▪ I. spy, n.
(spaɪ)
Also 4–7 spie, spye.
[ad. OF. espie (= Sp. and Pg. espia, It. spia) espy n.; hence also MDu. spie. In sense 4 partly f. spy v.]
1. a. One who spies upon or watches a person or persons secretly; a secret agent whose business it is to keep a person, place, etc., under close observation; esp. one employed by a government in order to obtain information relating to the military or naval affairs of other countries, or to collect intelligence of any kind. In joc. phr. one's spies: one's private or unofficial sources of information.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2169 It semet wel ðat ȝe spies ben, And in-to ðis lond cumen to sen, And..for to spien ur lord ðe king. Ibid. 2174 Spies were we neuer non. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 272 God haþ ȝouen a prest to be a spie to aspie þe sotil disceitis of þe fend & warne þe peple of hem. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame ii. 196 Though that Fame had al the pies In al a Realme, and al the spies. c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xi. 131 Whan the Spyes seen ony Cristene men comen upon hem, thei rennen to the Townes. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 469/1 Spy, or watare.., explorator. 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 161 To speik, quoth scho, I sall nought spar; ther is no spy neir. 1592 Shakes. Ven. & Ad. 655 This sour informer, this hate-breeding spy. 1617 Moryson Itin. iii. 13 Theeves have their spies commonly in all Innes, to inquire after the condition of passengers. 1667 Milton P.L. ii. 970, I come no Spie With purpose to explore or to disturb The secrets of your Realm. 1706–7 Farquhar Beaux' Strat. iii. i, Why some think he's a Spy, some guess he's a Mountebank. 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian xiii, They are certainly spies from the Monastery. 1855 Prescott Philip II, ii. iii. I. 172 His spies were everywhere, mingling with the suspected and insinuating themselves into their confidence. 1882 J. H. Blunt Ref. Ch. Eng. II. 122 John Hooper..and..William Latimer..informed against him to the Privy Council, having no doubt been sent as official spies. 1955 E. H. Clements Discord in Air iii. 32 He designed the engine... I got that from my spies. There's no secret about it, anyway. 1965 M. Frayn Tin Men v. 31 The Queen's going to pay an official visit... So I'm told by my spies, anyway. |
| transf. and fig. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. ii. 17 Each others equall puissaunce enuies, And through their iron sides with cruell spies Does seeke to perce. Ibid. iii. i. 36 And whilest he bath'd, with her two crafty spyes, She secretly would search each daintie lim. 1654 Whitlock Zootomia 560 Testimonies of dying Saints:..we may call them Intelligence from the Spies of Eternity, seeing..the Grapes of that Canaan. 1663 Patrick Parab. Pilgr. xxi, If there be any thing of greater force than other to bring you acquainted with the joy and peace of Jerusalem,..this must be that happy Spy. |
b. Const.
on,
upon (rarely
of). Also
transf.| 1375 Barbour Bruce vii. 386 He to Carleill than vald ga, And a quhill thar-in soiorn ma, And haf his spyis on the kyng. 1623 Wotton in Pearsall Smith Life & Lett. (1907) II. 237, I conceive it a duty to tell your Lordship first how we stand here at this date. For ambassadors (in our old Kentish language) are but spies of the time. 1680 N. Tate Loyal General Addr. E. Tayler A v, He was a most diligent Spie upon Nature. 1725 De Foe Voy. round World (1840) 35 They had presently three Dutchmen, set by the Dutch captain, unperceived by them, to be spies upon them, and to mark exactly what they did. 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian ii, He suspected that this man was at once the spy of his steps and the defamer of his love. 1833 H. Martineau Loom & Lugger i. iii. 38 But these men are spies only upon those who break the laws. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. v. I. 533 There is strong reason to believe that he provided for his own safety by pretending at Whitehall to be a spy on the Whigs. |
c. As the title of various periodicals, etc.
