Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A rope used to hobble an animal, as a sheep.
- transitive verb To hobble with a spancel.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A fastening for the hind legs of a horse or cow, or for the legs on one side, to prevent the animal from kicking or straying; especially, a rope for fettering a cow's hind legs while she is milked; a tether.
- To fasten the legs of with a spancel, as those of a cow or horse to prevent the animal from kicking.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Prov. Eng. & Local, U.S. A rope used for tying or hobbling the legs of a horse or cow.
- transitive verb Prov. Eng. & Local, U.S. To tie or hobble with a spancel.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun a
rope orfetter used tohobble ahorse or otheranimal - verb transitive to hobble with a spancel
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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He made a spancel-withe [This was a twig twisted in the form of two rings, joined by one straight piece, as used for hobbling horses and cattle.] then before he went, and wrote an ogam on its ----, and threw it on the top of the pillar.
Táin Bó Cúalnge. English L. Winifred Faraday
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Then Fergus put a spancel-withe through Etarcomol's two heels and took him behind his own chariot to the camp.
Táin Bó Cúalnge. English L. Winifred Faraday
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[4] And such is the measure of my wounds and my sores that I cannot bear my garments or my clothing to touch my skin, so that [4] spancel-hoops hold my cloak over me.
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As my horse was straying toward the west side of the clearing I went to fetch him back and spancel him near the fort.
A Virginia Scout Hugh Pendexter 1907
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With a spancel rope fastened to his ankles Dale was further secured by a long cord tied around one wrist and fastened some fifteen feet up the trimmed sapling.
A Virginia Scout Hugh Pendexter 1907
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I asked, seizing the rope which was composed of leather belts and spancel-ropes.
A Virginia Scout Hugh Pendexter 1907
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My wrist-cords were loosed, my ankles were fastened only with a spancel, and strong hands jerked me to my feet.
A Virginia Scout Hugh Pendexter 1907
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I ordered my servant to spancel the mules, and tether the horse to a shrub by a long rope.
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July 24, 2010