[f. SPLAY v.1]
1. A flat, spread out, clumsy foot, esp. one which turns outwards.
1548. Elyot, Plancus, he that hath a splaie foote.
a. 1586. Sidney, Arcadia, I. iii. (1912), 21. Onely her face and her splayfoote have made her accused for a witch.
1611. Middleton & Dekker, Roaring Girl, IV. ii. Have not many handsome legs in silk stockings villanous splay feet?
1816. Scott, Old Mort., vi. Splay feet of unusual size, long thin hands [etc.].
1862. Merivale, Rom. Emp., lxiv. (1865), VIII. 81. The splay foot of the mountain peasant girl.
1877. Amelia B. Edwards, Up Nile, x. 283. The camels planted their splay feet obstinately in the sand.
fig. 1838. Lytton, Alice, II. VII. iii. 323. To have his gentle tenor crushed to death in a glee, by the heavy splayfoot of Mr. Tiddy’s manly bass—the thought was insufferable!
b. Used as a term of abuse.
1612. Shelton, Quix., I. IV. vi. 45. Good man Splay-foot, unmannerly Clown.
† 2. attrib. = SPLAY-FOOTED a. Obs.
1631. Dekker, Match Mee, II. 25. Th’art a damn’d Bawd: A soaking, sodden, splay-foot, ill-fac’d Bawd.
1690. D’Urfey, Collin’s Walk thro’ Lond., 53. Thou Splay-foot blind phanatick Rogue. Ibid. (1719), Pills (1872), I. 144. He sent a splayfoot Taylor.
fig. 1622. Massinger & Dekker, Virg. Martyr, IV. ii. I would not give up the cloak of your service to meet the splayfoot estate of any left-eyed Knight.
1663. Butler, Hud., I. iii. 192. In small Poets splay-foot Rhimes.
1766. [C. Anstey], Bath Guide, Epil. 244. Oft have I read the … Splay-foot Measures of thy Simkin’s Lays.
3. As adv. In a splay-footed manner.
1626. Middleton, Women Beware Women, II. ii. She must be neither slut nor drab, Nor go too splay-foot with her shoes.
Hence Splayfooting vbl. sb. (In quot. fig.)
1675. Hannah Woolley, Gentlew. Comp., 31. Fops will venture the spraining of their tongues, and splayfooting their own mouths.