| 1644 title, The Spie, communicating Intelligence from Oxford. 1706 E. Ward, The London Spy. 1712 Swift Let. Eng. Tongue Wks. 1751 II. i. 189 Those monstrous productions, which under the name of trips, spies, amusements, and other conceited appellations, have over-run us for some years past. 1739 title, The Universal Spy, or London Weekly Magazine. 1810–1 [Hogg], The Spy. A periodical paper of literary amusement and instruction. 1854 Poultry Chron. II. 174 The ‘Worcester Spy’ says that the corn crop in Central Massachusetts, will be nearly or quite an average one. |
† d. black spy, the Devil.
| a 1700 in B. E. Dict. Cant. Crew. |
2. Mil. A person employed in time of war to obtain secret information regarding the enemy; in early use
esp. one venturing in disguise into the enemy's camp or territory.
| 13.. K. Alis. 3530 (Linc.), Þe spies on boþe sydes goþ, An telliþ tales for soþ, Of Alisaundre, and eke Darie. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 241 Had þei had a spie among þe Walssh oste,..Þei had bien men lyuand, þat þer to dede went. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xl. (Ninian) 905 Þe Inglis..vend þar spy betraisit had þame to þe knycht. c 1420 Lydg. Assembly of Gods 1022 Er he came at the felde he sent yet pryuyly Sensualyte before, in maner of a spy. c 1450 Merlin xviii. 290 On the morowe erly Gawein sente a spie for to se what the saisnes diden. 1533 Tindale Lord's Supper Wks. (1573) 472/1 As if a souldier of our aduersaries part shoulde come in among vs with our Lordes badge,..we would..take him for a spye. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 25 b, At a certayn foord shewed to them by a spy which serued ye yoman of ye tentes of vitailes. 1665 Manley Grotius' Low-C. Wars 267 Then they considered their danger, especially upon the Return of some that had been sent as Spies. 1699 Temple Hist. Eng. 113 Upon approach of his Enemies he sent Spies into the Norman Camp, who were taken. 1777 in Sparks Corr. Amer. Rev. (1883) I. 428 My scouts and spies inform me, that the enemy's head-quarters and main body are at Saratoga. 1846 Wright Ess. Mid. Ages II. xiii. 87 In the early romances, no disguise is so frequently used by a spy as that of a minstrel. 1899 The Hague Conference Art. 29, An individual can only be considered a spy if, acting clandestinely, or on false pretences, he obtains or seeks to obtain information in the zone of operations of a belligerent, with the intention of communicating it to the hostile party. |
† 3. An ambush, ambuscade, snare.
Obs. rare.
Cf. espy n. 1 b.
| c 1380 Antecrist in Todd Three Treat. Wyclif (1851) 116 He sitteþ in spies wiþ riche men þat he slee an innocent man in privee. 1382 Wyclif 1 Kings xvi. 20 The remnaunt..of the wordis of Zamry, and of the spies [1388 tresouns] of him, and of the tyraundise. |
4. The action of spying; secret observation or watching; an instance or occasion of this. Chiefly in phrases.
| c 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 7 Hit happed that the lorde made spie how the gentill-woman was gone to hide her. 1605 Shakes. Macb. iii. i. 130, I will aduise you where to plant your selues, Acquaint you with the perfect Spy o' th' time, The moment on 't. 1751 Female Foundling I. 143 This young Baggage was on the Spy, and cannot hold her Tongue when she has done. 1857 A. Mayhew Paved with Gold ii. viii, But he's always at the window looking over your way, and if you keep a spy on her, there'll be some fun. |
5. attrib. and
Comb., as
spy-catcher,
spy-catching,
spy fever,
spy-fiction,
spy film,
spy-government,
spy-hunting,
spy-knave,
spy-like adj.,
spy-mania,
spy movie,
spy-net,
spy network,
spy novel,
spy play,
spy scandal,
spy scare,
spy school,
spy series,
spy story,
spy-system,
spy thriller,
spy trial,
spy work, etc.;
† spy-boat, a vessel used for purposes of observation;
spy in the cab colloq. = tachograph;
spy in the sky, a satellite or aircraft used to gather intelligence;
freq. attrib. (with hyphens);
spymaster, the head of an organization of spies;
spy-money, payment for the services of a spy;
spy plane, an aircraft used to gather intelligence;
spy ring = ring n.1 11 c;
spy satellite, a space satellite used to gather intelligence,
usu. military;
spy-ship,
= spy-boat;
Spy Wednesday, in Irish use, the Wednesday before Easter (in allusion, it is said, to Judas).
