▪ I. spare, n.1
(spɛə(r))
Also 5 spar.
[f. spare v.1 and a. Cf. Norw. and obs. G. spar the act of sparing or saving.]
† 1. The fact of leaving unhurt or unharmed; sparing; leniency, mercy. In the phrases without spare and to make (no, etc.) spare. Obs.
| (a) a 1300 Cursor M. 2909 Bot þan com dome [= doom] witouten spare, To þaa þat lang was spared are. c 1380 Antecrist 136 in Todd Three Treat. Wyclif (1851), If þai wil noght turn til his lare, He sal þam sla wituten spare. a 1425 Cursor M. 3974 (Trin.), Iacob dred esau sare, For he was fel wiþouten spare. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. 139 To wipe away all shamefull dishonour, as whetting their anger against such..perfidious enemies, without spare. |
| (b) 1591 in Bacon Genesis New Eng. Ch. (1874) 127 They have made no spare or conscience to accuse..and punish us. 1609 Holland Amm. Marcell. 80 Our souldiors..rifled rich villages full of corne and cattell, making spare of none. 1620 tr. Boccaccio's Decam. 4 Little lesse spare was made in the villages round about. 1633 Bp. Hall Hard Texts 421 Cut them off..and make no spare of any of them. |
2. a. The exercise of economy, frugality, or moderation. Chiefly in the phrase to make (no, etc.) spare.
| 1577 Grange Golden Aphrod., etc. P j, To spende and make no spare, he must himselfe incline. 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. i. 51 Whiles fruitfull Ceres, and Lyæus fat, Pourd out their plenty, without spight or spare. 1643 Trapp Comm. Gen. xlvii. 14 Bidden to eate..what he pleased, and make no spare. 1850 F. S. Merryweather Glimmerings in Dark 36 The canons of the Church..injoined them to be bountiful in their charity and to use no spare in their hospitality. 1891 Spectator 19 Sept. 377/2 We may be able to make shift with 19 million quarters of foreign and Colonial Wheat. It is certainly desirable to make spare, as we may do if we have an abundant potato-crop. |
b. Const. of. (Common c 1600–40.)
| 1577 J. Knewstub Confut. R j, He hath plentifully powred out, and made no spare of it, thorow out the whole yeare. 1579 Twyne Phis. agst. Fortune ii. xliii. 218 b, There must be no spare of the rod. 1626 Bacon New Atl. (1650) 1 By which time our Victuals failed us, though we had made good spare of them. 1648 J. Goodwin Right & Might well met 8 They made no spare of their owne deare lives. 1655 tr. Sorel's Com. Hist. Francion ii. 32 At our meal there was no spare of liquor. 1832 tr. Tour German Prince IV. 77 There are a thousand men and two hundred horses in action, and no spare of gunpowder. |
† c. at spare, with poor or little food or entertainment; poorly, frugally. Obs.—1
| 1585 Earl of Leicester Corr. (Camden) 462 Most of the noblemen and gentlemen lodged that night at spare in Harwiche. |
3. a. In various elliptical uses of the adj.: A spare or reserve sum of money; a spare room; a spare part, tool, tyre, etc., carried esp. by motorists to replace a breakage or supply a sudden emergency. Also spec. in pl., spare parts.
| 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. iv. xvi. 321 Reserving a spare for all events and accidentall occasions. 1868 Dickens in Lett. (1880) II. 355 To provide and lay down new Brussels carpets in the front spare and the two top spares. 1906 Daily Chron. 24 Apr. 3/3 He recommends..a complete spare magneto. I wonder if he has ever really carried such a ‘spare’. 1907 C. W. Brown Petrol Engine i. 11 The manufacture is simplified and the number of ‘spares’ which the owner of a car is called upon to carry considerably reduced. 1908 Motor Boat 5 Mar. 133/1 The best method of dealing with spares is to have a chest made to carry all the spares you require. 1914 Vanity Fair Jan. 95/1 Some ingenious modifications have been devised for taking care of the ‘spare’. 1930 A. P. Herbert Water Gipsies xxiii. 334 I'll put you to bed in the spare, and let nobody come near you. 1957 Practical Wireless XXXIII. 701/2 A suitable piece of aluminium can probably be found in almost any spares box. 1976 M. Maguire Scratchproof v. 66 Did it usually take him an hour to put on the spare? Would he mind if I looked at the punctured tyre? 1979 B. Parvin Deadly Dyke v. 23 A small room with a single bed..had never been used... It would have been thought of as the spare. |
b. slang. An unattached woman, esp. one available for casual sex. Freq. in phr. a bit of spare.
| 1969 J. Boland Shakespeare Curse xxi. 169 Kelley was a man whose wife was in an advanced state of pregnancy. You think he'd turn down a bit of spare if it was offered to him? 1974 P. Cave Dirtiest Picture Postcard x. 61 The men would not have to bother with the married girls anyway. There's plenty of spare about. 1978 R. Busby Garvey's Code iv. 44, I..got the impression Maurice was..on the look-out for a bit of spare... Some of the girls we get in here..don't leave much to the imagination. |
4. orig. U.S. In ten-pins and skittles: The knocking down of all the pins with two bowls (thus leaving one ‘to spare’), or with the first bowl (= double spare); the score for doing this.
| 1843 Knickerbocker XXII. 327 His bowling at ninepins was the very perfection of carelessness. He was never guilty of a ‘spare’. 1879 Daily News 2 Sept. 3/1 Younger people..sought out the American ten-pin alleys,..and, in striving for ‘spares’ and ‘double-spares’, esteemed themselves far in advance of their wise elders. 1884 Harper's Mag. Jan. 299/2 Strikes and spares were less common. 1976 Bridgwater Mercury 21 Dec., Keith Pollard, whose top-of-the-board 84 included four spares, led Alleycats to a runaway home win..in a first division Puriton and District Skittles League Game. |
▪ II. † spare, n.2 Obs.
Forms: 4 spaier, 5 spayere, speyer, speyr(e, 5–6 spayre, 6 sparre, 5–6 (8–9) spare.
[Of obscure origin.]
An opening or slit in a gown, robe, etc., in later use in a woman's gown (see quot. 1597).
Jamieson (1808) has also ‘the slit or opening, formerly used in the fore-part of breeches’.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 5825 He put it [his hand] eft in his spaier, And vte he drogh it, hale and fere. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 2060 A-bowne the spayre a spanne, emange the schortte rybbys. c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode ii. ix. (1869) 78 And than Resoun putte hire hond in to hire bosom bi a spayere. c 1440 Jacob's Well 115 His clothyng was lynen, & full of spayerys, & in euery spayere hyng a crewett. a 1529 Skelton P. Sparowe 345 My byrde..That was wont to..go in at my spayre, And crepe in at my gore Of my gowne before. 1530 Palsgr. 273/2 Sparre of a gowne, fente de la robe. 1597 Skene De Verb. Sign. s.v. Bastardus, That part of weemens claiths, sik as of their gown, or petticot, quhilk vnder the belt, and before, is open, commonlie is called, the spare. ? a 1700 Jew's Daughter in Motherwell Minstrelsy (1827) 52 She took out a little pen⁓knife, Hung low down by her spare. [Also in other ballads.] |
▪ III. spare, n.3
Anglicized form of sparus.
| 1803 Shaw Gen. Zool. IV. ii. 407 Rose-red Spare, with silvery abdomen. Ibid. 419 Silvery Spare [etc.]. |
▪ IV. spare, n.4 Coal-mining.
