a. and sb. Also 6–7 spitfier, 7 spetfire, 6–9 spit-fire. [f. SPIT v.2]
A. adj. 1. That spits fire; fire-spitting; fig. irascible, displaying anger or hot temper.
1600. Rowlands, Lett. Humours Blood, ix. 15. That with a spit-fier Serpent so durst fight.
1791. Nairne, Poems, 103. Where … spit-fire cats their midnight revels keep.
1850. Whipple, Ess. & Rev. II. 306. A spitfire satirist, or moody misanthrope.
1866. Chambers, Ess., Ser. II. 90. A venerable spitfire terrier,… mentally engaged in the business of rat-catching.
1894. Mrs. H. Ward, Marcella, I. 10. A little spitfire outsider.
b. Heated, angry.
1894. Tablet, 20 Jan., 86. The lurid vapours of spit-fire controversies.
2. Spitfire-jib: (see quot.). Naut.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., 643. Spitfire-Jib. In cutters, a small storm-jib of very heavy canvas.
1894. Outing, XXIV. 193/1. I advise that a ‘spit-fire’ or storm jib be carried whenever a sail of any distance is contemplated.
B. sb. 1. A thing that emits or vomits fire; esp. a cannon.
1611. Cotgr., Bouches à feu, Spit-fires; Artillerie, Ordnance.
1614. Rowlands, Fooles Bolt (Hunterian Cl.), 19. Spaines Hell spawne of fleete,… With all their brasen Spit-fiers.
1680. C. Nesse, Church Hist., 423. Those Two monstrous Spet-fires, call’d, the Earth-quake, and Grand-Diabolo,… planted against Rhodes and Constantinople.
1785. Span. Rivals, 5. Yes, that spitfire, the Rock of Gibraltar will bear us witness.
1842. F. Trollope, Vis. Italy, II. 199. Vesuvius … is the most renowned of all accessible spit-fires.
1901. ‘Linesman,’ Words by Eyewitness, v. (1902), 113. The 3-inch spitfire on the lower slopes of Spion Kop.
b. A slight eruption or explosion.
1887. Ruskin, Præterita, II. 61. Firing up under their feet in little splutters and spit-fires of the most appalling heresy.
2. One whose temper is fiery; an irascible, passionate or quick-tempered person.
1680. Baxter, Cath. Commun. (1684), 38. Malignant Spit-fires do already write books full of palpable Lies against other men.
1687. T. Brown, Saints in Uproar, Wks. 1730, I. 77. ’Tis some comfort to me however, Bully Spit-fire, that thou canst not abuse me, without falling foul upon my Country.
1721. Amherst, Terræ Filius, No. 32 (1726), 169. Not so fast, (I beg of you) my dear little spit-fire.
c. 1750. Devon. Dial. (1837), 7. Thecca spitfire woud a fitted en to a T.
1831. Carlyle, Sart. Res., II. viii. (1858), 110. Deuce on it (verdammt), the little spitfires!
1881. Besant & Rice, Chapl. of Fleet, II. iv. What a little spitfire was this Nancy of mine!
3. A cat in an angry state.
1825. Scott, Fam. Lett. (1894), II. xxiv. 395. We thought we should have to have opened the wall to get out the little spit-fire alive.
1878. Browning, Poets Croisic, 131. If she missed Priority of stroking, soon were stirred The dormant spit-fire.
