A man who has been drinking till be becomes disgusting. A stupid or silly fellow.--Grose. We use the word only in the latter sense. The Hon. Mr. Preston, in his remarks on the Mexican war, thus quotes from Tom Crib's remonstrance against the meanness of a transaction, similar to our cries for more vigorous blows on Mexico when she is prostrate:
Look down upon Ben--see him, dunghill all o'er,
Insult the fallen foe that can harm him no more.
Out, cowardly spooney! Again and again,
By the fist of my father, I blush for thee, Ben.
Ay, you will see all the spooneys, that ran, like so many dunghill champions, from 54 40, stand by the President for the vigorous prosecution of the war upon the body of a prostrate foe.--N. Y. Tribune, 1847.
I shall escape from this beautiful critter, for I'm gettin' spooney, and shall talk silly presently.--Sam Slick.