footspur

English

Etymology

foot +‎ spur

Noun

footspur (plural footspurs)

1. A foothill that shoots from a mountain or range in a perpendicular direction.
   • 1865, H. WIllis Baxley, What I Saw on the West Coast of South and North America, page 523:

     A footspur of Tantalus Hill seeks ineffectually to bar the entrance to Manoa's grateful shades and inviting solitudes.

   • 1951, Richard A. Hebert, Modern Maine: Its Historic Background, People, and Resources, page 273:

     A footspur of Bigelow Mountain rises to 2,000 feet in the northwest corner.

   • 2013, Scott, In The High Yemen, page 122:

     At its eastern end another gate leads into the citadel, Al Qasr, which is raised above the city on a footspur of Jebel Nuqūm.

2. A crosspiece on a boat against which the rower braces his or her feet; stretcher.
   • 1882, Thomas Ainge Devyr, The Odd Book of the Nineteenth Century, Or, "Chivalry" in Modern Days, page 53:

     My sickness was gone like a flash; I seized the oar, made a footspur of Don Sly's back, and, all pulling steadily, we held our our own till the squall spent itself and then we shot out of the ground swell, and headed across the bay.

   • 1909, Samuel McSkimin, The History and Antiquities of the County of the Town of Carrickfergus, from the Earliest Records Till 1839, page 362:

     Betwean each beam of the boat is also fastened a piece of timber called a stretcher or footspur, against which they place their feet when rowing, to enable them to have a more complete command of their oar.

   • 1923, A. W. Long, Irish Sport of Yesterday, page 172:

     Charles then grabbed a floating footspur, and threatened him with a beating if he did not pull at once for the shore.

   • 2018, Ronnie Gamble, The Champions of the Bann, page 31:

     At one stage Clarke of Moville, used a footspur from his boat to attack Philip Magee of the Portrush boat.

3. A spur or spike projecting from the foot, such as that worn to prod a horse, or that occurring naturally on some birds, such as roosters.
   • 1855, Andrew Douglas, History of the Village of Ferryden, page 14:

     Slag here lifted the footspur to dash its brains out, as he had been enjoined; but the type of harmlessness, being now rested, escaped its new, and, shall we say, more irrational enemy, by flight.

   • 1914, The Normans in England (1066-1154), page 6:

     But they recked nothing thereof, went into the monastery, climbed up to the holy rood, and then took the crown from our Lord's head, all of beaten gold; then they took the footspur that was underneath His foot, which was all of red gold.

   • 1964, Quarterly Bulletin of the Alpine Garden Society - Volume 32, page 281:

     To these spurs she owes her name, Korydalis, by which word the Greeks refer to the family of crested larks her own turquoise flowers supposedly mimicking the footspurs of these dull brown aviators.

   • 2012, John Hodgman, More Information Than You Require:

     It befriended a blind priest, and for a time was happy, until it accidentally poisoned him with its weird, venomous footspur.