Spunk

·noun An inflammable temper; spirit; mettle; pluck; as, a man of spunk.

II. Spunk ·noun Wood that readily takes fire; touchwood; also, a kind of tinder made from a species of fungus; punk; amadou.

spunk
Rotten touchwood, or a kind of fungus prepared for tinder; figuratively, spirit, courage. ...

Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue by Francis Grose
spunk
Mettle; spirit; vivacity.--Brockett's Glossary. A colloquial word, considered in England extremely v...

Dictionary of American Words And Phrases by John Russell Bartlett.
spunk
a dried fungus, used as tinder. Glouc. To go snacks, or snack it, to go shares, or partake. ...

A glossary of provincial and local words used in England by Francis Grose
spunk
A fungus (Polyporus fomentarius and others) growing on the trunks of trees, from which tinder is mad...

The Sailor's Word-Book