Forms: α. 6 sponke, 6–8 sponk, 7 sponck. β. 6 spounk, 6–7 spunck, 7 spunke, 6– spunk. [Of obscure history; prob. related to FUNK sb.1 Cf. also PUNK sb.3]
1. Sc. and dial. A spark, in various senses.
Chiefly in fig. use: cf. SPARK sb.1 1 d and 2.
a. With of (some quality, fire, light, etc.).
α. 1536. Bellenden, Cron. Scot. (1821), I. 211. For ane sponk of small occasioun of unkindness.
a. 1572. Knox, Hist. Ref., Wks. 1846, I. 10. How mercyfullie God hath looked upoun this Realme, reteanyng within it some sponk of his light, evin in the tyme of grettast darkness.
1590. Davidson, Reply Bancroft, in Wodrow Misc. (1844), 508. If there had beene a sponke thereof [sc. charity] within him.
c. 1614. Sir W. Mure, Dido & Æneas, III. 446. Seazing on her death seal’d lipps to knowe If any sponk of breath as ȝit remain’d.
β. 1599. A. Hume, His Recantation, 10. I feel no spunk of faith in me.
1629. Sir W. Mure, True Crucifix, 681. Loe, while ev’n his life’s last spunke is spent, The Temple’s vaile is to the bottome rent.
1647. Trapp, Comm. Rev. vi. 3. A Sea-coal fire, if not stirred up, will die of it self, so will our spark and spunk of light.
1653. Binning, Serm. (1845), 622. He hath no more religion than a Spunk of desire.
1724. Ramsay, Vision, ii. Ilk creature … That had a spunk of sense.
1785. Burns, 1st Ep. J. L[aprai]k, xiv. O for a spunk o’ Allan’s glee.
1808. Stagg, Misc. Poems, 77. At length a wee bit spunk o’ light Transfix’d his wand’ring eyes.
1886. Stevenson, Kidnapped, xviii. He has some spunks of decency.
b. Without const.
c. 1585. Montgomerie, Misc. Poems, xiii. 40. Fy on that freik that can not love! He hes not worth a sponk of spreit.
1596. Dalrymple, trans. Leslie’s Hist. Scot., II. 57. He slokned out all occasioun of ciuil weir, and nychtbour fead, spunk and spark.
1669. R. Fleming, Fulfilling Script. (1801), I. 172. That little spunk now under ashes must assuredly revive and blow up to a flame.
1818. Scott, Br. Lamm., xxvi. Not a gleed of fire, then, except … maybe a spunk in Mysie’s cutty-pipe.
1823–. in dial. glossaries.
1827. J. Wilson, Noct. Ambr., Wks. 1855, II. 31. As an Editor, he is, compared wi’ Christopher North—but as a spunk to the Sun!
c. A small fire. Also in phr. a spunk of fire.
1802. Sibbald, Chron. S.P., Gloss. s.v., Spunk of fire, a very small fire.
1806. J. Nicol, Poems, I. 18 (Jam.). I see thee shiverin, wrinklet, auld, Cour owre a spunk that dies wi’ cauld.
1815. Scott, Guy M., xi. Ye may light a spunk o’ fire in the red room.
1870. Verney, Lettice Lisle, xx. What, ain’t there a spunk of fire?
d. Sc. and north. Applied to persons (see quots.).
1808. Jamieson, s.v., A mere spunk, a lively creature; especially applied to one who has more spirit than bodily strength, or appearance of it.
1894. Heslop, Northumbld. Gloss., s.v., He’s a wee spunk o’ a thing.
2. Touchwood; tinder, match, or amadou prepared from this.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, I. (Arb.), 23. In spunck or tinder thee quick fyre be kindly receaued.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., II. v. 89. To make white powder:… The best I know is by the powder of rotten willowes; spunck, or touchwood prepared, might perhaps make it russet.
1651. in Hartlib’s Legacy (1655), 97. His Lordship told me the way of making of Spunk, or Touchwood.
a. 1691. Boyle, Hist. Air (1692), 208. The burning of Match, Touchwood, Sponck, &c.
1723. Pres. St. Russia, II. 13. They cure their wounds with Spunk or Tinder.
1754. Phil. Trans., XLVIII. 811. Of which [sc. fungus] touchwood or spunk, and the amadoue ordinaire of the French, is usually prepared.
1796. Hist. Ned Evans, II. 141. By rubbing them with pounded gun-powder a little damped, he forned a kind of spunk, which kindled like a squib.
