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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SPAIRGE, v., n. Also sperge; ¶spirg; sparge; ¶sporge, and erron. spaing. Dim. spergie. [sperdʒ]

I. v. 1. (1) tr. To scatter, gen. of a liquid, sprinkle, spray, dash (water, mud, etc.) (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Ayr. 1923 Wilson D. Burns 186; Abd. 1971). Freq. with about.Abd. 1713 Abd. Jnl. N. & Q. VII. 203:
For weating (or water splayeing) [sic] 18 ells linnen.Ayr. 1785 Burns Address to Deil i.:
O Thou! . . . wha . . . Spairges about the brunstane cootie.Fif. 1841 C. Gray Lays 4:
Winter is driving his cloud on the gale, And spairgin about his snaw and his hail.Abd. 1900 C. Murray Hamewith 50:
There at his fae's dregies he'll sit And spairge aboot their bleed.Abd. 1957 Bon-Accord (7 March):
Half-loaves an' hale-loaves an' rowies an' scones were spairged aboot the place like speen-drift.

(2) absol., of rain, water, etc.: to fly or splash in all directions, to scatter itself.Ags. 1855 “Robin” Rimes 44:
Rain and sleet and snaw, Whilk sperge and snift athort the lift.

(3) In Brewing and Distilling: to sprinkle hot water over the mash. Also in Eng. brewing usage. Hence sparger, a sprinkler for this purpose.Sc. 1827 M. Dods Manual 452:
To sparge is to sprinkle the hot water or run it in a shower over the mash, so as to spread it at once over the whole surface.Sc. 1849 T. Thomson Brewing 193–4:
The sparger is a cylinder made of copper or other metal, about five or six inches in diameter. . . . In sparging, when the malt swells up a little, it is a favourable sign of the extract being good.

(4) fig. of words, gossip, etc.: to broadcast, make public, noise abroad, bandy about.Abd. 1875 G. MacDonald Malcolm I. i.:
I s' lat nobody glower at her 'at wad gang and spairge sic havers aboot her.Gsw. 1877 A. G. Murdoch Laird's Lykewake 54:
I heard near the lum-heid a canty bit crack 'Tween twa neebor baudrons spairg'd on the tile-thack.

2. To bespatter, besprinkle (Sc. 1808 Jam.). Also fig. of reproach or slander.Ayr. 1786 Burns A Dream vii.:
Will's a true guid fallow's get, A name not envy spairges.Edb. 1821 W. Liddle Poems 127:
Auld Cloot at last may spairge ye tightly For fraudling o' your fellow creature.Slk. 1832 Hogg Altrive Tales 181:
I tentit his claes a' spairged wi' blude.Clc. 1860 J. Crawford Doric Lays 34:
To roam amang the snowy flachts That spairged the speckled lift.Abd. 1916 G. Abel Wylins 92:
At kirks an' bairns he made a chairge, An' a' wi' faem an' bleed did spairge.

II. n. 1. A splash, dash, sprinkling, splodge, of water, mud, etc. (Sc. 1808 Jam.). Also fig. as in 1833 quot.; “a dash of contumely” (Sc. 1808 Jam.).Fif. 1827 W. Tennant Papistry 56:
Chariots and horse-hoofs round did scatter Scamander's sand wi' spairge and splatter.Sc. 1833 Chambers's Jnl. (Aug.) 233:
There was a distributive spairge of the tawse over the whole corps.Rnf. 1835 D. Webster Rhymes 160:
I hope that Auld Nick, . . . Will ne'er throw a sporge [sic] on thy shins.wm.Sc. 1835 Laird of Logan 162:
Every sparge that gaed frae my fit was like a harn wab.Ags. 1896 A. Blair Rantin Robin 46:
A fell sperge was then put on a bit flannen an' bound up Marget's chouks.

2. Specif. The warm water sprinkled over malt during the process of brewing or distilling; liquor produced by sparging.Sc. 1839 D. Ure Dict. Arts 107:
The malt is exhausted by eight or ten successive sprinklings of liquor which are termed in the vernacular tongue, sparges.Sc. 1960 J. M. Robb Sc. Whisky 33:
The first two waters are transferred to the fermenting backs while the third and fourth, known as ‘sparge' are reserved to form the first and seeond extractions of the next batch.

3. A drink, a mouthful, a drop of spirits, as much liquid as will moisten one's lips (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 434, Kcb.⁴ 1900, spirg).Ags. 1867 G. W. Donald Poems 252:
A spairge may put us in repair When coughs an' caulds our stammacks pester.Ags. 1921 D. H. Edwards Fisher Folks 53:
Fin I get this spergie o' tea.