spread eagle meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

spread eagle

nounalso spelled spread-eagle

A position of the body involving full extension of the limbs with both fore- and hind-limbs spread wide, usually referring to humans or heraldic eagles.

A move in which a skater glides on both feet, the toes turned out to the sides, heels facing each other.

spread-eagle

adj

Etymology From spread eagle (noun).

Lying with arms and legs outstretched and separated.

US, Dated Characterized by a pretentious, boastful, exaggerated style; bombastic.

Our former townsman, Mr. G. F. Train, has recently made a tremendous spread-eagle speech in England, upon the occasion of the reopening of trade between Liverpool and New Zealand […]c. 1857, unknown author, from Boston Gazette, quoted in George Francis Train, Spread-eagleism, page 88 (1859)
But Mr. Lloyd is not a spread-eagle patriot, or much given to political partisanship.1894, The Arena, volume 10, page 581:

1 more example

The firm did a large and lucrative business from the start, the orders from spread-eagle orators often taxing the full capacity of its works.1900, The Nation, volume 70, page 101:

Derived terms: spreadeagleism

spread-eagle

verb

Etymology From spread eagle (noun).

To put into a spread-eagle position, with arms and legs extended and spread.

To put one's body in a spread eagle.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — authors: page histories for spread eagle and spread-eagle.