to lay the throwchis thairof of new and sparge the samyn.
1597. Rec. Elgin (1908), II. 48. The haill eldaris hes promeist a boll lyme ilk ane of thame to sparge the kirk withall.
a. 1670. J. Lamont, Diary (1810), 156. Att this time also, the forepairt of the house was sparged, with the tower-head.
1883. Almondbury Gloss., 125. Sparge, to point or plaster the inside of a chimney.
2. To bespatter, besprinkle. Also fig.
1786. Burns, A Dream, vii. An’ Will’s a true guid fallow’s get, A Name not Envy spairges.
1821. Liddle, Poems, 127. Auld Cloot at last may spairge ye lightly.
3. To dash, splash or sprinkle (water, etc.) about. Also fig.
1785–6. Burns, Address to Deil, i. O thou!… Wha … Spairges about the brunstane cootie To scaud poor wretches!
1808. Jamieson, Spairge, to dash; as, to spairge water.
1875. G. Macdonald, Malcolm, I. i. 5. Nobody … ’at wad gang and spairge sic havers aboot her.
4. Brewing. To sprinkle (malt) with hot water. Also absol.
1839. Ure, Dict. Arts, 107. It would keep up an uniform temperature in the goods, without requiring them to be sparged with very hot liquor.
1885. Civilian, 3 Jan., 133/1. He, too, sparges for small beer with hot liquor.
Hence Sparging vbl. sb. Also attrib.
1590. in Pitcairn, Crim. Trials (Bann. Cl.), I. III. 210. Quha had offendit him in nocht spargeing of his chalmer.
1836. Penny Cycl., V. 404/2. If sparging or sprinkling the water over the goods should be adopted … instead of mashing.
1839. Ure, Dict. Arts, 107. The only serious objection to the sparging system is the loss of time by the successive drainages.
1869. W. Molyneux, Burton-on-Trent, 244. When the malt has had its regulated series of spargings, and is thoroughly drained, the now ‘grains’ are thrown out by men.
1876. Encycl. Brit., IV. 274/2. The beat of the sparging water … must be modified by circumstances.