| 1637 Heywood Royall Ship 10 A kind of *Spie-boates which waited upon a fleete at sea. 1693 Luttrell Brief Rel. (1857) III. 52 The German spy boat came upon the coast of France with a fleet of 16 French merchant men. 1704 Lond. Gaz. No. 4019/2 Her Majesty's Spy Boat the Chatham Prize. |
| 1952 O. Pinto Spy-Catcher i. 7 There is indeed excitement at times in the life of a real *spy-catcher. 1976 Eastern Evening News (Norwich) 13 Dec. 1/1 Spycatcher..‘Jock’ Wilson, head of London's C.I.D. |
| 1978 Cadogan & Craig Women & Children First x. 223 The most irresistible wartime subjects were evacuation and *spy-catching. Ibid. 225 The spy-catching tales of Dorita Fairlie Bruce. |
| 1973 ‘D. Halliday’ Dolly & Starry Bird xvi. 234 The *spy fever had spread like foot-and-mouth disease. |
| 1963 Times Lit. Suppl. 8 Feb. 92/2 The famous heroes of British *spy-fiction..have seldom been professionals. |
| 1942 N.Y. Times 13 June 11/2 A tautly intriguing and sometimes hair-raising *spy film. 1972 ‘E. Ferrars’ Breath of Suspicion iii. 46 It struck Richard, that this must be a spy film. |
| 1929 D. H. Lawrence Pansies 127 The big, flamboyant Russia Might have been saved if a pair Of rebels like Anna and Vronsky Had blasted the sickly air Of Dostoevsky and Tchekov, And *spy-government everywhere. |
| 1871 N. Sheppard Shut up in Paris 58 Crowd dissolves to wreak its wrath in *spy-hunting. |
| 1968 J. Kelson in Headlight Sept. 15/3 The tachograph is a gadget that has been hotly argued over..but..against all..obstacles to productivity and efficiency, the *Spy in the Cab is the crowning irrelevancy of the age. 1980 Daily Tel. 30 Dec. 1/1 The new rules on drivers' hours and the use of tachographs, the so-called ‘Spy in the cab’, will come into force on Thursday. |
| 1960 N.Y. Times 12 June iv. 6/2 The U-2 reconnaissance ‘over⁓flights’ provided, by aerial photography and tape recording of Soviet radio and radar emissions, the most important intelligence gathered by the C.I.A. The ‘*spy in the sky’ more than compensated for the very few spies on the ground that the United States has been able to infiltrate into Russia. 1961 Time 7 July 16 The spy-in-the-sky warning system. 1969 Daily Tel. 18 Apr. 24/8 The NSA..is responsible for ship, aircraft and ‘spy-in-the-sky’ satellite espionage. 1976 Daily News (N.Y.) 11 June (CB & Sound Suppl.) 2/1 Spy in the Sky, police aircraft. 1977 Time 23 May 33/2 A lot of the information is picked up by those spy-in-the-sky satellites. |
| 1622 Fletcher Beggar's Bush iii. iii, You are sent here, Sirra, To discover certain Gentlemen, a *spy-knave. |
| 1599 B. Jonson Cynthia's Rev. Prologue, *Spie-like suggestions, privie whisperings, And thousand such promooting sleights as these. 1668 Extr. State Papers rel. Friends Ser. iii. (1912) 276 He may be imployed about busines from Holland, and soe spy like carry intelligence there. |
| 1892 Englishman in Paris II. xii. 275 The *spy mania..became positively contagious. 1894 Daily News 21 Nov. 5/4 The recrudescence of the spy-mania in France. |
| 1943 Time 18 Jan. 38/2 The Nazi *spymaster and Naval Attaché, Captain Dietrich Niebuhr. 1978 A. Neave Nuremberg xiii. 148 The older generation remembered him for his incompetence as a spy-master in the United States during the First World War. |
| 1713 Addison Guard. No. 97 ¶4 *Spy-money to John Trott her footman, and Mrs. Sarah Wheedle, her companion. |
| 1969 G. Lyall Venus with Pistol iii. 20 It's all a bit like some⁓thing out of a bad *spy movie. |
| 1955 W. Tucker Wild Talent xvi. 215 A master *spy-net, efficiently directed. |
| 1977 G. Markstein Chance Awakening xxv. 76 Hentoff is..a key figure in a British-based *spy network. |