(See quot.)
| 1849 Greenwell Coal-trade Terms, Northumb. & Durh. 49 Spare.—A piece of wood, 6 or 8 inches long, 6 inches broad, cut from 1 inch Scotch deal, with one of the flat sides tapered off to the end;..the baff-end is put in first,..and the spare driven between the baff-end and the crib, in the manner of a wedge. |
▪ V. † spare
obs. variant of spar n.1
Examples of the pl. spares, sparis in the 15–16th cent. probably belong to spar.
| 1688 Holme Armoury iii. 100/1 Raile,..is a piece of Timber, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 foot or more long,..and an inch or more thick... Spare, is two inches thick, and four inches broad; in some places it is termed a single Quarter. |
▪ VI. spare, a. and adv.
(spɛə(r))
Also 5 spar.
[Connected with spare v.1 Cf. ON. sparr (to be) spared; OE. spær, OHG. spar, MDu. spaer, MSw. and Norw. spar sparing; also Du. spaar-, G. and Sw. spar-, Da. spare-, Icel. spari- in combs.]
I. 1. Not in actual or regular use at the time spoken of, but carried, held, or kept in reserve for future use or to supply an emergency; esp. Naut. (see quot. 1769); additional, extra. a. In attributive use. Also spare room, a room not regularly used, esp. a bedroom reserved for visitors. spare tyre, (a) an extra tyre carried in a motor vehicle for emergencies; similarly, spare wheel; (b) transf., a roll of fat around the stomach (colloq.).
The various types of context are illustrated by the different groups of quotations.
| (a) 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 104 Cables þay fasten,..weȝen her ankres, Sprude spak to þe sprete þe spare bawe-lyne. c 1450 Bk. Curtasye 792 in Babees Bk., The keruer anon..Into þe couertoure wyn he powres owt, Or in-to a spare pece, with-outen doute. 1497 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 110 Spare extrees for faucons,..v. 1573 Richmond Wills (Surtees) 242, v. ireon teames,..ij spare crooks. 1590 Shakes. Com. Err. i. i. 80 A small spare Mast, Such as sea-faring men prouide for stormes. 1602 Marston Ant. & Mel. ii. Wks. 1856 I. 23 If you have any spare paire of silver spurs. 1691 T. H[ale] Acc. New Invent. 43 A spare Set thereof [i.e. rudder-irons] sent to Sea with every Lead-sheathed Ship. 1709 Lond. Gaz. No. 4521/2 One of the Flukes of the Spare-Anchor [was]..shot off. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1780), Spare, an epithet applied to any part of a ship's..furniture, that lies in reserve, to supply the place of such as may be lost, or rendered incapable of service. Hence we say, spare top-masts, spare sails, spare rigging, &c. 1811 Regul. & Orders Army 276 All Spare Ammunition is given in to the nearest Ordnance Depôt. 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. II. xvi. 173 We carried spare tins, in case the others should burn out. 1893 Kipling Many Invent. 2 We've just sent our regular engine to London, and this spare one's not..so accurate. 1917 ― Diversity of Creatures 162 The policeman laid his hand on the rim of the right driving-door (Woodhouse carries his spare tyres aft). 1920 ‘O. Douglas’ Penny Plain xxiii. 267 It was a tyre gone... Stark put on the spare wheel and they started again. 1961 Harper's Bazaar Dec. 43/1 The deep diaphragm section slims you... That ‘spare-tyre’ has vanished! 1971 D. Devine Dead Trouble v. 48 My spare tyre keeps me warm. You're too skinny. 1972 Country Life 7 Dec. 1592/3 The luggage boot is..fairly well filled by the spare wheel. 1977 Lancashire Life Nov. 153/1 There is no need for a spare tyre to clutter up the Mini's limited boot space. |
| (b) a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII, 29 The master of hys horse folowed him with a spare horse. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 420 They bring with them three moneths victuall,..and a spare Horse for food, besides a better for seruice. 1708 J. C. Compl. Collier (1845) 33 The Charge of maintaining a spare Shift of Horses. 1781 Gibbon Decl. & F. xviii. II. 90 The custom of their warriors, to lead in their hand one or two spare horses, enabled them to advance and to retreat with a rapid diligence. 1822–56 De Quincey Confess. (1862) 76 Here's a spare dromedary. 1850 R. G. Cumming Hunter's Life S. Afr. I. 105 A horseman..accompanied by an after-rider leading a spare horse. |
| (c) a 1687 Petty Pol. Arith. (1690) 107 There are spare Hands among the King's Subjects, to earn two Millions more than they do. 1897 Daily News 27 May 8/5 Driver R. Wilcockson, a spare driver,..gave evidence in regard to the irregular hours of the ‘spare’ men. |
| (d) 1702 Guide for Constables 12 He shall keep one or more spare beds for lodging of strangers. 1811 Scott Let. in Lockhart (1837) II. xi. 361 My present intention is to have only two spare bed-rooms. 1814 Jane Austen Mansf. Park I. iii. 54 The absolute necessity of a spare-room for a friend was now never forgotten. 1827 Scott Surg. Dau. i, A spare apartment, in which Doctor Gray occasionally accommodated..patients. 1837 Southern Lit. Messenger III. 333 One of the third-story rooms we must keep for a spare room. 1855 Knickerbocker XLVI. 380 They have stolen away into the spare-room, otherwise, parlor. 1881 Young Every Man his own Mechanic §806. 371 A spare bed which may be put up anywhere in a few minutes. 1904 A. Dale Wanted: a Cook 332 The wine-cellar was under the bed in the spare-room. 1928 Galsworthy Swan Song iii. ix. 280 He spied a spare-room window open at the top. 1953 E. Simon Past Masters iii. 169 The spare room, newly done up, was frequently inhabited by..distinguished visitors. 1977 J. Porter Who the Heck is Sylvia? ix. 79 Her habit of knocking on the spare-room door before entering. |
b. In predicative use. Now rare.
| 1497 Naval Acc. Hen. VII (1896) 87, ij pair wheles & a pair of hynder wheles spare. 1600 J. Dymmok Ireland (1843) 7 His horse of service is alwaies led spare. 1621 Lady M. Wroth Urania 460 They only riding in one Coach, two other went spare. a 1642 Sir W. Monson Naval Tracts iii. (1704) 324/1 Anchors lying spare at the River side. 1899 Westm. Gaz. 7 Dec. 5/2 Their ponies were running about spare all over the place. |
† c. Of land, ground, etc.: Uncultivated, unoccupied, vacant. Obs. (exc. in sense 1 a or 2).
| c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 112 Sped hym on spedely on the spare mure. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. i. (1586) 24 The ground that is yeerely sowen, and that hath lyne spare, is to be plowed thryse. 1665 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 221 The number of Gardens, Cemeteries [etc.],..take up much more spare place than London doth. 1669 Worlidge Syst. Agric. 93 You may raise these Pollards in Hedge⁓rows, and spare places. |
† d. Of a leaf: Blank. Obs.—1
| 1705 Hearne Collect. 13 July (O.H.S.) I. 5 A spare leafe, before a 4to Book of tracts. |
e. colloq. Of persons: off-duty, idle (cf. sense 1 a (c)). Also, useless, superfluous.
| 1919 Athenæum 1 Aug. 695/2 ‘To be spare’ is to be temporarily off duty. 1925 Fraser & Gibbons Soldier & Sailor Words & Phrases 266 Spare, to look, to be idle: not engaged on any particular job. 1936 J. Curtis Gilt Kid xv. 154 We can't stand around here spare... Come on. 1970 ‘D. Halliday’ Dolly & Cookie Bird viii. 117 Janey stayed there with her manicured hand on his brow..and I felt a bit spare. |
f. Phr. to go spare: (a) to be unemployed; (b) to become infuriated or distraught. colloq.
