spitfire, a. and n.
(ˈspɪtfaɪə(r))
Also 6–7 spitfier, 7 spetfire, 6–9 spit-fire.
[f. spit v.2]
A. adj.
1. a. That spits fire; fire-spitting; fig. irascible, displaying anger or hot temper.
| 1600 Rowlands Lett. Humours Blood ix. 15 That with a spit-fier Serpent so durst fight. 1791 Nairne Poems 103 Where..spit-fire cats their midnight revels keep. 1850 Whipple Ess. & Rev. II. 306 A spitfire satirist, or moody misanthrope. 1866 Chambers Ess. Ser. ii. 90 A venerable spitfire terrier,..mentally engaged in the business of rat-catching. 1894 Mrs. H. Ward Marcella I. 10 A little spit⁓fire outsider. |
b. Heated, angry.
| 1894 Tablet 20 Jan. 86 The lurid vapours of spit-fire controversies. |
2. spitfire-jib: (see quot.). Naut.
| 1858 Mayne Reid Ran away to Sea (1859) xii. 93 Even under such a wind she still continued to carry most of her sail..while her storm, spit-fire, and third jibs were still kept bent to the breeze. 1867 Smyth Sailor's Word-bk. 643 Spitfire-Jib, in cutters, a small storm-jib of very heavy canvas. 1894 Outing XXIV. 193/1, I advise that a ‘spit-fire’ or storm jib be carried whenever a sail of any distance is contemplated. |
B. n.
1. a. A thing which emits or vomits fire; esp. a cannon.
| 1611 Cotgr., Bouches à feu, Spit-fires; Artillerie, Ordnance. 1614 Rowlands Fooles Bolt (Hunterian Cl.) 19 Spaines Hell spawne of fleete,..With all their brasen Spit⁓fiers. 1680 C. Nesse Ch. Hist. 423 Those two monstrous spet-fires, call'd the Earth-quake and Grand-Diabolo,..planted against Rhodes and Constantinople. 1785 Span. Rivals 5 Yes, that spitfire, the Rock of Gibraltar will bear us witness. 1842 F. Trollope Vis. Italy II. 199 Vesuvius..is the most renowned of all accessible spit-fires. 1901 ‘Linesman’ Words by Eye-witness v. (1902) 113 The 3-inch spitfire on the lower slopes of Spion Kop. |
b. A slight eruption or explosion.
| 1887 Ruskin Præterita II. 61 Firing up under their feet in little splutters and spit-fires of the most appalling heresy. |
2. One whose temper is fiery; an irascible, passionate, or quick-tempered person.
| 1680 Baxter Cath. Commun. (1684) 38 Malignant Spit⁓fires do already write books full of palpable Lies against other men. 1687 T. Brown Saints in Uproar Wks. 1730 I. 77 'Tis some comfort to me however, Bully Spit-fire, that thou canst not abuse me, without falling foul upon my Country. 1721 Amherst Terræ Fil. No. 32 (1726) 169 Not so fast, (I beg of you) my dear little spit-fire. c 1750 Devon. Dial. (1837) 7 Thecca spitfire woud a fitted en to a T. 1831 Carlyle Sart. Res. ii. viii, Deuce on it,..the little spit⁓fires! 1881 Besant & Rice Chapl. of Fleet ii. iv, What a little spitfire was this Nancy of mine! |
3. A cat in an angry state.
| 1825 Scott Fam. Lett. (1894) II. xxiv. 395 We thought we should have to have opened the wall to get out the little spit-fire alive. 1878 Browning Poets Croisic 131 If she missed Priority of stroking, soon were stirred The dormant spit-fire. |