bespawl

present singular third person bespawls · participle present bespawling · participle past bespawled · past bespawled · alternative bespaul

1. obsoletetransitiveTo daub, make foul, or soil (someone or something) with spawl or spittle.

   Old Proteus hath been knovvne to leaue his finny Heard, / And in their ſight to ſpunge his foame-beſpavvled beard.

   1622, Michael Drayton, “The Two and Twentieth Song”, in The Second Part, or A Continuance of Poly-Olbion from the Eighteenth Song. […], London: […] Augustine Mathewes for Iohn Marriott, Iohn Grismand, and Thomas Dewe, →OCLC, page 33

   5 more examples

   [T]each thy Incubus to Poëtize, / And throvve abroad thy ſpurious Snotteries, / Vpon that puft-up Lumpe of Barmy froth, / […] / Or Clumſy Chil-blain'd Iudgement; that, vvith Oath, / Magnificates his Merit; and beſpaules / The conſcious Time, vvith humorous Fome; & bravvles, / As if his Organons of Senſe vvould crack / The ſinevves of my Patience.

   1601, Ben Jonson, Poetaster or The Arraignment: […], London: […] [R. Bradock] for M[atthew] L[ownes] […], published 1602, →OCLC, Act V, scene iii

   Well, since thou wilt bespaul, bedribble the ashes of unhappy Rochel, and scatter with thy disdainful breath the despised dust of that forlorn city: yet, withal, call to mind a little, how not many ages are past, since the time was, that this hereditary sceptre of this, thy now, Lewis broke open the gates of Rome, demolished the walls, dispersed and slew the inhabitants, and shut up thy great predecessor, laden with bitter scoffs and execrations, in his blind dungeon.

   1634, Joseph Hall, “[Part First: On the Questions between the Church of England and the Church of Rome]. Inurbanitati Pontificiæ Responsio Josephi Exoniensis. An Answer to Pope Urban’s Inurbanity: Expressed in a Brief Sent to Lewis the French King, Exasperating Him against the Protestants in France. […].”, in Robert Hall, transl., edited by Josiah Pratt, The Works of the Right Reverend Father in God, Joseph Hall, D.D. […], volume IX (Polemical Works), London: […] C[harles] Whittingham, […]; for Williams and Smith, […], published 1808, →OCLC, page 351

   See hovv this Remonſtrant vvould inveſt himſelfe conditionally vvith all the rheume of the Tovvne, that hee might have ſufficient to beſpaul his Brethren.

   1641, [John Milton], Animadversions upon the Remonstrants Defence against Smectymnuus, London: […] [Richard Oulton and Gregory Dexter] for Thomas Vnderhill, […], →OCLC, page 27

   Some ten or more years ago the police authorities ordered the introduction of respirators for the use of workwomen in tobacco factories. Complying with this order, they purchased one respirator for a certain number of laborers, but it was good for nothing, as workwomen could use the respirators only by turns, and besides they had an aversion to apply to their mouths an object which was bespawled by others, consequently the respirators soon disappeared from tobacco manufactories.

   1884 June 3, Joseph Rawicz, “Warsaw”, in Labor in Europe. Reports from the Consuls of the United States in the Several Countries of Europe on the Rates of Wages, Cost of Living to the Laboring Classes, Past and Present Wages, &c. in Their Several Districts, […] (United States Consular Reports), Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, published 1885, →OCLC, part II (Female Labor), page 1499

   The doors are covered with the soot of the ages; the walls are bespattered with filth; the roof is closely covered with barbs; the floor is strewn with serpents and bespawled with all kinds of uncleanliness[.]

   1891, Viktor Rydberg, “The Myth in Regard to the Lower World”, in Rasmus B[jørn] Anderson, transl., Teutonic Mythology, London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. […], section 76 (The Places of Punishment), page 367

   Synonyms: beslobber, bespit, bespittle