| c 1942 R. Dimbleby Let. in J. Dimbleby Richard Dimbleby (1975) vii. 163 I'd be grateful if your team would remember an at least practised broadcaster who appears to be ‘going spare’! 1958 F. Norman Bang to Rights 169 When he saw what I had done he went spare. 1969 J. N. Smith Is he Dead, Miss ffinch? xv. 95 The train had just gone. His lordship nearly went spare. 1975 T. Heald Deadline iv. 68 What's the time? Monica will be going spare. |
2. a. That can be spared, dispensed with, or given away, as being in excess of actual requirements; superfluous. † Rarely as predicate.
| a 1553 Udall Royster D. (Arb.) 28 She shall haue the first day a whole pecke of argent... A pecke? Nomine patris, haue ye so much spare? 1613 Beaum. & Fl. Captain i. iii, When I..have enough spare gold To boil away, you shall be welcome to me. 1783 Burke Rep. Aff. India Wks. 1842 II. 49 The supply destined for the London market is proportioned to the spare tonnage. 1816 Tuckey Narr. Exped. R. Zaire iv. (1818) 141 The very little spare provisions the natives seem to have at this season. 1849 Sir F. B. Head Stokers & Pokers v. (1851) 53 A few of the..men who had spare cash purchased the greater portion of these articles. 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. I. xiii. 149 All the spare morsels, the cast-off delicacies of the mess. |
b. Of time: Not employed or taken up by one's ordinary or usual duties or occupations; leisure.
| a 1610 Healey Epictetus (1636) 69 If thou hast any spare time, go. c 1643 Ld. Herbert Autobiog. (1824) 240 All the spare hours which I could get from my visits and negotiations. 1711 Addison Spect. (J.), The female world..have more spare time upon their hands, and lead a more sedentary life. 1885 G. Allen Babylon xvi, Minna was working hard in all her spare hours. 1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ At Bay iv, The earliest spare moment he could find was devoted to Lady Gethin. |
| transf. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Sunday iv, The other dayes fill up the spare And hollow room with vanities. |
II. † 3. Of speech: Sparing; marked by reticence or reserve. Obs. rare.
| 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 901 Þenne was spyed & spured vpon spare wyse, Bi preue poyntez of þat prynce [etc.]. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xx. 294 This spekyng must be spar, and neuen it neuer..; let no man wyt where that we war. |
4. a. Of persons, their limbs, etc.: Having little flesh; not fat or plump; lean, thin.
| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VII, 60 b, He was a man of body but leane and spare. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iii. ii. 287 O, giue me the spare men, and spare me the great ones. 1614 Rowlands Fooles Bolt (Hunterian Cl.) 34 Thou worthy leane spare Gentleman. 1667 Milton P.L. x. 511 His Visage drawn he felt to sharp and spare. 1709 Tatler No. 93 ¶4 As I am spare, I am also very tall. 1716 Swift Progr. Poetry Wks. 1755 III. ii. 162 Hard exercise and harder fare Soon make my dame grow lank and spare. 1808 Scott Marm. ii. iv, Her cheek was pale, her form was spare. 1844 W. Irving Goldsmith xiv. (1850) 172 He was upwards of six feet high, and very spare. 1885 Spectator 25 July 971/1 A man of spare figure, with a shrewd, humorous face. |
| transf. 1848 Dickens Dombey lvii, Mrs. Miff assents with a spare nod of her mortified bonnet. 1865 ― Mut. Fr. i. xv, The staircase, balustrades, and rails, had a spare look. |
b. Const. in or of (flesh).
| 1632 Sherwood, Spare (of flesh), desnué de chair. 1842 Tennyson Talking Oak 92, I hold them [fairies] exquisitely knit, But far too spare of flesh. 1871 G. H. Napheys Prev. & Cure Dis. i. i. 45 Spare in flesh. |
c. Lacking body or substance; flimsy, thin.
| 1602 Warner Alb. Eng. xiii. lxxix. (1612) 325 But all effects, and names to God his Essence come more short Than Sun-shine to the Suns-selfe, than to action spare report. 1858 Lowell Vis. Sir Launfal ii. iii, Sir Launfal's raiment thin and spare Was idle mail 'gainst barbed air. |
d. poet. Growing thinly or sparsely.
| 1815 Shelley Alastor 527 Grey rocks did peep from the spare moss. |
e. Of style: unadorned, bare, simple.
| 1965 Listener 7 Oct. 552/2 The narrative..was spare, precise, almost a little cold, and made its tale of muddle and butchery thereby the more devastating. 1966 Ibid. 12 May 702/2 We feel the participants to be in agony and it is impossible to remain indifferent to them. This achievement has something to do with the spare, angular dialogue. 1977 Times 23 May 25/1 Tom Courtenay gives a frighteningly spare performance in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. |
† 5. a. Of persons: Sparing, temperate, or moderate of or in something, esp. diet or speech. Obs.
| (a) 1563 Foxe A. & M. 1050/1 He [Hooper] was..spare of dyet, sparer of wordes, and sparest of tyme. 1615 R. Brathwait Strappado (1878) 183 Another may we see, though spare of speech, And temporate in discourse, yet he may teach By his effectual words the rasher sort. 1658–9 in Burton's Diary (1828) III. 341, I am very spare of speaking. 1697 Dryden Virgil, Life (1721) I. 61 He was..spare of Dyet, and hardly drank any Wine. |
| (b) 1581 G. Pettie tr. Guazzo's Civ. Conv. ii. (1586) 71 b, We must be spare in speaking of things which are not easily beleeued. 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie iii. (Arb.) 298 A man to be in giuing free, in asking spare. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, ii. ii. 131 Are they spare in diet, Free from grosse passion. |
† b. Not lavish, liberal, or profuse, esp. in expenditure or living; frugal, niggardly, parsimonious; abstemious. Obs.
| 1577 Hanmer Anc. Eccles. Hist. vii. xxxi. (1619) 143 Pierius was proved a spare man of life, and singular in Philosophy. 1583 Stubbes Anat. Abus. I ij b, But as some be ouer largeous, so other some are spare enough. 1633 P. Fletcher Poet. Misc. 58 Oh happy pair, where nothing wants to either,..Fortune and nature being spare to neither! |
c. dial. Displaying little exertion or energy; slow, dilatory.
| 1746– in south-western dial. glossaries, etc. |
6. a. Characterized by meanness, bareness, economy, or frugality, esp. in regard to food.
| 1560 Abp. Parker Corr. (Parker Soc.) 133 The unclean or negligent order and spare-keeping of the house of prayer. 1600 Shakes. A.Y.L. iii. ii. 20 As it is a spare life.., it fits my humor well: but as there is no more plentie in it, it goes much against my stomacke. 1634 Milton Comus 767 She..Means her provision onely to the good, That live according to her sober laws, And holy dictate of spare Temperance. 1876 Geo. Eliot Dan. Der. xxiv, To order the whole establishment on the sparest footing possible. |
b. Of diet, fare, meals, etc.: Consisting of a comparatively small amount of food, esp. of a plain kind; not abundant or plentiful.
| 1570 Jewel View of Seditious Bull (1582) 29 So that the quantitie be smal, and fit for sober and spare diet. 1607 Rowlands Earl of Warwick (Hunterian Cl.) 66 His diet of the meanest, hard and spare. c 1665 Mrs. Hutchinson Mem. Col. Hutchinson (1846) 24 He was not talkative, yet free of discourse; of a very spare diet. a 1721 Prior Wand. Pilgr. 13 Spare diet, and spring-water clear, Physicians hold are good. 1784 Cowper Task iv. 173 When her patriots..Enjoy'd—spare feast!—a radish and an egg! 1841 Barham Ingol. Leg. Ser. ii. Nell Cook, The Priory fare was scant and spare. 1842 Combe Digestion 203 He was unable for study till five or six hours after even a very spare dinner. |
| transf. 1893 Stevenson Catriona xxv. (1902) 306, I drink nothing else but spare, cold water. |
c. poet. Scanty, meagre, rare.
