Also 6 spise, spyce. [ad. OF. espicer (mod.F. épicer), f. espice SPICE sb.; or directly from the sb.]
1. trans. To prepare or season (food, etc.) with a spice or spices. Also allusively (quot. 1821).
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XIX. 283. Shulde no curyous cloche comen on hys rugge, Ne no mete in his mouth þat maister Iohan spiced.
1570. Levins, Manip., 114. To spice, condire.
1611. Bible, Ezek. xxiv. 10. Heape on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burnt.
1658. Rowland, trans. Moufet’s Theat. Ins., 912. It is spiced at pleasure with Ginger, Saffron [etc.].
1821. Scott, Kenilw., xx. ‘Fetch him wine,’… said the alchemist. ‘Aha! and thou wouldst spice it for me,… wouldst thou not?’ Ibid. (1822), Nigel, iii. She … spiced the toast with her own hands.
1885. Lady Brassey, The Trades, 291. Anciently ambergris was much used for spicing wines.
transf. 1600. Deloney, Strange Hist., Wks. (1912), 405. Yet his faire bodie was full sore infected, So ill they spiced both his fleshe and fishe.
b. fig. To season, to affect the character or quality of, by means of some addition or modification. Usu. const. with.
1529. More, Dyalogue, IV. Wks. 257/2. One special thing, with which he spised al the poison.
1564. Bullein, Dial. agst. Pest. (1888), 27. Me think your conscience is to much spiced with sodaine deuotion.
1634. W. Wood, New Eng. Prosp., To Rdr. I have inserted many passages of mirth concerning them, to spice the rest of my more serious discourse.
1684. Bunyan, Adv. to Sufferers, Wks. 1885, II. 728. His holy harmless and profitable notions, because they are spiced with grace, yield to him comfort, joy, and peace.
1837. W. Irving, Capt. Bonneville, III. 103. Hardship and hard work, spiced with the stimulants of wild adventure.
1855. Tennyson, Maud, I. XVIII. vii. O, why should Love … Spice his fair banquet with the dust of death?
1891. Baring-Gould, In Troubadour-Land, iii. 39. The reader will think I have given him a dull chapter,… so I will here add an anecdote, to spice it.
absol. 1822. Scott, Nigel, xxvii. Mind to spice high with Latin.
c. slang. To adulterate (soot).
1798. J. Middleton, View Agric. M’sex, 302. The chimney-sweepers who sell soot in London, mix with it ashes and earth, sifted very small and fine: this they term ‘spicing the soot.’
2. † a. To embalm, to preserve with spices. Obs.
1432–50. trans. Higden (Rolls), V. 287. The body of this holy man spicede with mony spices was sende to his churche.
1555. Eden, Decades (Arb.), 160. Sumwhere also, they drye them, spyce them,… and so reuerently place them in certeyne tabernacles.
1598. W. Phillip, trans. Linschoten, 3/1. His body beeing seared and spiced was conuaied into his countrie of Alua.
† b. To perfume with or as with spices.
1648. Herrick, Hesper., Nupt. Song, ii. Treading upon Vermilion And Amber; Spiceing the Chaf’t-Aire with fumes of Paradise.
c. Cant. To rob; to deprive of by robbery.
1812. J. H. Vaux, Flash Dict., s.v., A rogue will say, I spiced the swell of so much, naming the booty obtained.
d. To dose (a horse) with spice in order to mislead the buyer.
1841. J. T. Hewlett, Parish Clerk, I. vii. 111. [He] knew nothing of spicing a horse, or giving him a ball.
† 3. In pa. pple.: Slightly affected with a physical disorder. Obs.–1
1576. Fleming, Panopl. Epist., 382. From drunkennesse proceedeth trembling handes, spiced with the Palsie.
† 4. intr. Of a bird: To mute. Obs.–1
1682. N. O., Boileau’s Lutrin, III. 183. Dar’st thou presume (profane!) to spice i’ th’ Quire?
Hence Spicing vbl. sb.; also spicing apple, a variety of apple (cf. spice apple SPICE sb. 8).
1664. Evelyn, Kal. Hort., 72. The Kirkham Apple,… Cushion Apple, Spicing, May-flower.
1707. Mortimer, Husb. (1721), II. 291. The Spicing Apple, of all Apples that are marked Red, is the meanest.
1844. M. Stuart, O. T. Canon, § viii. (1849), 185. The story … although mixed with a spicing of fable in all probability has some truth for its basis.
1896. Mrs. Caffyn, Quaker Grandmother, 133. Boredom sharpened by a spicing of mischief.