| 1919 C. Mackenzie Sylvia & Michael vi. 222 Our *spy-novels and spy-plays must have been of priceless assistance to the Germans. 1979 Guardian 1 Mar. 7/2 Literaturnaya Gazeta..cast doubt on the value of spy novels. |
| 1960 Aeroplane XCVIII. 627/1 That the U-2 ‘*Spy-plane’ operation is nothing new is evident from what I heard in America about three years ago. 1962 Spectator 14 Sept. 351 The Chinese..brought down an American spyplane. 1976 J. Poyer Day of Reckoning iv. 21 Wasn't there something about a spy plane—yes..the U-2 incident. |
| 1919 *Spy-play [see spy novel above]. |
| 1943 *Spy ring [see ring n.1 11 c]. 1960 Guardian 22 July 1/2 The spy-ring members began checking on the habits of people working in radar..establishments. 1980 Times 22 Jan. 15/1 General Miyanaga, the leader of the spy ring, had been a Russian-speaking specialist working in intelligence for many years. |
| 1960 Washington Post 29 Mar. a16 Much of the money..will go for additional Atlas intercontinental ballistic missiles in hardened sites and for acceleration of the Midas, or ‘*spy’ satellite development. 1976 W. H. Canaway Willow-Pattern War xx. 204 There's a camouflaged installation... You couldn't see it from a spy satellite. |
| 1977 Arab Times 14 Dec. 1/1 Georg Leber, defending his role in a burgeoning *spy scandal. |
| 1923 R. Macaulay Told by Idiot iii. xxi. 257 The German *spy scare, the British spy scare, these fevers were worked up in the jingo press. 1976 J. Lee Ninth Man 74, I like an informed citizenry. Spy scares keep them alert. |
| 1968 Observer 22 Dec. 11/2 New recruits..are sent for training to Group Four's headquarters... A large country house..it conjures up all the *spy-school images. |
| 1975 Listener 28 Aug. 281/4 Drama..is supplied by The Eiger Sanction..but only so far as the most standard of television *spy series. |
| 1858 tr. Life of Xavier 188 The *spy-ships which he had sent..to ascertain the fate of the contest between the Acheens and Portuguese. 1962 Daily Tel. 13 June 1/4 (heading) Fourth Soviet spyship watching U.S. tests. 1977 C. Forbes Avalanche Express xxiii. 242 The 17,000-ton Soviet freighter..the new pride of Soviet..spy ships. |
| 1923 *Spy story [see daffy a.]. 1978 F. Maclean Take Nine Spies 333 The well-known story of the Watchmaker of Orkney..as neat a spy story as one could wish. |
| 1823 T. Bewick Memoir (1975) xi. 103 This happy society was however, at length broken up, at the time when the War on behalf [of] despotism was raging & the *Spy system was set afloat. 1880 M{supc}Carthy Own Times liii. IV. 137 The spy system was soon flourishing in full force. |
| 1952 I. Asimov Stars, like Dust iv. 48 All young fools who get their notions of interstellar intrigue from the video *spy thrillers are easily handled. 1977 Amer. N. & Q. XV. 76/2 Somehow, the categorization ‘spy thriller’..seems to diminish the ‘classic’ quality. |
| 1972 K. Benton Spy in Chancery xxi. 249, I don't hanker after another *spy trial, thank you. |
| 1842 S. Lover Handy Andy xxiii, She spakes like a French spy,..and she was missin', I remember, all last *Spy-Wednesday. |
| 1804 J. Larwood No Gun Boats 23 Her Emissaries are at the secret *spywork of observation and information. 1818 Cobbett Pol. Reg. XXXIII. 50 It appears..that the Duke of Montrose..highly approved of his spy-work. 1915 J. Buchan Thirty-Nine Steps vii. 184 It is ordinary spy work. |
▸
spyware n. (a) any of various objects or pieces of equipment used for espionage;
(b) Computing<spy
n. +
ware n.3, after
software n., software that enables information to be gathered covertly about a person's computer activities, passwords, etc., and relayed to interested parties.
