spoil
31spoil — [[t]spɔɪl[/t]] v. spoiledorspoilt, spoil•ing, 1) to damage or harm severely; ruin: The tear spoiled the delicate fabric[/ex] 2) to impair the quality of; affect detrimentally: Bad weather spoiled our vacation[/ex] 3) to impair the character of… …
32spoil — [13] Latin spolium originally denoted ‘skin stripped from a killed animal’ (it went back ultimately to the Indo European base *spel ‘split, burst’, which also produced German spalten ‘split’, and probably English spill and split). It broadened… …
33Spoil bank — Spoil Spoil, n. [Cf. OF. espoille, L. spolium.] 1. That which is taken from another by violence; especially, the plunder taken from an enemy; pillage; booty. [1913 Webster] Gentle gales, Fanning their odoriferous wings, dispense Native perfumes,… …
34Spoil Five — is an old game of cards, probably imported from Ireland, where it is still very popular, though the original name, according to The Compleat Gamester , was Five cards. It may probably be identified with Maw (game), a game of which James I of… …
35spoil the ship for a ha'pworth of tar — (UK) If someone spoils the ship for a ha pworth (halfpenny s worth) of tar, they spoil something completely by trying to make a small economy …
36spoil someone's chances — spoil someone’s chances phrase to make it impossible for someone to achieve something that they could have achieved fairly easily A shoulder injury spoiled his chances of victory in the finals. Thesaurus: to stop someone doing somethingsynonym to …
37spoil|sport — «SPOYL SPRT, SPOHRT», noun. a person who acts so as to spoil or hinder the enjoyment or plans of others: »It is unusual for a candidate to win first time around, and if one does, he arouses a certain amount of resentment as a spoilsport (New… …
38spoil the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar — spoil the ˌship for a ha p orth/ha pennyworth of ˈtar idiom (saying) to spoil sth good because you did not spend enough money or time on a small but essential part of it Main entry: ↑spoilidiom …
39spoil the ship for a ha'pennyworth of tar — spoil the ˌship for a ha p orth/ha pennyworth of ˈtar idiom (saying) to spoil sth good because you did not spend enough money or time on a small but essential part of it Main entry: ↑spoilidiom …
40spoil-five — see spoil …
