spread-eagle (redirected from spread-eagles)

spread-ea·gle (sprdgl)

adj.

1. Positioned with the arms and legs stretched out.

2. Informal Full of patriotic or jingoistic rhetoric.

v. spread-ea·gled, spread-ea·gling, spread-ea·gles

v.tr.

To place in a spread-eagle position, especially as a means of punishment.

v.intr.

1. To assume a spread-eagle position.

2. To make a grandiloquent, patriotic speech.

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	spread-eagle - stretch out completely; "They spread-eagled him across the floor" stretch, extend - extend one's limbs or muscles, or the entire body; "Stretch your legs!"; "Extend your right arm above your head"
	2.	spread-eagle - stretch over; "His residences spread-eagle the entire county" straddle, range - range or extend over; occupy a certain area; "The plants straddle the entire state"
	3.	spread-eagle - execute a spread eagle on skates, with arms and legs stretched out athletics, sport - an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition figure skate - dance on skates
	4.	spread-eagle - stand with arms and legs spread out sprawl - sit or lie with one's limbs spread out
	5.	spread-eagle - defeat disastrously spreadeagle, rout beat, beat out, vanquish, trounce, crush, shell - come out better in a competition, race, or conflict; "Agassi beat Becker in the tennis championship"; "We beat the competition"; "Harvard defeated Yale in the last football game"
Adj.	1.	spread-eagle - with arms and legs stretched out and apart; "lay spread-eagle on the floor" extended - fully extended or stretched forth; "an extended telescope"; "his extended legs reached almost across the small room"; "refused to accept the extended hand"