| 1983 Newsweek 20 June 18/3 They displayed *spyware, including an intricately carved wooden idol hollowed out to hold a decoding key and note pads that turned into chewing gum for easy disposal. 1994Info wanted on Spy-ware in vmsnet.networks.misc (Usenet newsgroup) 5 Nov. Info wanted on spy-ware. Can anyone please give me some information about what is possible software and hardware-wise to spy on someone working on the computer? 2003 Daily Tel. 26 Aug. 28/6 The spyware will also log the website pages that you are visiting at the time and full details of the data you are keying in, such as your user ID and password. |
▪ II. spy, v. (
spaɪ)
Forms: 3–4
spien, 4–7
spie (4, 6
spi); 4–6
spye (4
speiȝe, 5
spyȝe,
spyyn), 4–
spy. Also 5
pa. pple. spyne.
[ad. OF. espier espy v. Cf. MDu. spien (Du. spieden), MLG. spêen, MSw. speia, speya (Sw. speja), ON. speja, spæja.] I. trans. 1. a. To watch (a person, etc.) in a secret or stealthy manner; to keep under observation with hostile intent; to act as a spy upon (one).
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2172 Cume ȝe for non oðer ðing, but for to spien ur lord ðe king. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 40 Eilred ȝede þorgh his lond, priuely to spie Euerilkon þe Danes. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints ii. (Paul) 22 In Ierusalem he wes bofte, spyit, waitit, and bundyn ofte. a 1400 Sqr. Lowe Degre 641 The steward was ordeyned to spy And for to take them utterly. 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 164 Men may..barate thair inymyes.., or ȝit ger spy thame, and se quhen thay ar in disaray. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon clix. 612 The same tyme there was on the mountayne .vi. theues who laye to spye the marchauntes. 1617 Moryson Itin. ii. 111 Sir Francis Staffords Lieutenant of his horse, sent by Sir Henri Daners to spy the rebels proceedings. |
| 1870 Pall Mall G. 22 Oct. 12 Since the commencement of the Empire one half of France spied the other half. 1884 tr. Gaboriau's Little Old Man i, Indignantly declaring that he was not in the habit of ‘spying’ the tenants of the house. |
b. To make stealthy observations in (a country or place) from hostile motives. Also with
out,
esp. in
phr. to spy out the land;
freq. fig.| a 1300 Cursor M. 4824 Þan said ioseph,..‘Bot er yee comen þe land to spi?’ 13.. Coer de L. 718 With velanye Ye be come my londe to spye, And sum treson me for to don! 1457 Harding Chron. in Eng. Hist. Rev. Oct. (1912) 751 [He] gafe me in commaundement Scotlonde to spye..How that it myght bene hostayed and distroyed. c 1470 Henry Wallace v. 490 The toune he spyit, and that forthocht we sone. 1535 Coverdale Numb. xiii. 16 The men, whom Moses sent forth to spye out the lande. Ibid. 21 They went vp, & spyed the lande. 1626 Gouge Serm. Dignity Chivalry §3 Those choice men which were..sent to spie the Land of Canaan. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. xxii. 77 He sente two small Barques..to spy the Port, and sound the depth of the river. 1913 Galsworthy Dark Flower iii. v. 230 What had Dromore come for? To spy out the land, discover why Lennan and his wife thought nothing of the world ‘outside’. 1936 A. Christie ABC Murders xv. 112 This man must have been spying out the land beforehand and discovered your brother's habit of taking an evening stroll. 1958 P. H. Newby Ten Miles from Anywhere 124 Maybe you think I'm up to no good? A poultry thief spying out the land. 1979 A. Boyle Climate of Treason i. 32 An unofficial representative of the new Soviet régime arrived in London to spy out the land not long after the 1918 Armistice. |
c. To (seek to) discover or ascertain by stealthy observation. Usu. with dependent clause.
