> as lemmas

1912 L. J. Vance Destroying Angel ii. 21 Abrupt inspiration sparked the imagination of Peter Stark, and he began to sputter with enthusiasm.

1941 Sun (Baltimore) 24 Apr. 15/2 He is the type [of ballplayer] that sparks an infield and hustles all of the time.

1947 Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch 1 Dec. 10/1 We hope that circumstances which might well spark another world conflict will not rise in Palestine.

1957 Economist 26 Oct. 287/2 Any encroachment on vital western interests is liable to spark off the sort of war that would incinerate communism along with communists.

1962 Listener 4 Oct. 501/1 A story has come out of California and sparked the November election campaign, which is now beginning to smoulder and crackle.

1964 Ann. Reg. 1963 100 The final decision to end Federation sparked off immediately a new constitutional controversy.

1970 S. L. Barraclough in I. L. Horowitz Masses in Lat. Amer. iv. 158 The more widely distributed post-reform incomes help spark development by changing propensities to invest.

1978 Dumfries Courier 20 Oct. 5/1 The club has taken no stand against this sort of behaviour, which can spark off bad behaviour among the spectators.

1979 IEEE Trans. Professional Communication XXII. 70/1 Man has always been intrigued by the elusive nature of the brain mechanisms which spark new and unexpected ideas to solve problems.

1981 Times 24 July 23/1 Stocks on the New York Stock Exchange closed higher due to a late afternoon rally, sparked by bargain hunting among oil stocks and blue chip issues.