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Spree

   Also found in: Legal, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.03 sec.
Spree  (spr, shpr)
A river, about 402 km (250 mi) long, of eastern Germany rising near the Czech border and flowing generally north to the Havel River at Berlin.

spree  (spr)
n.
1. A carefree, lively outing.
2. A drinking bout.
3. A sudden indulgence in or outburst of an activity. See Synonyms at binge.

[Perhaps alteration of Scots spreath, cattle raid, from Irish and Scottish Gaelic spréidh, spré, cattle, wealth, from Middle Irish preit, preid, booty, ultimately from Latin praeda; see ghend- in Indo-European roots.]
Word History: A spending spree seems a far cry from a cattle raid, yet etymologists have suggested that the word spree comes from the Scots word spreath, "cattle raid." The word spree is first recorded in a poem in Scots dialect in 1804 in the sense of "a lively outing." This sense is closely connected with a sense recorded soon afterward (in 1811), "a drinking bout," while the familiar sense "an overindulgence in an activity," as in a spending spree, is recorded in 1849. Scots and Irish dialects also have a sense "a fight," which may help connect the word and the sense "lively outing" with the Scots word spreath, meaning variously, "booty," "cattle taken as spoils," "a herd of cattle taken in a raid," and "cattle raid." The Scots word comes from Irish and Scottish Gaelic spréidh, "cattle," which in turn ultimately comes from Latin praeda, "booty." This last link reveals both the importance of the Latin language to Gaelic and a connection between cattle and plunder in earlier Irish and Scottish societies.

spree [spriː]
n
1. a session of considerable overindulgence, esp in drinking, squandering money, etc.
2. a romp
[perhaps changed from Scottish spreath plundered cattle, ultimately from Latin praeda booty]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.Spreespree - a brief indulgence of your impulses
spending spree - a brief period of extravagant spending
intemperateness, self-indulgence, intemperance - excess in action and immoderate indulgence of bodily appetites, especially in passion or indulgence; "the intemperance of their language"
Verb1.spree - engage without restraint in an activity and indulge, as when shopping
pander, gratify, indulge - yield (to); give satisfaction to

spree
noun
1. fling, binge (informal), orgy, splurge They went on a spending spree.
2. binge, bender (informal), orgy, revel (informal), jag (slang), junketing, beano (Brit. slang), debauch, carouse, drinking bout, bacchanalia, carousal, a night on the piss (taboo slang), a night on the razzle (informal) They attacked two London shops after a drinking spree.
Translations
spree [spriː] Njuerga f, parranda f, farra f (esp S. Cone)
to go on a spreeir de juerga or parranda or (esp S. Cone) farra
to go on a killing spreematar a una serie de personas
see also spending B
spree [ˈspriː] n
to go on a spree → faire la fête spending spree
spree
n spending or shopping spreeGroßeinkauf m; drinking/gambling spreeZech-/Spieltour f (inf); killing spree (of gunman) → Amoklauf m; to go/be on a spree (drinking) → eine Zechtour machen; (spending) → groß einkaufen gehen/groß einkaufen
spree [spriː] n (fam) to go on a spending spreefare spese folli
to go on a spree → darsi alla pazza gioia, fare baldoria
spree [spriː] n (fam) to go on a spending spreefare spese folli
to go on a spree → darsi alla pazza gioia, fare baldoria


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Why, sold off in a jiffy, and no character, and I might find myself slaved about under a butcher's boy, or worked to death at some seaside place where no one cared for me, except to find out how fast I could go, or be flogged along in some cart with three or four great men in it going out for a Sunday spree, as I have often seen in the place I lived in before I came here; no," said he, shaking his head, "I hope I shall never come to that.
They would put up in one of the lodging-houses in John Street; Philip had never been to Oxford, but Griffiths had talked to him about it so much that he knew exactly where they would go; and they would dine at the Clarendon: Griffiths had been in the habit of dining there when he went on the spree.
I wonder you waste time coming over here on the spree when you've got a piece of business like that to look after.
 
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