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The track or trail of any wild animal; as, the spoor of an elephant; -- used originally by travelers in South Africa.

See Sprack, a. Shak.

To crack or split; to bend or strain so as to weaken; as, to spring a mast or a yard.

Said of a spar that has been cracked or strained.

to speak; to confess. [Colloq.] If he be obstinate, put a civil question to him upon the rack, and he squeaks, I warrant him. Dryden.

combustible matter, to be thrown into the air while burning, so as to burst there with a crack. Lampoons, like squibs, may make a present blaze. Waller. The making and selling of fireworks, and squibs . . . is punishable. Blackstone.

To watch; to dog, or keep track of. [Prov. Eng. or Slang] H. Kingsley.

One of the cylindrical bars of a lantern wheel; one of the bars or rounds of a rack, a ladder, etc.

A print of the foot; a footstep; a footprint; track.

lied genera. The back is armed with two or more sharp spines. They inhabit both salt and brackish water, and construct curious nests. Called also sticklebag, sharpling, and prickleback.

horse by overloading; to strain the wrist; to strain a muscle. Prudes decayed about may track, Strain their necks with looking back. Swift.

Fresh; not salt or brackish; as, sweet water. Bacon.

A movable part of a rail; or of opposite rails, for transferring cars from one track to another.

from Switch, v. Switching engine, a locomotive for switching cars from one track to another, and making up trains; -- called also switch engine. [U.S.]

acred subject, having a partially architectural character, as a solid frame resting on a bracket, or the like.

(Bot.), a plant (Vallisneria spiralis) with long ribbonlike leaves, growing in fresh or brackish water; -- called also fresh-water eelgrass, and, in Maryland, wild celery. -- Tape needle. See Bodkin, n., 4.

lavor is distinguished; to have a particular quality or character; as, this water tastes brackish; the milk tastes of garlic. Yea, every idle, nice, and wanton reason Shall to the king taste of this action. Shak.

A play in which a ball is driven to and fro, or kept in motion by striking it with a racket or with the open hand. Shak. His easy bow, his good stories, his style of dancing and playing tennis, . . . were familiar to all London. Macaulay. Court tennis, the old game of tennis as played within walled courts of peculiar c…

Any one of numerous species of tortoises living in fresh and brackish waters. Many of them are valued for food. [Written also terapin, terrapen, terrapene, and turapen.]

A game played with rackets and a ball suspended by a string from an upright pole, the object of each side being to wrap the string around the pole by striking the ball in a direction opposite to the other.