| 1813 Shelley Q. Mab v. 202 Some servile souls, Whom cowardice itself might safely chain, Or the spare mite of avarice could bribe. 1842 Tennyson St. Sim. Styl. 77 Eating not, Except the spare chance-gift of those that came To touch my body. 1888 Cent. Mag. May 26 Even now the reaper-beams appear, And gather in the clouds' spare after⁓math. |
7. As adv. Sparely; with spare diet. rare.
| 1813 Scott Trierm. iii. iv, Yet still his watch the warrior keeps, Feeds hard and spare, and seldom sleeps. |
III. 8. Comb., chiefly parasynthetic, as spare-bodied, spare-built, spare-fed adjs.; † spare-handed a., having a sparing hand; spare-time a., that is done in one's spare time; operating in or occupying spare time.
| 1626 J. Yates Ibis ad Cæsarem i. 1 God is ample in Pre⁓destination unto life, but in the death of sinners spare-handed. 1742 Jarvis Don Quix. i, He was of a robust constitution, spare-bodied, of a meagre visage. 1813 Scott Rokeby ii. xxii, His stately form, spare-built and tall. 1837 Lockhart Scott IV. v. 157 For ‘early to rise’, unless in the case of spare-fed anchorites, takes for granted ‘early to bed’. 1895 Scully Kafir Stories 133 Whitson was a sallow-faced, spare-built man of short stature. 1931 Spare-time [see part-time a.]. 1936 ‘M. Innes’ Death at President's Lodging ii. 39 The spare-bodied man that he was. 1955 Blunden Addresses on General Subjects 24 This poet [sc. Shelley] almost achieved, as one of his spare-time labours, the establishment of the first steamship service in the Mediterranean. 1973 A. Holden Girl on Beach 143 He really is a professional lawyer after all, and merely a spare-time amateur art critic. 1978 Nagel's Encycl.-Guide: China 320 The ‘Spare Time Industrial University’ at Shanghai. |
▪ VII. spare, v.1
(spɛə(r))
Forms: 1 sparian, spear-, spærian, 3 sparien, spearien, 3–4 sparie (4 -ye), 3–5 spary; 4–5 sparen, 4– spare, 5–8 Sc. spair (6 spaare, spaer, 7 spayer, 9 dial. spaar).
[Common Teutonic: OE. sparian (also a-, ᵹesparian), = OFris. sparia (WFris. sparje, † spearje, NFris. spari, spāri), OS. and OHG. sparôn (MLG. and LG., MDu. and Du., MHG. and G. sparen), ON. spara (Icel., Norw., Sw. spara, Da. spare), f. a stem spar- (see spare a.) of uncertain relationship. The Teutonic word is the base of OF. espargner (mod.F. épargner), It. sparagnare and sparmiare.]
I. 1. a. trans. To leave (a person) unhurt, unharmed, or uninjured; to refrain from inflicting injury or punishment upon; to allow to escape, go free, or live. Usually with personal subject.
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter lxxi. 13 God..spearað dearfan & weðlan. c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xlvi. 352 Hie ne sparodon ða synnfullan, ac sloᵹon. c 1100 in Cockayne Shrine 17 Ne spareð nu se fæder þan sune ne nan mann oðren; Ac ælc man winð onᵹean oðren. a 1122 O.E. Chron. (Laud MS.) an. 1086, He sætte.. þæᵹnas on cweartern, & æt nextan he ne sparode his aᵹenne broðor. c 1175 Lamb. Hom. 121 Þa he na sparede na ihesu crist his aȝene sune. c 1205 Lay. 27487 Nuste nan kempe whæm he sculde slæn on, and wham he sculde sparien. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 8830 Sparie he wolde Mildemen & harde chasty þe proute. 1375 Barbour Bruce ix. 297 He..gert his men burn all Bouchane..and sparit nane. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xxxi. 142 Þare es nane spared þat es taken with a trespas. 1474 Caxton Chesse ii. iv. (1883) 53 To spare them & gyue hem her lyf. 1589 ? Lyly Pappe w. Hatchet (1844) 19, I am like death, Ile spare none. 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. iv. iii. 153 Take thou the bill, giue me thy meat-yard, and spare not me. a 1628 Preston New Covt. (1634) 364 If men could have entered into Covenant and kept the Law, Christ had beene spared. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 758 Whom ev'n the savage Beasts had spar'd, they kill'd. 1780 Cowper Fable 34 An earthquake may be bid to spare The man that's strangled by a hair. 1825 Scott Talism. iii, Saladin had issued particular orders that he should be spared and protected. 1891 Farrar Darkn. & Dawn xlii, They..demanded that there should be a trial, and that the innocent should be spared. |
| refl. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 1609 Vor woch dede a man ssolde..Lese is on eye, & he him sulf ne sparde him sulue noȝt, Ac let pulte out is owe eye. a 1300 Cursor M. 26718 Þis man will we spare, For noght he spard him-self are. |
b. With impersonal object (but implying or suggesting a person or persons). (Cf. 4.)
| c 825 Vesp. Psalter lxxvii. 50 [He] ne spearede from deaðe sawlum heara. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. vii. 11 Spynneth it spedily, spareþ noght ȝour fyngres. 1605 Shakes. Lear ii. ii. 72 Spare my gray-beard, you wagtaile? 1725 Pope Odyss. xv. 303 Receive the suppliant! spare my destin'd blood. 1757 Gray Bard 107 Visions of glory, spare my aching sight. 1817 Shelley Rev. Islam x. xxiv. 1 Famine had spared the palace of the king. |
(b) spare me (or my) days! an exclamatory ejaculation (Austral. and N.Z. colloq.).
| 1916 C. J. Dennis Songs of Sentimental Bloke 16 The music of the sorft an' barmy breeze... Aw, spare me days! c 1926 ‘Mixer’ Transport Workers' Song Bk. 13 Yet you'll find when work is busy, Spare me days, we're slipping back. 1967 Coast to Coast 1965–6 134 Spare me days, you go and toil your guts out [etc.]. 1970 K. Giles Death in Church iv. 101 He..gave me one and, spare me days, I almost certainly have it. |
c. To allow to be free or exempt from (or † of) some task, etc. Also refl. without const.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce v. 362 He him sparit na kyn thing, Bot prufit swa his fors..That throu his vorschip [etc.]. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xviii. cix. (Bodl. MS.), The more scheo [i.e. a cow] is forbore and spared fro [1495 of] trauaile, þe more slowe [s]he is. 1596 Bacon Max. & Use Com. Law ii. (1635) 7 By which the Earles were spared of their toyles and labours, and that was laid upon the Sheriffes. 1794 Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxv, [The] house⁓keeper, now spared from further attendance by the entrance of the count. |
d. To refrain from denouncing or exposing in strong terms; to deal gently or leniently with.
| 1535 Coverdale Job xxxii. 21, I wil open my lyppes, and make answere. I will regarde no maner of personne, no man wil I spare. 1607 Shakes. Cor. ii. iii. 243 Sici[nus]. Lay the fault on vs. Brut[us]. I, spare vs not. 1649 Milton Eikon. B 2, As he hath not spar'd his Adversaries, so to him will be us'd no more Courtship then he uses. 1728 T. Sheridan tr. Persius (1739) Ded. p. iv, I never did once either distinguish or spare you. 1771 Junius Lett. liv. (1788) 295 What public question have I declined? What villain have I spared? 1821 Scott Kenilw. xli, As Varney..had been studious to spare the character of his patron. 1852 Thackeray Esmond i. iv, My lady used not to spare Colonel Esmond in talking of him. 1891 Farrar Darkn. & Dawn lxii. 295 He shrank from eliciting a keenness of wit which had not spared the bloodstained Sylla. |
e. To refrain from afflicting or distressing.
