spongern.
/ˈspʌndʒə/ 1.
a. One who lives meanly at another's expense; a parasite, a sponge.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > flattery or flattering > servile flattery or currying favour > [noun] > servile flatterer > parasite
clienta1393
lick-dishc1440
maunche present1440
scambler?a1513
smell-feast1519
parasite1539
hanger-on1549
parasitaster1552
waiter at the table1552
lick-trencher1571
hang-by1579
shadow1579
trencher-fly1590
trencher-friend1590
fawnguest1592
pot-hunter1592
lick-spigot1599
trencherman1599
shark1600
tub-hunter1600
zany1601
lick-box1611
by-hangera1626
cosherer1634
shirk1639
panlicker1641
clientelary1655
tantony1659
led friend1672
sponger1677
fetcher and carrier1751
myrmidon1800
trencher-licker1814
onhanger1821
tag-tail1835
sponge1838
lick-ladle1849
lick-platter1853
sucker1856
freeloader1933
bludger1938
ligger1977
joyrider1990
1677 G. Miege New Dict. French & Eng. i. sig. Ee3v/2 Ecornifleur,..a Spunger, a smell feast.
1682 Heraclitus Ridens 27 June 2/1 A Detachment of sorry Spungers from the Suburb Shovel-board Tables and Nine-pin Alleys.
1710 J. Swift Lett. (1767) III. 19 I dined with some friends that board hereabout, as a spunger.
1731 G. Medley tr. P. Kolb Present State Cape Good-Hope I. 109 My company..only listen'd as Spongers, in order to be treated with the other bottle.
1866 Cornhill Mag. Sept. 287 Shameless and impudent spungers.
1888 Pall Mall Gaz. 3 Sept. 3/2 The spongers for free hospitality at scientific and other annual congresses.
b. Const. on.
ΚΠ
a1732 J. Gay Fables (1738) II. viii. 78 Crush'd in his luxury and pride, The spunger on the public died.
1860 W. M. Thackeray Lovel i An old sponger on other people's kindness.
1890 N. Lindsey Star 9 Aug. 5/3 Those spongers on the nation's earnings are quite happy without work.
2.
a. One who uses a sponge, esp. in order to cleanse the bore of a cannon.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier by branch of army > [noun] > artilleryman > assistants
match-man1612
fireworker1617
matross1639
bombardier1688
gun-lascar1798
sponger1828
horse-holder1837
cartridge-filler1871
1828–32 N. Webster Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. Spunger, one who uses a sponge.
1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 228 4. The sponger. 3. The loader.
1886 Cent. Mag. Apr. 909/1 I was serving on one of the thirty-two pounders, and my sponger was an old man-o'-war's man.
b. One who transfers designs to pottery by means of a piece of sponge.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > ornamental art and craft > decoration of china > [noun] > other types of decoration > artist or decorator
blueprinter1825
sponger?1881
photo-ceramist1894
?1881 Census Eng. & Wales: Instr. Clerks classifying Occupations & Ages (?1885) 88 Earthenware, China, Porcelain, Manufacture:..Sponger,..Stamper.
3.
a. A gatherer of, a diver or fisher for, sponges.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > divers or dredgers > [noun] > diver > for sponges
sponger1880
1880 N. H. Bishop Four Months in Sneak-box 289 An almost uninhabited region, where only an occasional fisherman or sponger is met.
1887 G. B. Goode Fisheries U.S. 826 To allow the slimy matter, called ‘gurry’ by the spongers, to run off easily.
b. A vessel engaged in sponge-fishing.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > fishing vessel > [noun] > sponge-fishing vessel
sponger1885
1885 Harper's Mag. Jan. 217/1 We cast longing glances at certain Nassau spongers, trim, shapely cock-boats.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1677