vbl. sb. Sc. and north. dial. [f. SPEER v.1 Cf. SPURRING vbl. sb.2]
1. The action of questioning or inquiring; interrogation, inquiry.
a. 1100. in Napier, O. E. Glosses, 132/1. Adinuentionum, ʓesmeangum, spyrungum, axungum.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 27280. In spiring loke þe preist be sli.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, III. 568. Eftir the mete sone rais the king, Quhen he had lewyt hys speryng.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 12093. He besit hym barly þe burde forto seche,… Till he aspiet hir … by speryng of othir.
c. 1440. York Myst., xxxiii. 64. For any spirringes in þat space no speche walde he spell.
1552–3. Reg. Privy Council Scot., I. 137. Anent the spering … of every wrang sen the peax bigane.
1816. Chalmers, in W. Hanna, Life (1851), II. 77. I … went through a great deal of speering and hand-shaking.
1892. Edin. Rev., Jan., 51. He used to reply to his son’s eager ‘speerings’ by such admissions as ‘That I do not know’ [etc.].
2. Information obtained by inquiry. Also pl.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, V. 490. He … lay still in the castell than, Till he gat spering at [= of] a man Of Carrick.
1814. Scott, Wav., xxx. If it please my Creator, I will forthwith obtain speirings thereof. Ibid. (1824), Redgauntlet, let. xi. Ony of the hill-folk he could get speerings of.