| 1794 Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxviii, Emily..was followed by the Lady Blanche,..whom she entreated to spare her on the subject of her distress. 1819 Shelley Cenci v. ii. 108 Oh, spare me! Speak to me no more!.. Those solemn tones Wound worse than torture. 1856 E. Capern Poems (ed. 2) 143 Spare, oh, spare thy tender feelings. |
2. absol. To exercise or show mercy, forbearance, or leniency.
| a 1225 Juliana (Royal MS.) 70 A stalewurðe men ne sparie ȝe nawiht; ha haueð us alle scheome idon. a 1300 Cursor M. 3974 Esau ai he dred ful sare, For he was fel and wald noght spare. 1382 Wyclif Job xxvii. 22 He shal senden out vp on hym, and not sparen. c 1420 Prymer 78 God, to whom it is proprid to haue merci & to spare euer more. 1422 tr. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv. 181 He that is a gouernoure in tymes he shall Spare, and in tymes vengeaunse take. 1535 Coverdale Job vi. 10, I wolde desyre him in my payne, that he shulde not spare. 1611 Bible Prov. vi. 34 He will not spare in the day of vengeance. 1736 Gentl. Mag. VI. 678 Spare, charmer spare! in prudence do! 1761 Gray Fatal Sisters 34 Ours to kill, and ours to spare. 1825 Scott Talism. xxii, The lion Richard will spare when he has conquered. 1871 Grosart H. Vaughan's Wks. I. Ded. p. iv, Available and destined for the same august post (God sparing). |
† b. Const. to. (After L. parcere.) Obs.
| c 1340 Hampole Psalter xviii. 13 Of myn hid [trespasses] make me clene, and of oþer spare til þi seruaunte. 1382 Wyclif Wisd. xii. 16 To alle thou makest thee to sparen. c 1420 Prymer 47 Spare, lord, spare to þe puple. |
3. trans. † a. To refrain from violating, infringing, or breaking. Obs.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 806 Of al þe festys þat yn holy chyrche are Holy sunday men oght to spare. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 129 No privelege of persoun wheþer of holy cherche noþer fredom was i-spared. |
b. To abstain from visiting (a sin, etc.) with due punishment; to forgive or pardon.
| 1388 Wyclif Job xiv. 16 Sotheli thou hast noumbrid my steppis; but spare thou my synnes. a 1450 tr. De Imitatione iii. lv. 132, I þonke þe þat þou hast not spared myn eueles. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxx. 27 Thow, that on rude ws ransomit,..Spair our trespas. 1782 Cowper Mut. Forbearance 44 If infirmities..Are crimes so little to be spar'd. |
c. To preserve or save (life) in place of destroying; to allow to continue or last.
| 1594 Kyd Cornelia v. 445 To spare Thy worthles life that yet must one day perish. 1605 Shakes. Lear ii. ii. 66 This ancient Ruffian Sir, whose life I haue spar'd at sute of his gray-beard. 1781 Cowper Expost. 623 Those holy men..could not..spare a life too short to reach the skies. 1823 Scott Quentin D. xix, With what face darest thou ask any guerdon beyond my sparing thy worthless life? 1865 Trollope Belton Est. i. 8 He hoped that the squire's life would be long spared. 1890 Science-Gossip XXVI. 167 Poor pussy began to purr, and that decided the verdict in favour of her life being spared. |
4. a. To abstain from destroying, removing, damaging, or injuring (a thing).
| c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. C. xviii. 140 Swæ sindon ða loccas to sparianne ðæm sacerde ðæt hie ða hyd behel⁓iᵹen. c 900 tr. Baeda's Hist. iv. xxvii, Cyricum ne myn⁓strum seo herehand sparode ne ne arode. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 248 Holy who salle spare,..Whan þo þat hedes are do þer to no gode. 1382 Wyclif Rom. xi. 21 Forsothe if God sparide not the kyndely braunchis, lest perauenture he spare not thee. c 1400 Brut li. 45 [They] destroyede al þing þat þai fonde; and no þing þai ne sparede. 1480 Cov. Leet Bk. 446 In their shotyng called rovyng,..[they] nother sparen corn ne grasse, but distroyen & defowlen hem. a 1586 Sidney Arcadia (1622) 368 Shee..was now about to put out his eyes, which all this while were spared. 1643 Denham Cooper's H. 155 What does he think our Sacriledge would spare, When such th' effects of our Devotion are? 1648 Milton Sonn. viii. 10 The great Emathian Conqueror bid spare The house of Pindarus. 1759 Johnson Rasselas xxix, From the wonders which time has spared we may conjecture..what it has destroyed. 1794 Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xlv, The beauty..of its delicate carvings, determined the count to spare this door. 1839 Thirlwall Greece VI. 165 It was believed that Alexander..was induced to spare it by the hope that it would soon surrender. 1879 S. C. Bartlett Egypt to Pal. x. 225 Usually a large part of their branches had been cut off, even when the tree itself had been spared. |
b. To save or protect (a thing) from damage, wear, or undue strain in some way.
| 1817 Lady Morgan France i. (1818) I. 63, I remember our having alighted from our carriage to spare its springs in a sort of ‘crack-scull-common’ road. |
II. 5. a. To refrain from using or consuming; to use in a frugal or economical manner. Now rare.
| c 1000 ælfric Hom. (Thorpe) II. 70 He sparode þæt gode win oð his aᵹenum to-cyme. a 1300 Cursor M. 7927 For to spar his aun aght Þis pouer mans scep he laght. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. vi. xiv. (Bodl. MS.), [A father] spareþ his owne mete to fede his chyld with. c 1440 Jacob's Well 143 Þou myȝt so spare þi purse, þat þou myȝt forfare þi-self. 1477 Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 14 It satisfieth not to spare metes and do euill dedis. c 1550 N. Smyth tr. Herodian ii. 19 He..also teacheth others to be frugall, and spare that them selues gette. 1589 Greene Menaphon (Arb.) 34 She sparde no euening milke, but went amongst the cream bowles, and made him a posset. 1635–56 Cowley Davideis i. 869 Free Natures bounty thriftily they spent, And spared the Stock. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxx. 181 He which laboureth much, and sparing the fruits of his labour, consumeth little [etc.]. 1726 Swift Gulliver iii. i, Being resolved to spare my provisions as much as I could. 1743 Francis tr. Hor., Odes ii. vii. 26 Thy Limbs from Toils of Warfare free, Nor spare the Casks reserv'd for Thee. |
† b. To save, hoard, or store up. Obs.
