a. Also 8 spunkey, 8–9 spunkie. [f. SPUNK sb. + -Y.]
1. Full of spunk or spirit; courageous, mettlesome, spirited.
(a) 1786. Burns, Earnest Cry & Prayer, xiv. Erskine, a spunkie norland billie.
1793. in W. Roberts, Looker-on (1794), II. 312. A strapping lassie, So spunky, brazen, bold, and saucy.
1805. Lamb, Lett. (1888), I. 221. Vittoria Corombona, a spunky Italian lady, a Leonardo one, nicknamed the White Devil.
1829. Landor, Imag. Conv., Wks. 1853, I. 520/1. They are grown again as young and spunky as undergraduates.
1884. G. W. Cable, in Century Mag., Jan., 428/2. Spunk ’ll sometimes pull a man through; and you can’t say he aint spunky.
(b) 1804. Charlotte Smith, Conversations, etc. I. 26. I always get him upon a spunky horse, and the fun is to see his contrivances to stick fast, while I dash on, on purpose.
1856. Aird, Poet. Wks., 130. All the year she sings…, The spunky little bird.
1873. C. Gibbon, Lack of Gold, x. He’s a spunky wee beggar, that bantan.
b. Characterized by animation or spirit.
1831. Wilson, in Blackw. Mag., XXX. 408. He … has repartee at his command, and occasionally rises into spunky declamation.
2. Sc. and north. Sparkling; burning or shining brightly.
1791. Nairne, Poems, 131. For rotton wood will give i’ th’ dark The spunkey semblance of a spark.
1802. R. Anderson, Cumbld. Ball., 32. How neyce the spunky fire it burns.
1825. Brockett, N. C. Gloss., Spunky, sparkling.
3. dial. and U.S. Angry, irritable, irascible.
1809. Debates in Congress (1853), 31 Jan., 1259. It may be a spunky spiteful child, but will have no strength.
1822. Galt, Provost, xxvi. The spunky nature of Mr. Hirple was certainly very disagreeable often to most of the council.
1873. W. Carleton, Farm Ball., 7. We was both of us cross and spunky, and both too proud to speak.
