5850 
he said, "They see nothing wrong in the rule that to the 
victor belong the spoils of the enemy. " This system had 
spodomantic 
spodomantic (spod-o-man'tik), it. [< 
niiiiifi/ (-ni(iHt-) + -c.] Relating to spodo- 
rnaucy, or divination by means of ashes. 
The poor little fellow buried his hands in his curls, and 
stared fiercely into the flre, as if to draw from thence 
omens of his love, by the spodomantic augury of the an- 
cient Greeks. Kinynley, Two Years Ago, vii. (Dairies.) 
spodumene (spod'u-men), M. [= F. s/tnilniiii'iii', 
\ Gr. tnroiav/ievof, ppr. pass, of mrotiovv, burn 
to ashes, roast in ashes, < oiroMf, ashes, em- 
bers.] A silicate of aluminium and lithium, 
occurring usually in flattened prismatic crys- 
tals, near pyroxene in form, also in cleavable 
masses. It is hard, transparent to translucent, and 
varies in color from grayish-, yellowish-, or greenish- 
white to emerald-green and purple. The emerald-green 
variety (hiddenite), found in North Carolina, is used as a 
gem. Also called triphane. 
spoffish (spof 'ish), a. [< "spoff (origin obscure ; 
cf. sniffy) + -is/I 1 .] Bustling; fussy; demon- 
stratively smart; officious. [Slang.] 
He invariably spoke with astonishing rapidity ; was 
smart, spoffish, and eight-and-twenty. 
Dickens, Sketches, Tales, vii. 
spoffle (spof'l), v. i. ; pret. and pp. spoffled, ppr. 
spoffling. [Freq. of *spoff as in spoffish, spoffy.'] "PO" (spoil), v. ; pret. ndj>l>. S]>otleil or SpoUt, 
To fuss over trifles. [Prov. Eng.] 
spoffy (spof 'i), a. and n. [< *spoff (ef. spoffish) 
+ -y 1 -] I. a - Same as spoffish. 
II. .; pi. spoffies (-iz). A bustling busybody. 
[Slang.] 
spogel-seed (spo'gl-sed), . Same as ispaghnl- 
seed. 
spoil (spoil), n. [Early mod. E. spoile, spoyle, < 
ME. spoile, spityle, < OF. espoille, espuille, booty, 
spoil, = Sp. espolio, property of an ecclesiastic, 
spolium, = Pg. espolio, booty, spoil, = It. spo- 
glio, booty, prey, spoil, goods, furniture, chat- 
tels, = W. ysbail, yspail, formerly yspeil, spoil, 
< L. spolium, usually in pi. spolia, booty, prey, 
spoil, the anus or armor stripped from a defeat- 
ed enemy, also, and perhaps orig., the skin or 
hide of an animal stripped off; cf. Gr. miAov, 
usually in pi. era/la, booty, spoil, OKVAOS, hide, 
ovavUcw, flay. Hence spoil,v. Cf. despoil, etc., 
spoliate, spolium, etc.] 1. Arms and armor 
stripped from a defeated enemy ; the plunder 
taken from an enemy in war; booty; loot; 
hence, that which is seized or falls to one after 
any struggle ; specifically, in recent use, the 
patronage and emoluments of office, considered 
as a reward for zeal or service rendered in a 
struggle of parties : frequently in the plural : 
as, the spoils of capture; to the victor belong 
the spoils; the spoils of office; party spoils. 
The spoil got on the Antiates 
Was ne'er distributed. Shak., Cor., iii. 3. 4. 
Then lands were fairly portioned ; 
Then spoils were fairly sold. 
Macaulay, Horatius, st. 32. 
2. The act of plundering, pillaging, or despoil- 
ing; the act of spoliation ; pillage; robbery. 
Shortly after he [Baiazeth] ouercame the prouinces of 
Hungaria, Albania, and Valachia, and there committing 
many spoyles and damages he tooke diuers Christian pris- 
oners. Guevara, Letters (tr. by Hellowes, 1577X p. 331. 
The man that hath no music in himself, 
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, 
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils. 
Shak., M. of V., v. 1. 85. 
The spoil of the church was now become the only re- 
source of all their operations in finance. 
Burke, Rev. in France. 
3f. Injury; damage; waste; havoc; destruc- 
tion. 
If the tender-hearted and noble-minded reioice of the 
victorle, they are greeued with others spoyle. 
spoke-shave 
The selection of the sites was mjided ... in part by tricks make the game, and when no one can take so many 
convenience in disposing of the pM, or waste rock. the game is said to be trailed. 
The Century, XXXIX. 2 IS. spoilful (spoil'ful), . [< x],il + -fill'] Kapa- 
7t. The slough, or cast skin, of a serpent or cious; devastating; destructive. [Bare.] 
other animal. [Rare.] Those spoylefull Picts, and swarming Easterlings. 