| c 1400 Gamelyn 320 My brother is a niggoun.., And we wil spende largely that he hath spared yore. 1483 Caxton Cato F iij b, For men hath dyspended..in lytel tyme that whiche men hath acquyred and spared wyth grete labour. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems xxxvi. 25 Sum grit gud gadderis and ay it spairis. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. May 84 The sonne of his loines why should he regard To leaue enriched with that he hath spard? 1648 Gage West Ind. 160 What monies they have spared, after their own and their servants lawful maintenance. 1683 D. A. Art Converse 116 They can inform you of Twenty Arts how to gain and spare a Peny. |
c. absol. To use or practise economy or frugality; to be parsimonious or niggardly; to live or act sparingly.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xii. 53 And riche renkes riȝt so gaderen and sparen. c 1420 Sir Amadace (Camden) ii, I myȝte lung spare, Or alle these godus qwitte ware, And haue noȝte to spend. c 1475 Rauf Coilȝear 202 Thairfoir sic [good fare] as thow seis, spend on, and not spair. a 1513 Fabyan Chron. vi. (1811) 234 He..gaue parte vnto suche knyghtes as he fauoured, and spared to theym that hadde wele deserued. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 204 For lordlie bent Must learne to spare. 1621 T. Williamson tr. Goulart's Wise Vieillard 73 It is a pleasing.. excuse among men..to alledge that they spare for their children. 1667 Milton P.L. v. 320 Where Nature..by disburd'ning grows More fruitful, which instructs us not to spare. 1737 Pope tr. Hor., Epist. ii. ii. 290, I, who at some times spend, at others spare. 1792 Burns Country Lassie iv, But some will spend, and some will spare. 1866 Howells Venetian Life 325 Those people who attempt to maintain a certain appearance upon insufficient means,..and who spare in every possible way. 1889 ― Hazard New Fortunes 94 They must spare in carriage hire at any rate. |
| prov. 1562 J. Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 54 Euer spare and euer bare. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 23 Some spareth too late,..the foole at the bottom, the wise at the brim. 1677 Miége Fr. Dict. ii. s.v., To spare at the spiggot, and let it run out at the bung-hole. 1681 W. Robertson Phraseol. Gen. s.v., Better spare at the brim, than at the bottom, sera est in fundo parsimonia [Seneca Ep. i. 5]. 1736 Ainsworth i. s.v., It is too late to spare, when all is spent. |
d. In passive: To be left over or unused.
| 1577 Googe Heresbach's Husb. §149 You must feede them often by hand, when meate fayles abroade,..and not so much as Barly spared. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §237 The mason took the mortar out of the bucket; and if any was spared, he still kept on beating. 1799 [A. Young] Agric. Linc. 25 All that may be spared at night, should be thrown to the common mortar heap, and fresh stucco made in the morning. 1868 Atkinson Cleveland Gloss. 481 Eat what thee likes, an' what's spared tak' awa' yamm fur t' bairns. |
6. To abstain or refrain from using, employing, exercising, etc.; to forbear, omit, or avoid the use or occasion of; also, to use, or deal in, with moderation, economy, or restraint: a. In various special contexts.
| (a) c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 324 Se ðe sparað his ᵹyrde, he hatað his cild. a 1250 Prov. ælfred 451 in O.E. Misc., Þe mon þe spareþ yeorde.., þat him schal on ealde sore reowe. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. vi. 139 Ho so spareþ þe spring spilleþ hus children. c 1430 Stans Puer ad Mensam 91 (Lamb. MS.), Who þat spariþ þe rodde [v.r. the yerd] al uertues settiþ a-side. 1526 Skelton Magnyf. 1955 There is nothynge that more dyspleaseth God Than from theyr chyldren to spare the rod Of correccyon. 1535 Coverdale Prov. xiii. 24 He that spareth the rodde, hateth his sonne. 1664 Butler Hud. ii. i. 844 Love is a Boy, by Poets styl'd, Then Spare the Rod, and spill the Child. 1841 Lytton Nt. & Morn. ii. iii, Spare the rod and spoil the child. 1855 Thackeray Newcomes iii, I have a brother to whom my poor mother spared the rod, and who..has turned out but a spoilt child. |
| (b) a 1225 Leg. Kath. 807 Lure ow is to leosen ower swinkes lan, þe leoteð se lutel of, & sparieð ower speche. a 1300 Cursor M. 16110 Sai me iesus, qui dos þou þus? to me na soth þou spare. c 1386 Chaucer Sompn. T. 55 Tel forth thy tale, and spare it not at al. c 1400 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton, 1483) iv. xxx. 78 Flaterers and forgeours that sparen the soothe ben nothynge profitable. 1481 Caxton Reynard xxxiv. (Arb.) 100 Yf ye wyl spare the trouth and lye grete lesynges. 1508 Dunbar Tua mariit wemen 40 Syne thai spak more spedelie, and sparit no materis. 1617 Moryson Itin. ii. 72 He might doe well to spare the rest of his speech. 1663 S. Patrick Parab. Pilgr. xii. (1687) 79 Your blushes bid me spare this language. 1731 Swift Death Dr. Swift Wks. 1841 I. 657/2 Had he but spared his tongue and pen, He might have rose like other men. 1753 Richardson Grandison V. iv. 27, I am put upon a task that grieves me, Ease my heart, by sparing my speech. 1820 Scott Monast. xxxvii, ‘Spare your threats,’ said Murray. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xxix, Much painful and unavailing talk between them was spared. 1864–8 Browning J. Lee's Wife ii. iii, Spare the curse! |
| (c) a 1440 Found. St. Bartholomew's (E.E.T.S.) 19 Whane thou cummyste yn to the Iewes strete, spare thy sporys, lose thy brydyll, lette thyn hors to my gouernaunce. c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 305 Thayr wes na spurris to spair, spedely thai spring. 1575 Gascoigne Glasse of Govt. Wks. 1910 II. 26 But yet where youth is prone to follow ill, There spare the spurre, and use the brydell still. 1735 Somerville Chase iii. 85 Flourish the Whip, nor spare the galling Spur. 1782 F. Burney Cecilia viii. i, Why, Sir, you have not spared the spur! 1831 Scott Ct. Rob. xvi, Come along..like a good fellow, and for once I shall spare the whip. |
b. In miscellaneous (partly obs.) uses.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 5867 Dathait qua werkes on þam spar! Þan held þai þam harder þan ar. 1388 Wyclif Jer. l. 14 Ouercome ȝe it [sc. Babylon], spare ȝe not arowis, for it synnede to the Lord. 1515 Plumpton Corr. (Camden) 212, [I] entreated them to spare distreyning, till such tyme as I had sent unto you [etc.]. 1553 Reg. Privy Council Scot. I. 141 It is maist convenient and best to spair puneisment for the said cryme. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 97 Spare meadow at Gregorie, marshes at Pask, for feare of drie Sommer. 1687 A. Lovell tr. Thevenot's Trav. i. 59 They spare not now and then a blow with a Cudgel by the by. 1831 Scott Ct. Rob. xxxiii, Count Robert spared putting forth some part of the military skill for which he was celebrated. 1884 F. Temple Relat. Relig. & Sci. v. (1885) 142 We recognise that we are bound to spare pain to all creatures that can feel. |
c. Const. to and infinitive.
Freq. from the 14th to the 17th century; now rare.
| a 1225 Juliana 26 Ant..wa wurðe him wurst þat te mest sparie wondreðe to donne. 13.. Sir Beues 4482 Sire Miles.. Lep vpon a dromedary, To prike wolde he nouȝt spary. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. iii. 51 Wist I that..I wolde nouȝt spare For to be ȝowre frende. c 1386 Chaucer Merch. T. 1065, I schal not spare for no curtesye To speke him harm, that wold us vilonye. c 1440 Partonope 1707 Ye spared not in-to my bedde Homely to gonne. 1479 Cov. Leet Bk. 423 Not sparyng to do therin as lawe will for eny persone..what-so-euer. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 18 Some spare not to make insurrecyon and rebell agaynst theyr prelates and heddes. 1575 Gascoigne Glasse of Govt. Wks. 1910 II. 16 Spare not to commaund my service. 1637 Bp. Reynolds Serm. (1638) 34, I shall spare to bee so injurious to your patience, and to the businesse wee attend upon. 1686 tr. Chardin's Coronat. Solyman 75 The Controller..would not spare to inform the worst he could against him. 1808 Scott Marm. i. iv, And, from the platform, spare ye not To fire a noble salvo-shot. 1893 Stevenson Catriona xxix. (1902) 346 Using travellers' freedom, we spared to wait for James More. |
| Prov. 14.. Lat. & Eng. Prov. (MS. Douce 52) fol. 16 b, Who so sparyth to speke sparyth to spede. 1509 Hawes Past. Pleas. xvi. (Percy Soc.) 91 Who spareth to speke he to spede doth spare. 1546 Heywood Prov. & Epigr. (1867) 31 Spare to speake spare to speede. 1567 Turberv. Epit., etc. (1837) 308 My Spencer, spare to speake, and euer spare to speed. 1748 Smollett Rod. Rand. xxxiv, Remembering the old proverb, ‘Spare to speak, spare to speed’, [he] resolved to solicit the new captain's interest immediately. 1789 Burns Blue-eyed Lassie ii. 1887 in Eng. Dial. Dict. s.v., He that spares to speyk, spares to speed. |
d. In elliptical use: To refrain from doing something. Now rare or Obs.