| 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 83 Roberd about did spie, if Malcolme wild haf wrouht. 1375 Barbour Bruce xv. 114 Thai gert spy That mony of schir Eduardis men War scalit in the cuntre then. c 1386 Chaucer Frankl. T. 778 For wel he spyed whan sche wolde go Out of hir hous to eny maner place. a 1400 Pistill of Susan 122 Spyes now specialy if þe ȝatis be sperid. c 1460 Towneley Myst. ix. 110 Luke that thou spy, both far and nere,..If thou here any saghes sere..Of that lad. c 1470 Henry Wallace vi. 467 Spyand full fast, quhar his awaill suld be. 1611 Bible 2 Kings vi. 13 Goe and spie where he is, that I may send and fetch him. |
| 1828 Lytton Pelham III. xix, Thornton..said he would go alone, to spy whether we might return. 1864 Tennyson Aylmer's F. 569 Some low fever ranging round to spy The weakness of a people or a house. |
2. To look out for, to seek an opportunity for, in a close or stealthy manner. Now
rare.
| 13.. K. Alis. 6998 (Laud MS.), Queed & harme he wil me spye. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1774 Þe prowde prynce of perce..with ledes of armes, Þat now has spyed a space to spoyle Caldeez. 1382 Wyclif Ecclus. xii. 15 In his herte he spieth, that he turne thee vp so doun in to the dich. c 1400 Destr. Troy 5085 In speche may men spie the speker to know, And wete, by his wordes, the wit þat he beires. a 1425 Cursor M. 19715 Niȝte or day whenne þei myȝt spie Bi murþerment to do him diȝe. |
| 1859 Meredith Juggling Jerry i, One that outjuggles all 's been spying Long to have me, and he has me now. |
3. To look at, examine, or observe closely or carefully; to see or behold; in
mod. use
spec., to investigate with a spy-glass or telescope.
| c 1325 Metr. Hom. 13 His sawel gern spied he [sc. Satan], Yef he moht se or find thar inne Any filth or spotte of sinne. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. ii. 225 Spiceres spoke with hym, to spien here ware. c 1440 Ipomydon 1730, I haue the spyed, sythe þou oute ȝede: Thou arte my lemman, as I haue thoght. 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 70, I suld at fairis be found, new faceis to spy. 1549 Compl. Scot. Prol. 11 Quhen he hed contemplit & spyit the proportions & propreteis of nature. 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. iv. 5 And all the hinder partes, that few could spie, Were ruinous and old, but painted cunningly. 1812 H. & J. Smith Rej. Addr. 35 Thy rival staggers; come and spy her Deep in the mud as thou art in the mire. 1871 B. Taylor Faust (1875) II. 52 Great Pan in cheerful mood stands by, Rejoiced the wondrous things to spy. 1893 Earl Dunmore Pamirs II. 78, I spied the whole ground, and never saw a beast. |
4. a. To catch sight of; to descry or discover; to notice or observe.