The snake is thought to renew her youth by casting her Spenser, F. Q., II. x. 6:i. 
fPotf- Bacon, Nat. Hist., 989. spoil-paper (spoil'pa"p6rj, H. [< spoil, v., + 
8. In spoil-fin; :i drawn game. Spoils system, obj. pnpn;'] A scribbler. [Humorous.] 
in politics, the practice of treating the public offices not as A8 8ome Sp ,nle.paper* have dearly clone of late, 
public trusts, to be administered primarily for the public '. ,, ,, , , n ___. , 
interest, but as spoils of war, to be taken from members of 
the defeated party and Kiven to members of the successful spoilsman (spoilz 'man), /(. ; pi. xjioitsint'it 
party the emoluments and distinction of holding such (-men). [< spoils, pi" of slioi-l, + mini.] An 
offices being regarded as rewards for services rendered to -..- 1 .^ 
the successful party, and the influence resulting from the 
possession of the offices being expected to be used for the 
maintenanceof that party in power: a term of depreciation. 
The name is derived from a remark made in a speech in 
the United States Senate, in January, 1832, by Mr. Marcy of 
New York ; speaking of and for the New York politicians, 
advocate of the spoils system; a politician who 
seeks personal profit at the public cost from 
the success of his party; one who maintains 
that party service should be rewarded with pub- 
lic office; one who is opposed to the adminis- 
tration of the civil service on the basis of merit. 
See spoils system, under spoil, n. [U. S. ] 
ger), . One who 
See spoil-muni. 
shoot to spoil See shoot. = Syn. 1. Plunder, Booty, etc. spoil-Sport (spoil'sport), n. [< spoil, <., + obj. 
lee pillage, n. tport.'J One who spoils or hinders sport or en- 
--, -v, - joyment. Scott, Kenilworth, xxviii. 
ppr. w$hg. [Early mod. E also spoile, spo ilt. A past participle of *oi7. 
spoyle; < ME tpoton, spuylen < OV.espotllier, spoke i (gp g^ [A f so dia f k k < 
espolher, espitler, F. spolttr = Pr. espotar = Sp. ME . spo / e spake (pl . spok&> s \ < < 
atpoliar = Pg. espolmr = It, spogltare < t. A8 . spaca (pL U^S = D7 speek = MLG. 
spohare, strip plunder spoil, < WOttM, booty, ^te, LG. speke = OHG. speicha, speihha, MHG. 
spoil : see spoil, n. Cf. despoil. The senses de- <. gp^j^ % spoke . pro b not related to OHG. 
stroy, injure' have been supposed, unnecessary KpaMtd 8ha ving, splinter, G. dial, spache, a 
ly, to be due m part to , *jWi .] I. trans. 1. To s \, oke ' = MD . g y ae e a T ^ D spa( ,^ & lev ' er 
stnp with violence; rob; pillage; plunder; de- roller but perh a p s related to spike.- see spiked 
nm I * wnrh nt I n > 1 1 IM T no r IIITI ** tu L- 1 > n /-/> T iu j a . i 
Cf. Icel. tpon, a piece of wood, spsekja, a thin 
spoil: with of before the thing taken. 
And the sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled 
the city. Gen. xxxiv. 27. 
Love always gives something to the object it delights in, 
and anger spoils the person i 
something laudable in him. 
2f. To seize or take by force ; carry off as booty. 
For feare lest Force or Fraud should unaware 
Breake in, and spoile the treasure there In gard. 
Spenser, F. Q., II. vii. 25. 
How can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil 
his goods, except he first bind the strong man ? 
Mat. xii. 29. 
3. To destroy; ruin; injure; mar; impair; 
render useless, or less valuable, potent, or the 
like ; seriously impair the quality, value, sound- 
ness, beauty, usefulness, pleasantness, etc., of: 
as, to spoil a thing in the making ; to spoil one's 
chances of promotion; to spoil the fun. 
Spiritual pride spoils many graces. Jet. Taylor. 
There are not ten people in the world whose deaths 
would spoil my dinner. Macaulay, in Trevelyan, I. 286. 
4. To injure, vitiate, or impair in any way ; es- 
pecially, as applied to persons, to vitiate or im- 
pair in character or disposition ; render less 
filial, obedient, affectionate, mannerly, modest, 
contented, or the like : as, to spare the rod and 
spoil the child ; to spoil one with flattery. 
You will spoil me, Mamma. I always thought I should 
like to be spoiled, and I find it very sweet. 
Charlotte Bronte, Shirley, xxv. 
board.] 1. One of the bars, rods," or rungs 
which are inserted in the hub or nave of a 
wheel, and serve to support the rim or felly ; a 
radius of a wheel. See cut under felly. 
Lat brynge a cart wheel into this halle ; 
But looke that it have his spokes alle ; 
Twelve spokes hath a cart wheel comunly. 
Chaucer, Summoner's Tale, L 554. 
Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel, 
And bowl the round nave down the hill of heaven. 
Shak., Hamlet, iL 2. 517. 
2. One of the rounds or rungs of a ladder. 
3. One of a number of pins or handles jutting 
from the periphery of the steering-wheel of a 
vessel. 4. A bar of wood or metal so placed 
in or applied to the wheel of a vehicle as to pre- 
vent its turning, as when going down a hill. 