| c 1386 Chaucer Friar's T. 39 Now telleth forth,..Ne spareth nought, myn owne maister deere. c 1400 Destr. Troy 12736 Sho spilt hade hir spousaile, sparit ho noght. 1530 Tindale Wks. (Parker Soc.) 343, I could more deeply have entered into the practice of our cardinal, but I spare for divers considerations. 1557 Tusser 100 Points Husb. lxxxi, In June washe thy shepe,..and kepe them from dust... Then share them and spare not. 1610 Shakes. Temp. ii. i. 24 Alon. I pre-thee spare. Gon. Well, I haue done. a 1620 J. Dyke Right Receiv. Christ (1640) 161 Talke and spare not. |
† e. absol. To refrain from or forbear the use or exercise of something. Obs. rare.
| c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 274 A! lord, sparis of sic speche, quhill ye speir more. 1481 Cov. Leet Bk. 489 To commaunde vs to respite & spare for a season of callyng furth oure seid retynue. |
7. a. To avoid incurring or being involved in, to save (expense or labour).
| (a) a 1325 [see (b) below]. c 1400 Cursor M. 29060 (Cott. Galba), If þou fast þi spens to spare, thrise for to ete better þe ware. c 1420 Avow. Arth. xlviii, Ther was no spense for to spare, Burdes thay were neuyr bare. 1491 Act 7 Hen. VII, c. 22 Preamble, Put to your hand and spare no cost. 1548 Elyot, Parcere impensæ, to spare coste. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 9 This fortification, wherein he hath spared no cost. 1621 in W. H. Hale Prec. Causes of Office (1841) 50 He said they haue no nede of popish reliques and that the parishe may spare their money for such thinges. 1693 in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) II. 376 It being necessary to retrench the expences, it was thought proper to spare the charge of the Organist. 1819 Scott Ivanhoe xxxiv, The gold thou shalt spare in her cause. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair lvi, A famous tailor..was summoned to ornament little George's person, and was told to spare no expense in so doing. |
| (b) a 1325 MS. Rawl. B. 520 lf. 30 b, Þe king hath igraunted for te sparen trauail and despense of his men. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 2 b, They..spared no labours neyther by see ne yet by lande. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 126 They wil spare neyther paynes nor peryl. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks (1621) 1154 Meaning..by this means to spare their pouder, shot, and paines, and to reserue them to their better vses. 1675 J. Owen Indwelling Sin xvi. (1732) 216 To spare the trouble in the Education of their Children. 1780 Mirror No. 101, These I spared no pains to cultivate and improve. 1827 Faraday Chem. Manip. ix. (1842) 238 He should not spare pains to procure the best possible [filtering-paper]. 1832 H. Martineau Life in Wilds vi. 80 We must spare labour to the utmost till we can get a stock of labourers. 1892 Photogr. Ann. II. 601 No time, trouble, or expense has been spared in the matter. |
b. To avoid, shun, keep clear of. Now rare.
| c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1553 Faste þay passede ouer al þe weys..; Ne sparede þay hulles, noþer valeys, bote prikede forþ with bost. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 39 He hated wyn dronkenes, ribaudye, and harlottie; uppon caas for hete of þe contray he wolde have it i-spared. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 121 b/2 Haue pyte on thy self..that y{supu} mayst..wynne to spare the tormentes that ben yet to come. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccx. 252 They spared nat the dangerous maresses, but went through them. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. ii. i. 142 Shun me and I will spare your haunts. 1821 Shelley Epipsych. 183 And we know not How much..Of pleasure may be gained, of sorrow spared. |
8. a. To dispense with from one's stock or supply, or from a number, quantity, etc.; to part with, to give or grant, lend, etc., to another or others, esp. without inconvenience or loss to oneself; to do without.
Also const. to (a person or persons), from or out of (a stock or store, etc.).
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 416 Ȝif heo mei sparien eni poure schreaden, sende ham al derneliche ut of hire woanes. a 1300 Cursor M. 29057 Þe mete þat þou þi-self suld ete..þou sal it to þe pouer spare. a 1400 Minor Poems fr. Vernon MS. lv. i. 67 Ȝit of þi good woldestou not spare. 1481 Cov. Leet Bk. 484 To knowe..what able persones & howe many the Towne myght spare ouer þe seid iijxx men. a 1548 Hall Chron., Edw. IV, 31 b, The lord Beauchampe toke from her rere⁓ward, more ordinance then she might haue wel spared. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 398 b, No parte of that wheate, whiche is in the citie, can be spared. 1601 in Moryson Itin. (1617) ii. 145 At this time he cannot well be spared from hence. 1613 Purchas Pilgrimage (1614) 516 He is Collector or Treasurer to the King of Ternate in those parts, and sends him what he can spare. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. ii. xxiv. 129 It is necessary, that men distribute that which they can spare. 1769 Johnson Lett. (1788) I. 20, I..can easily spare the pine-apple. 1769 Falconer Dict. Marine (1780), Donner un grand hunier, to spare a main top-sail to some other ship in company. 1827 Faraday Chem. Manip. xvii. (1842) 463 When a drop only of the fluid can be spared, a glass plate..will support it. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. xii. III. 241 Kirke could spare no soldiers; but he had sent..some experienced officers. 1879 Froude Cæsar xx. 337 Cæsar and Pompey must each spare a legion for the East. |
b. To reserve, retain, set aside or store up for some particular use or purpose; to keep in reserve.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 5394 Þai had noþer worth ne ware þat þai moght for þair mete spare. [Trin. MS. Þei hadde no þing ȝare þat þei myȝte to her lyuelode spare.] c 1400 Destr. Troy 6502 The tother speire þat he sparit, [he] spent vpon hym. 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 90 Land meadow that yeerly is spared for hay, now fence it and spare it. 1610 J. Guillim Heraldry i. iii. (1660) 19 It is taken up and spared for necessary purposes. 1795 Gentl. Mag. 542/2, I request you will spare room for one tribute more to his memory. 1886 C. E. Pascoe Lond. of To-day xxvii. (ed. 3) 251 The proper description of which would require more space than we can conveniently spare for the purpose. |
c. To set apart, save, or give (time) from one's usual or ordinary duties or avocations; to have free, unoccupied, or unemployed.
| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VI, 82 b, This..pollitique Capitayne lost not one houre, nor spared one mynet, till he came before the citie of Burdeaux. 1565 Cooper s.v. Succisiuus, Time spared from other businesse. c 1643 Ld. Herbert Autobiog. (1824) 71 That Exercise taking up more time than can be spared from a studious man to get Knowledge. 1741–3 Wesley Extr. Jrnl. (1749) 59, I take such a proportion of time as I can spare every night, to discourse with each child apart. 1788 G. Keate Pelew Isl. xxiii. 297 The portion of time which they could spare from providing for their natural wants. 1833 H. Martineau Tale of Tyne vii. 126 Can you spare a minute, just to look out of this window? 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) V. 423 Let all the citizens who can spare time hear..such causes. |
d. In prec. senses as complement to the verbs have or be, or with ellipse of these.