Cf. espy v. 2.
| 13.. K. Alis. 2183 (Laud MS.), A jolyf kyng ycleped barrys Spyeþ Alisaundres prys. 1375 Barbour Bruce xix. 528 The lord Dowglas has spyit a vay, How that he mycht about thame ryd. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1295 It miȝte hermye ȝow alle in cas if my fader miȝt it spie. 1404–8 26 Pol. Poems 29 [Let] No fende spot vppon þe spyȝe. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1868) 60 The theef..gothe and comithe till he be spied, and thanne is take. 1480 Robt. Devyll 823 in Hazl. E.P.P. I. 251 Themperoure..bade hys seruaunte throwe hym a bone. So he dyd, and whan Robert yt had spyne [etc.]. 1575 Gamm. Gurton ii. iv, Good lord! shall never be my luck my nee'le again to spy? 1590 Spenser F.Q. i. i. 7 A shadie grove not farr away they spide. 1626 in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. III. 216 In my passage, spying a doore guarded by one,..I went, and..found an easie entrance. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 166 When they spie that Fish, they strike him on the back with Harping-Irons. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. 80 Looking out to Sea in hopes of seeing a Ship, then fancy at a vast Distance I spy'd a Sail. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) V. 138 By dilating the pupil, the animal..is enabled to spy its prey..in the dark. 1849 Sk. Nat. Hist., Mammalia III. 13 There is great danger if the hippopotamus spies the huntsman before he can throw his spear. 1885–94 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche May xxv, It must end our love If they should hear or spy thee from above. |
| transf. a 1704 T. Brown Dk. Ormond's Recovery Wks. 1730 I. 51 His mind enlarg'd, and boundless as the sky, Shall unknown worlds and heaven's recesses spy. |
b. With immaterial object.
| c 1315 Shoreham i. 1851 Ȝyf þet one weddeþ þe þral,..And ȝyf a spyet þat soþe þrof [etc.]. c 1400 Ywain & Gaw. 3013 Our kyng..Passed thurgh many cuntre, Aventures to spir and spy. 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 271 Thought I dispytit thaim agane, thai spyit it na thing. 1549 E. Allen Paraphr. Rev. 4 Whan they spye any thing amysse in them selves. 1598 Drayton Heroical Ep. (1619) xxii, Feare seeing all, feares it of all is spy'd. 1667 Milton P.L. iv. 1005 The latter..kickt the beam; which Gabriel spying, thus bespake the Fiend. 1734 Watts Reliq. Juv. (1789) 95 Does nature find so much convenience, or spy so much decency in it? 1780 Cowper Let. 8 June, If you spy any fault in my Latin, tell me, for I am sometimes in doubt. 1810 Scott Lady of L. i. xix, Her kindness and her worth to spy, You need but gaze on Ellen's eye. 1813 ― Trierm. Introd. v, Too oft my anxious eye has spied That secret grief thou fain wouldst hide. |
c. With clause as object.
| c 1325 Song of Yesterday in E.E.P. (1862) 137 Whon þat he wol þe assayle, Þat wost þou not, ne neuer may spye. c 1350 Will. Palerne 3399 Ac spacly þe spaynoles speiȝed he was slayne. c 1400 Gamelyn 490 Now I haue spied þat frendes haue I none. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xxxv. 181 Besyde a ryver and a craggy roche This gyaunt was whyche spyed me approche. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 60 Let Christmas spie yard cleane to lie. 1590 Lodge Euphues Gold. Leg. I 2 b, Aliena..spied where the hare was by the hounds, and could see day at a little hole. 1628 Milton Vac. Exerc. 61 Thy drowsie Nurse hath sworn she did them spie Come tripping to the Room. 1859 Tennyson Guinevere 31 For Sir Launcelot passing by Spied where he couch'd. |
d. In the names of children's games: (
a)
hy-spy,
I spy: see
hy-spy; (
b)
I spy (with my little eye), a game in which one player selects an object (visible to all) for the others to guess, giving them its colour or its initial letter with the words ‘I spy with my little eye something (blue, etc.)
or beginning with —’.