See second phrase below. 
You would seem to be master ! you would have your 
spoke in my cart! B. Jonson, Poetaster, ii. 1. 
I'll put a spoke among your wheels. 
Fletcher, Mad Lover, iii. 6. 
Spoke-sizing machine, a machine for planing tenons of 
spokes to uniform size and shape. It has cutters with an 
adjustable angle-gage for beveling the edges of the tenons. 
in one's way ; check or thwart one's purpose or effort. 
It seems to me it would be a poor sort of religion to put 
a spoke in his wheel by refusing to say you don't believe 
such harm of him as you've got no good reason to believe. 
George Eliot, Middlemarch, xiii. 
5f. To cut up; carve: as, to spoil a hen. Babees Spoke 1 (spok), r. t.; pret. and pp. spoked, ppr. 
Book (E. E. T. S.), p. 265. ' spoking. [< spoke*, .] To fit or furnish with 
II. intrans. 1. To engage in plunder and rob- spokes: as, to spoke a wheel, 
bery; pillage; rob. spoke 2 (spok). Preterit and obsolete past par- 
Robbers and out-lawes, which lurked in woodes, . ticiple of speak. 
whence they used oftentimes to breake foorthe ... to Spoke-auger (spok a'ger), . A hollow auger 
robbe and spoyle. Spenser, State of Ireland, for forming the round tenons on the outer ends 
2. To decay; become tainted or unsavory; lose ' spokes. E. H. Knight. 
freshness: as, fruit and fish soon spoil in warm Spoke-bone (spok'bon), n. The radius of the 
weather.-To be spoiling for, to be pining for ; espe- forearm. 
Guemra, Letters (tr. by Hellowes, l&'T), p. 39. cially, to have a longing for, caused or stimulated by dis- Spoke-gage (spok'gaj), n. A device for testing 
, that ill layer up of beauty, can do no more U8e: as - he wai J" 8t spoiling for a fight. [Slang.] ' the set of spokes in a hub. It consists of a man- 
Shak., Hen. V., v. 2. 249. Spoilable(spoi'la-bl), a. [<s/wi7 + -able.} Capa- drel with confcal sleeves, which bear upon the ends of the 
T.I i ; i_j boxing, and hold the hub true while the distance of the 
Old age, 
spoil upon my face. 
The mice also did much spoil in orchards eating off the ble of being spoiled. -.. --- -- --------------- 
bark at the bottom of the fruit trees in the time of the Spoilage (spoi'laj), n. [< spoil + -</.] In ^^ is tested by the gage-pin in the staff. E. H. Knight. 
, II. 113. printing, paper spoiled or wasted in presswork spoke-lathe (spok laTH), n. A lathe for turn- 
spoil-bank (spoil'bangk), H. In mining, the ! n e .irregular forms, especially adapted for 
turning spokes, gun-stocks, handles, etc. 
burrow or refuse-heap at the mouth of a shaft 
or that whiell ; ls ( plunderer a pillager ! a 
robber. 
snow. Winthrop, Hist. New England 
4f. Ruin; ruination. 
Company, villanous company, hath been the spoil of me. 
Shak., 1 Hen. IV., iii. 3. 11. 
They put too much learning in their things now o' days ; 
and that I fear will be the spoil of this. SDOller i - 
B. Jonson, Bartholomew Fair, v. 1. 
5. An object of pillage or spoliation ; a thing 
to be preyed upon ; a prey. 
The Welsh-men, growing confident upon this Success, 
break into the Borders of Herefordshire, making Spoil and 
Prey of the Country as freely as if they had Leave to do it. 
Baker, Chronicles, p. 160. 
Oh, Greece 1 thy flourishing cities were a spoil 
Unto each other. Bryant, The Ages. , 
6. Waste material, as that obtained in mining, spoil-five (spoil'fiv), n. A round game of cards, 
'"'g, excavating canals, making railway played with the whole pack, bv from three to 
etc. Compare spoil-bank. ten persons, each receiving five cards. Three 
or adit-level : a term little used except in parts 8 P ie n (spo kn), p. a. [Pp. of speak.] 1. Ut- 
of England, and there chiefly in coal-mining. tered; oral: opposed to written. 2. Speak- 
poiler (spoi'ler), . [< spoil + -trU One who mg : m com P osltl011 : as, a civil-spoken man. 
The pleasantest-spotoi gentleman you ever heard. 
Dickens, Christmas Carol, iv. 
The anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he Spoke-pointer (spok'poin'ter), i. A knife for 
delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, tri naming the ends of spoke-tenons. It is a form 
of circular plane, havi ng a cutting-edge in a hol- 
low cone, like a pencil-sharpener. 
, 
Judgesii. 14. 
(6) One who or that which impairs, mars, or decays. 
Unchanged, the graven wonders pay 
te to 
spoke-setter (spok'set'er), n. A machine by 
t,,-,,i, i...v. : 4. j to ; n8ure true boriugg 
A 
tween two handles, formerly used in shaping 