| 1390 Gower Conf. II. 396 Whan Somer hath lost al his grene And is with Wynter wast and bare, That him is left nothing to spare. 1530 Palsgr. 726/1 Sownde, mariner, let us se what water we have to spare. 1550 Crowley Last Trumpet 1198 Thou haste no tyme to spare, and spende in bankettyng. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Ch. Porch xii, For we have wit to mark them, and to spare. 1654 Bramhall Just Vind. v. (1661) 102 These [bishops] were few enough for their own province, and none to spare for Britain. 1705 De Foe in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 322, I know your Lordship has but few minutes to spare. 1771 Franklin Autobiog. Wks. 1840 I. 94 She brought me word she had no such sum to spare. 1836 Marryat Japhet xlvi, I had an hour to spare, before the coach started. 1863 W. C. Baldwin Afr. Hunting v. 133, I won both events.., with three bullets to spare. 1878 Masque Poets 13 If we had only time to spare To taste the glories of the Spring. |
9. With direct and indirect object: a. To give or grant; to supply (a person) with (something) out of a stock, quantity, etc.
| 1593 Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, ii. vi. 78 Then the world go's hard When Clifford cannot spare his Friends an oath. a 1616 Beaum. & Fl. Wit without M. i. ii, She may spare me her misen, and her bonnets, strike her main Petticoat, and yet outsail me. c 1643 Ld. Herbert Autobiog. (1824) 138, I was without any meat but what my Footman spared me out of his pocket. 1711 London Gaz. No. 4887/3 They out⁓running us so very much, that they spared us half their Sails. 1784 Cowper Task i. 262 He spares me yet These chesnuts rang'd in corresponding lines. 1821 Scott Kenilw. xvii, Your nobleness will willingly spare your old servitor his crib and his mess. 1847 Tennyson Princ. vi. 242 And now A word, but one,..Not one to spare her; out upon you, flint! |
† b. To allow (one) to utter (a word). Also ellipt. Obs.
| 1660 Trial Regic. 24 Spare me but one Word. 1710 Palmer Proverbs 189 Out comes two or three ‘If you'll give me leave's’, as many ‘Spare me's’, ‘with submission's’, and ‘I humbly conceive's’. |
c. To save or relieve (a person, one's feelings, etc.) from (something).
| 1681 Dryden Span. Friar v. i, Spare my sight the pain Of seeing what a world of Tears it cost you. 1794 Mrs. Radcliffe Myst. Udolpho xxxix, Spare me the necessity of mentioning those circumstances. Ibid. xlvi, Adding that he would spare her any difficulties that might occur. 1802 M. Edgeworth Moral T. (1816) I. 216, I shall spare you..the reflections I have made on this occasion. 1856 Kane Arct. Expl. II. xxix. 287, I had a set of signals..which spared us the noise of the voice. 1893 Sloane-Stanley Remin. Midshipm. Life vi. 82, I was, however, spared this infliction. |
| refl. 1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to Pope 1 Apr., I might spare myself the trouble. 1781 Cowper Charity 626, I might spare myself the pains to show What few can learn. 1841 W. Spalding Italy & It. Isl. II. 102 We may spare ourselves the labour of looking for its essence. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair ii, Minerva thought wisely she could spare herself the expense of a master. 1884 Manch. Exam. 11 Oct. 5/1 They wrench off cupboard doors to spare themselves the trouble of closing them. |
III. intr.
10. to spare for: a. To desist or refrain from some action because or on account of (difficulty, opposition, loss, etc.).
Freq. c 1400; usually with a negative. Now arch.
| a 1300 Beket (Percy Soc.) 62 Heo wende alone..And ne sparede for no sorewe that miȝte come hire to. c 1330 King of Tars 905 Bid him com hider with his ost,..For no thyng that he ne spare. c 1400 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton) v. xiv. (1859) 81 For blandyssyng, for manace, ne for drede They spared not, but stoden by the trouthe. c 1430 How Good Wife taught Dau. 12 in Babees Bk., Go to chirche whanne þou may, Loke þou spare for no reyn. a 1585 Montgomerie Cherrie & Slae 370 He is bot daft that hes ado, And spairis for euery speiche. 1810 Scott Lady of L. v. xxxii, Spare not for spoiling of thy steed. 1823 ― Quentin D. x, Throw down the screen—spare not for cup or goblet. |
b. With negative: To refrain from action in order to avoid or save (expense, trouble, etc.); to be sparing of or in (something).
| c 1400 Destr. Troy 233, I shall spare for no spence & þu spede wele. 14.. Sir Beues (E.) 3310 Þey sparyd neyþer for syluyr ne golde. 1535 Lyndesay Satyre 52 And sie the burgessis spair not for expence, Bot speid thame heir. 1593 Marlowe Edw. II, i. iv, Spare for no cost. 1599 Shakes. Much Ado iii. v. 66 And we must doe it wisely. Dogb. Wee will spare for no witte I warrant you. 1657 Earl of Monmouth tr. Paruta's Pol. Disc. 55 Cæsar never spared for any labour by which he might hope to purchase renown and glory. 1681 Hickeringill Sin Man-Catching Wks. 1716 I. 178 They plot their Work,..spare for no pains, no cost, not daunted with any ill success. 1723 Briton No. 12 (1724) 54 Crassus..spared for no Expence to purchase Voices. 1726 Leoni Alberti's Archit. II. 53 No Columns or Pilasters were spared for. 1793 Smeaton Edystone L. §305 They did not spare for cold water to throw in my face and upon me. |
IV. 11. Combs. with the verbal stem, as spare-good, spare-penny, spare-thrift; also † spare-chest, a chest for spare money, a reserve fund.
| 1611 Cotgr. s.v. Manger, Il est à table, & n'ose manger; (Applyable to a miserable spare-good). 1707 J. Stevens tr. Quevedo's Com. Wks. (1709) 298 The Retentive Knight: containing much wholesome Advice for saving the Ready, and being free of good Words. Dedicated to the Society of Spare-Pennies. 1768 Ann. Reg. i. 117 The extraordinary expences occasioned by his Sicilian majesty's marriage..will not be levied upon the state, but defrayed out of the savings of the spare-chest. 1803 Ann. Rev. I. 423 The manufacturer has to deal..with the spendthrift and the sparethrift. |
▪ VIII. spare, v.2 north. and † Sc.
Also 5 spayr, 6 spair.
[var. of spar v.1 Cf. spear v.2
Spareð, given as a variant in the Ancr. R. 70, is perh. an error for spereð.]
1. trans. To bar, bolt, or secure (a door or gate).
| 1375 Barbour Bruce v. 389 The ȝettis than he gert thame spare, And sat and ete at all lasare. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints xxvi. (Nicholas) 363 Þocht þe ȝet wes before sparyt, with strinth he enterit In. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 5067 He fande þe mynster ȝatis spared; As a wodeman he fared. 1583 Durham Dep. (Surtees) 314 The said Edward doore was spaired all the tyme the said geis was in eatyng. 1677 Nicolson in Trans. R. Soc. Lit. (1870) IX. 319 Spare the dure, shut to the door. 1825 Brockett N.C. Gloss., Spare, to shut, to close. 1894 Heslop Northumbld. Gloss. 674 ‘Spare the yett,’ ‘Spare the door,’ are still in common use. |
† 2. To close (the lips or eyes) firmly. Obs.
| c 1400 Rule St. Benet (Verse) 107 And spayr þi lipes, & hald þam still, So þat þay opyn noght with ill! c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 3847 He spared his eghen and lay still. |
† 3. To shut up; to keep out. Obs.
| c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 4123 As a man in prisoun sparde. 1482 Monk of Evesham lv. (Arb.) 107 The crosse..was lettyn done ageyne, and so sparyd other oute that wuld haue commyn in. |