| 1946 R. Lehmann Gipsy's Baby 80 We remained below and played I Spy—with colours, not the alphabet, so that my brother could join in. 1969 I. & P. Opie Children's Games x. 275 Their participation in intellectual guessing games, even of the humble order of..‘I Spy With My Little Eye’, is apt to be limited to occasions when they are restricted and unable to play anything else. 1975 Language for Life (Dept. Educ. & Sci.) vi. 85 Stories, and such verbal games as ‘I-spy’ and ‘Knock-knock’, encourage children to explore speech sounds and help them develop a better intuitive understanding of these sounds. |
5. To find
out, to search or seek
out, by observation or scrutiny.
| 1530 Tindale Prol. Romans ¶2 No man could spy out the intent, and meanyng of it. a 1533 Ld. Berners Huon lv. 188 As Huon foughte he spyed out the paynym that had gyuen him his swerde. 1584 D. Powel Lloyd's Cambria 151 The Normans began to spie out the Commodities of Wales. 1617 Moryson Itin. iii. 1 The senses..are (as it were) our Sentinels and Watch-men, to spie out all dangers. 1650 T. Hubbert Pill Formality 69 They might spie out the Saints liberty. 1706 E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) 72 He can spy out the Faults in the Structure of a Boat, sooner than those of himself. 1782 F. Burney Diary 28 Oct., Lady Shelley, who spied us out, sent us an invitation to her party. 1848 Thackeray Lett. 28 July, I felt ashamed of myself for spying out their follies. 1893 F. M. Elliot Diary Constantinople vi, One little black-eyed child..spied me out as I left the carriage. |
II. intr. 6. a. To make observations (now
spec. with a spy-glass); to keep watch; to be on the look out.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 27372 Þe preist bi-gin þan his franyng, Sua o ferrum for to spi Til he find quar þe roting ly. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 780 Þere in longyng al nyȝt he lengez in wones, Whyl þe souerayn to Sodamas sende to spye. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xiii. (Mark) 137 And sa eftyre spyit þai, þat þai fand hyme one pasck-day. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 2563 So long he spied day and night Til he hapened to haue a sight. 1508 Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen 427 That I may spy, vnaspyit, a space me beside. 1530 Palsgr. 728/2, I spye for one, I lye awayte for hym, je aguette. a 1631 Donne Songs & Sonnets, Break of day ii, If it [sc. light] could speake as well as spie, This were the worst that it could say. |
| 1883 Longm. Mag. Nov. 73 After a very cursory glance round with my own glass, I shut it up and began talking as Charlie spied. |
b. Const.
at (a thing).
| 1806 Beresford Miseries Hum. Life v. ix, While there was nothing in the house worth spying at. 1826 Hood Mermaid of Margate ii, On Margate beach,..Where urchins wander to pick up shells, And the Cit to spy at the ships. |
7. a. To make stealthy or covert observations; to play the spy; to pry.
| 1456 Sir G. Haye Law Arms (S.T.S.) 238 [They may] travaill in were and pes..sa that thare be na coverit malice under, as to spy. 1593 Shakes. Lucr. 1086 Revealing day through every cranny spies. 1604 ― Oth. iii. iii. 147 As I confesse it is my Natures plague To spy into Abuses. 1611 Cotgr., Mouscher, to spy, pry, sneake into corners, thrust his nose into euery thing. a 1637 B. Jonson Sad Sheph. i. ii, But spy your worst, good spy, I will dispose of this where least you like! |
b. Const.
on or
upon (a person, etc.).
| 1626 Donne Lett. (1651) 314 But this evening I will spie upon the B[ishop]. a 1774 Goldsm. Hist. Greece II. 102, I am come to spy upon your vanity and ambition. 1883 G. J. Cayley Las Alforjas II. 141 What do you mean, sir, by spying upon my movements? 1891 Farrar Darkn. & Dawn xiv, It is no such pleasure to be Emperor with you to spy on me. |
▪ III. † spy variant of
spi int. Obs.| c 1315 Shoreham i. 2035 Spy, felþe! Þer hy myȝte hyt do kendelyche, On-kende hys hare onselthe. |