1841. Catlin, N. Amer. Ind., xx. (1844), I. 147. It contained also his flint and steel, and spunk for lighting. Ibid., xxiii. I. 189. A spark of fire is seen and caught in a piece of spunk.
1858. Simmonds, Dict. Trade, s.v. Amadou, Amadou … dipped in a solution of saltpetre, forms the spunk or German tinder of commerce.
3. One or other of various fungi or fungoid growths on trees, esp. those of the species Polyporus, freq. used in the preparation of tinder. Cf. TOUCHWOOD b.
1665. Hooke, Microgr., 139. A kind of Jews-ear, or Mushroom, growing … on several sorts of Trees, such as Elders, Maples, Willows, etc.,… commonly called by the name of spunk.
1674. Josselyn, Two Voy. New-Eng., 70. There is an excrescence growing out of the body of the Tree called spunck, or dead mens Caps.
1822–7. Good, Study Med. (1829), I. 63. The best ordinary styptic is pressure with an elastic substance, as … touchwood, spunk, or some other spongy boletus.
1845–50. Mrs. Lincoln, Lect. Bot., 199. The genus Boletus contains the touchwood, or spunk, which is sometimes used as tinder.
1866. Treas. Bot., 1089/1. Spunk, Polyporus igniarius.
4. Sc. (and north.). A slender slip of wood tipped with brimstone and used for conveying or producing fire; a match, a lucifer.
1755. Johnson, Sponk, a word in Edinburgh which denotes a match, or any thing dipt in sulphur that takes fire: as, any sponks will ye buy?
1788. C. Wilson, Coll. Masonic Songs, 52. The spunks tipt with brimstone he gropt for, In order to light him a candle.
1821. Scott, Pirate, vii. There is a gathering peat on the kitchen fire, and a spunk beside it—ye can light your ain candle.
1842. J. Aiton, Domest. Econ. (1857), 263. The prowling thief enters the byre with a bag and brimstoned spunk.
1893. ‘G. Travers,’ Mona Maclean, II. 127. Come and put a spunk to this fire.
5. Spirit, mettle; courage, pluck.
1773. Goldsm., Stoops to Conq., I. The squire has got spunk in him.
1775. S. J. Pratt, Liberal Opin., cxvii. (1783), IV. 94. Those grave persons, who want taste, or (as these young gentlemen more elegantly term it) spunk, for such exercises.
1781. R. King, Mod. Lond. Spy, 24. They allowed that I had blood, but wanted spunk and spirit.
1802. Bentham, Panopt., Wks. 1843, XI. 131. If Lord Henry had stuff and spunk enough in him for such business.
1857. J. G. Holland, Bay Path, xxiv. 285. I like your spunk, but it don’t count in a fight with crazy folks and fools.
1890. Clark Russell, My Shipmate Louise, I. x. 213. Neither of them wanting spunk, at it they went!
transf. 1822. Galt, Provost, xxxi. The bailie, like a bantam cock in a passion, stotted out of his chair with the spunk of a birslet pea.
b. In phr. fellow, man, etc., of (…) spunk.
1774. Westm. Mag., II. 10. He is a fellow of Spanish spunk, and will run any man through the body, who dares to censure his portraits.
1785. Burns, Jolly Beggars, xliv. With an air That showed a man of spunk.
1812. Sporting Mag., XXXIX. 245. ’Twas a shame That a lad of my spunk should be coop’d up so tame.
1833. [S. Smith], Lett. J. Downing, xxii. (1835), 127. You are a man of spunk, Major, and I like you for it.
6. attrib., chiefly in sense 4, as spunk-maker, -seller, -wood; spunk-box, a tinder-box or match-box; spunk-fencer slang, a match-seller; spunk-flask, a tinder-flask.
1721. Ramsay, Lucky Spence, v. Gin he likes to light his match At your spunk-box.
1828. Moir, Mansie Wauch, xx. Hiring beds at twopence a-night to … spunk-makers, and such like pick-pockets.
1835. Monteath, Dunblane (1887), 122. His Spunk-flask at his hurdies hung.
1839. Slang Dict., 34. Spunk-fencers, match sellers.
1888. Barrie, Auld Licht Idylls, xii. An itinerant matchseller known … as the literary spunk-seller.
1888. A. Wardrop, Poems & Sk., 213. I’ll ding the business into spunkwood.
