I just ran across a fine old slang word, spifflicate or spiflicate—the former spelling is preferred by the New Oxford American Dictionary, which defines it as 'treat roughly or severely; destroy,' the latter by the OED, which defines it more elaborately: "To deal with in such a way as to confound or overcome completely; to treat or handle roughly or severely; to crush, destroy." Some OED citations:
1796 New Brighton Guide 39 Come, spiflicate that scoundrel Care, Gruel him, bruise him, never fear.
1818 MOORE Fudge Fam. Paris ix. 223 Alas, alas, our ruin's fated; All done up, and spiflicated!
1842 BARHAM Ingol. Leg. Ser. II. Babes in Wood xi, So out with your whinger at once, and scrag Jane, while I spiflicate Johnny!
1873 Brit. Q. Rev. LVII. 276 The way in which the learned, racy old Hector smashes and spiflicates scientific idiots.. is delicious.
The participle occurs in this bit of dialogue, which I shall have to remember for future use:
1891 MEREDITH One of our Conquerors x, You've got a spiflicating style of talk about you.
The etymology? It's a "fanciful formation."
Posted by languagehat at January 20, 2006 11:25 AMI initially read it as "splifficate". That would be a useful word, to roll something up to smoke it.
Posted by: Jim at January 20, 2006 05:05 PMCan one spiflicate something into smithereens?
Can one intransitively spiflicate?
In my family, spifflicate was a jokey synonym for tickling -- "I'll spifflicate you".
The word sounds very Mark Twain-ish.
Posted by: John Emerson at January 23, 2006 02:27 PMI was sure that Wodehouse had used the word differently, to mean drunken - "he was spifflicated" - but I can't remember where. But that's how I'd have defined it, before your entry.
Posted by: Kate M. at January 23, 2006 03:00 PMYes, the past participle can be used as a synonym for 'drunk' (cf. smashed).
Posted by: language hat at January 23, 2006 03:02 PMOh, so that's what my movers did to me past Monday...and is it a coincidence that the word is so close to spit?
Posted by: Tatyana at January 23, 2006 05:29 PMthe Splifficator is also a cocktail made from rye whiskey and soda water, dating back to 1865. happens to be one of my favorites.
Posted by: mark at January 23, 2006 08:00 PMalong with piffle
Posted by: stercus at January 23, 2006 10:32 PMYes, for our family it also meant a playful but very firm and extensive tickling.
What you would do to small child by holding them down and tickling them till they scream with giggles....but if you do it for a second too long the giggles turn to tears.
mainly used in threat:
"Watch out or I will spiflicate you"
cheers
eib
Posted by: Ed Bremner at February 12, 2006 04:50 AM