Going along with a fresh breeze when the spanker tells, as the aft well-boomed out-sail. The word is also used to denote strength, spruceness, and size, as a spanking breeze, a spanking frigate, &c.
·adj Large; considerable. II. Spanking ·p.pr. & ·vb.n. of <<Spank>>. III. Spanking ·adj Moving wit...
Webster's Dictionary of the English Language
Large. ...
Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
·- a strong breeze. ...