[f. SPONGE v. or sb.1]
1. The action of washing or wiping with a sponge.
1575. in Feuillerat, Revels Q. Eliz. (1908), 254. The Charges of this Office grew by meanes of … Brusshing, Spunging,… putting in order of the garmentes, Vestures [etc.].
1593. Nashe, Christ’s T., Wks. (Grosart), IV. 208. To see how you torture poore old Time with spunging, pynning and pounsing.
1704. J. Harris, Lex. Techn., I. Spunging of a great Gun, is clearing of her Inside, after she hath been discharged, with a Wad of Sheep-skins, or the like.
1775. Ash, Sponging,… the act of wiping away as with a sponge.
1875. B. Meadows, Clin. Observ., 65. Prescribed animal diet; regular exercise; cold sponging.
1898. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., V. 1031. There should be spongings, first with warm and afterwards with cool water.
attrib. 1859. Habits of Gd. Society, ii. (new ed.), 122. The hip-bath … or the sponging-bath.
2. The action of living parasitically on others.
1677. Miége, Fr. Dict., I. Ecorniflerie,… spunging, or feast smelling.
1693. Humours Town, 37. There are others whose youthful Extravagancies have driven ’em to the wretched fate of Spunging.
1731. Swift, Lett. to Gay, 29 June. This will maintain you, with the perquisite of sponging while you are young.
1838. Longf., in Life (1891), I. 300. I have almost given up the Portland plan. It … would look like sponging, in these hard times.
1849. Knife & Fork, 32. Sponging is a subtle art—so subtle, that few out of its many thousand votaries have attained to any great eminence in it.
attrib. 1707. J. Stevens, trans. Quevedo’s Com. Wks. (1709), 225. Encouraging me to follow the spunging Course of Life.
3. The practice or occupation of gathering sponges. Also attrib.
1868. H. D. Grant, Rep. Wrecking in Bahamas, 72. A large number of boats and men are employed in sponging.
1887. Goode, Fisheries U. S., 823. The Key West sponging-fleet consisted in 1879 of 86 vessels. Ibid., 826. When on the sponging-grounds the men breakfast at daylight.
