[f. prec.]
1. intr. To cut spread eagles in skating.
1826. J. Wilson, Noct. Ambr., Wks. 1855, I. 102. Mr. Tory,… a handsome fallow, and as good a skater as ever spread-eagled. Ibid. (1831), in Blackw. Mag., XXIX. 303. The grand simplicity of the masters that spread-eagled in the age of its perfection.
2. trans. To tie up (a person) for punishment. (Cf. prec. 2.) Also fig.
1829. Marryat, F. Mildmay, xvi. I saw a poor fellow spread-eagled up to the grating.
1891. in Ch. Bells (1892), 1 Jan., 93. Too many witnesses are spread-eagled that a court may laugh and cross-examiners be considered clever.
1894. Sala, Things I have Seen, I. 245. I have heard of offending soldiers being ‘spread-eagled,’ that is to say, tied by the wrists and ankles to the wheel of a gun or an ammunition waggon, and left bare-headed for a certain time in the blazing sun.
b. To fasten, pin firmly, stretch out, etc., in the form of a spread eagle.
1894. Rider Haggard, People of Mist, xxxix. 329. On this surface of ice they were lying spread-eagled.
1895. Crockett, Cleg Kelly, xx. His elbows were spread-eagled over the table.
c. To drive apart, scatter.
1905. H. A. Vachell, The Hill, xii. 266. It [i.e., the ball] shot under Scaife’s bat, and spread-eagled his stumps.
3. To beat completely, esp. in racing.
1864. Daily Tel., 18 July, 2/5. When poor old Flash-in-the-Pan spread-eagled his field for the Chester Cup, the plucky owner came in for something very like abuse. Ibid. (1883), 1 Jan., 2/7. He … spread-eagled his opponents for the Hunters Hurdle Plate.
1887. H. Smart, Cleverly Won, iv. You’ve heard how she spread-eagled the hunt a month ago?
4. intr. To speak or act in a spread-eagle fashion.
1866. Sat. Rev., 20 Jan., 77/1. If, when merely spread-eagling, she speaks on her own hook. Ibid. (1892), 23 Jan., 86/1. The extent to which President Harrison may ‘spread-eagle’ in the Chilian business.
Hence Spread-eagling vbl. sb.
1887. H. Smart, Cleverly Won, iii. Such a spread-eagling of a field had rarely been witnessed.
