Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Positioned with the arms and legs stretched out.
- adjective Informal Full of patriotic or jingoistic rhetoric.
- intransitive verb To place in a spread-eagle position, especially as a means of punishment.
- intransitive verb To assume a spread-eagle position.
- intransitive verb To make a grandiloquent, patriotic speech.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Having the form or characteristics of a spread eagle, or of the kind of display so called; hence, ostentatious; bombastic; boastful: as, a spread-eagle oration. See
spread eagle , under eagle. - To stretch out in the attitude of a spread eagle.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Colloq. & Humorous Characterized by a pretentious, boastful, exaggerated style; defiantly or extravagantly bombastic, especially regarding of the greatness of the U. S..
- intransitive verb To assume a spread-eagled position; -- it may be done reclining, for relaxation, or momentarily, as an exhibitionary maneuver in a sport.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective Lying with arms and legs
outstretched andseparated . - adjective colloquial, humorous Characterized by a
pretentious ,boastful ,exaggerated style;bombastic . - adverb With arms and legs extended and spread.
- verb transitive To put into a spread-eagle position, with arms and legs extended and spread.
- verb intransitive To put one's body in a
spread eagle .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a skating figure executed with the skates heel to heel in a straight line
- noun an emblem (an eagle with wings and legs spread) on the obverse of the Great Seal of the United States
- verb defeat disastrously
- verb execute a spread eagle on skates, with arms and legs stretched out
- verb defeat disastrously
- verb stretch out completely
- adjective with arms and legs stretched out and apart
- verb stretch over
- verb stand with arms and legs spread out
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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In another scene, Spain's Rocio Delgado was caught, spread-eagle, over a jump, then face-planted herself at the bottom.
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We students filed into the newborn nursery to find a baby strapped spread-eagle to a plastic board on a counter-top across the room.
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Indeed, even without the spread-eagle stripper, this was an NSFW show that was checking IDs at the door.
John Wellington Ennis: Lush Sells Out in LA (Photos) John Wellington Ennis 2011
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Still, media outlets like TMZ and Perez Hilton earn millions of subscribers and dollars off the taboo irony of the NSFW image -- the wardrobe malfunctions and oops! a panty-less starlet spread-eagle exiting her Maybach.
Jill Di Donato: NSFWorks of Art Jill Di Donato 2011
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Indeed, even without the spread-eagle stripper, this was an NSFW show that was checking IDs at the door.
John Wellington Ennis: Lush Sells Out in LA (Photos) John Wellington Ennis 2011
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I awoke sometime later, tied spread-eagle in the bottom of an empty wading pool, facing the dark ceiling of a musty warehouse.
CYRIL MACK AND THE VERY COLD CUP OF TEA • by Kevin Shamel 2009
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One group got picked up, and when the last guy, in a suit and tie, couldn't fit in the car, he laid spread-eagle on the hood and the car took off with him.
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I made the mistake of agreeing to be on local 10 o'clock news to discuss the Target snow angel ad (with the woman laying spread-eagle on the bullseye logo).
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Proving the adage that no good turn goes unpunished, Kate took the inevitable spill and wound up sprawled spread-eagle on the floor.
William and Kate Christopher Andersen 2011
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Still, media outlets like TMZ and Perez Hilton earn millions of subscribers and dollars off the taboo irony of the NSFW image -- the wardrobe malfunctions and oops! a panty-less starlet spread-eagle exiting her Maybach.
Jill Di Donato: NSFWorks of Art Jill Di Donato 2011
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