splatterdash

English

Etymology

splatter +‎ dash. In the "haphazard work" sense, perhaps influenced by slapdash.

Noun

splatterdash (plural splatterdashes)

1. An uproar.
   • 1892, Robert Williams Buchanan, The Buchanan Ballads, Old and New, page 87:

     Spluttersmash and splatterdash! In the shallow pools they splash, Like two wrestlers closing! Long they fight and twist and turn, But the race is over

   • 1911 March 14, “Electricity Supply Memoranda”, in The Journal of Gas Lighting, Water Supply & Sanitary Improvement, volume 113, page 756:

     Gas will have its share of the business going during June next, and without making any splatterdash about supplying at low prices.

   • 1971, William Eldon Baringer, Lincoln's Rise to Power, page 244:

     All the doubtful state forces swelled the anti-Seward splatterdash.

2. A work (of art, literature, etc.) that gives the appearance of having been created in a haphazard, chaotic manner.
   • 1892, W. H. Babcock, chapter 12, in The Brides of the Tiger, pages 162–163:

     We landed and again possessed the isle in force […] We found there was yet dispute of our ascendancy, five great canoes coming bow out […] No soft garments now, not yet mere nakedness, but a splatterdash of color beyond any rainbow that ever was […] "What is that?" queried a maiden huskily. "As I live, the strange things are bringing a doll-baby to fight us."

   • 1906, Henry Evans, The Old and the New Magic:

     The absurd splatterdash which the Mage painted while blindfolded had nothing of Thibetan architecture about it, but resembled a ruined castle on the Rhine.

   • 1974, Waldo Hilary Dunn, quoting R. D. Blackmore, R. D. Blackmore: the author of "Lorna Doone"; a biography, page 242:

     In this same letter to Ballard, he [sc. Blackmore] refers to “that miserable book, the most absurd and hideous thing ever seen […] Sprawling into prose my most highly finished rhythm—much of which is in strophe and antistrophe, as not a blessed soul has had the perception to discover […] After sending me proofs in proper lines, according to my manuscript […] I think this was a little cool. Without a word to me Messrs Burrows Brothers […] broke it all up into splatterdash.”

   • 1982, Hubert Ingram Bermont, The Complete Consultant: A Roadmap to Success, page 9:

     The lecturers are expert on lecturing on the subject, but they offer the splatterdash method of disseminating information with no point of view of their own.

3. A spangle; a sparkly decoration.
   • 1928, James Schermerhorn, Schermerhorn's Stories, page 155:

     When a member of the Governor's Footguards of Connecticut was parading with the company, his son stood at the gate with his mother, and as they flashed by in their splatterdash finery, he said: "Oh, ma, ain't they grand; and see, everybody is out of step but father."

   • 1937, Eastern Star News, page 5:

     The program is a 28-page booklet printed on a cream-colored paper with gold splatterdash, and with a French-fold cover of blue and gold.

   • 1967, Mario Amaya, Tiffany Glass, page 50:

     one of the employees of Thomas Webb of Stourbridge, a firm that had been making iridescent glass since 1878, took out a patent for “vasa Murrhina,” a type of spangle or splatterdash glass with a transparent body which was embedded with flakes of mica.

4. Alternative form of spatterdash
   • 2013, Theodor Hugues, Klaus Greilich, Christine Peter, Building with Large Clay Blocks, page 45:

     At least two coats of impermeable render (suitable for plinth work) will be necessary on splatterdash and a galvanised background, additionally reinforced if necessary.

   • 2015, D. Hoffmann, K. Niesel, H. Rooss, “Effects of Air Pollutants on Renderings: Experimental Protocols and Background”, in Norbert Baer, R.A. Livingstone, S. Fitz, editors, Conservation of Historic Brick Structures:

     In addition, the function of a splatterdash coat, which allows the rendering system to adhere to the fiber cement plate, is fulfilled by coarse sand spread over the surface after having been first coated with an epoxy film.

5. (usually in the plural) Spatterdashes.
   • 1769, Jean Jacques Rousseau, The Confessions of Jean Jacques Rousseau:

     He wore a black coat, rather worn than old, which hung in tatters, a very fine but dirty shirt, frayed ruffles; a pair of splatterdashes so large that he could have put both legs into either of them, and, to secure himself from the snow, a little hat, only fit to be carried under his arm.

   • 1845, Albert Henry Payne, Payne's Royal Dresden Gallery, page 98:

     Here Gabriele was awaiting the arrival of her lover, and hastening to welcome him the moment he alighted from his steed, stood by his side, while the pages removed his sword, spurs, and splatterdashes.

   • 1974 October, “A Pilgrim from Head to Toe”, in Boys' Life, volume 64, number 10, page 45:

     Sometimes he also wore splatterdashes, especially if he was on a horse. Splatterdashes were loose leggings that came up to his thigh.

   • 1985, Punch, volume 288, page 65:

     And, as all the really big spat people will tell you, the splatterdash should be as individual to a fellow as his shoe.

   • 1999, Donald Batchelor, Becoming Americans, page 294:

     Sarah Alice dressed in borrowed rocket, splatterdash, and boots, and followed her brothers through the smoke and dust into the woods.

6. A warrior.
   • 1892, James P. Baxter, “The Abnakis and Their Ethnic Relations”, in Collections and Proceedings of the Maine Historical Society, page 27:

     They also painted their faces, and, according to Wood, imprinted figures with a searing iron upon their bodies; perhaps, as he suggests, "to blazon their antique Gentilitie," for, he says, "a sagamore with a Humberd in his eare for a pendant, a black hawke on his occiput for his plume, Mowhackees for his gold chaine, good store of Wampmpeage begirting his loynes, his bow in his hand, his quiver at his bac, with six naked Indian splatterdashes at his heeles for his guard, thinkes himself little inferior to the great Cham; hee will not stick to say, hee is all one with King Charles."

   • 1989, Hoghton Tower, page 13:

     Alas for the splatterdashes! The unmanageable rebels suddenly seemed to be everywhere at once.

Verb

splatterdash (third-person singular simple present splatterdashes, present participle splatterdashing, simple past and past participle splatterdashed)

1. To apply a splatterdash coat.
   • 1910, William Dudley Foulke, The Quaker Boy, page 53:

     Uncle Samuel's house was an old-fashioned one of rough stone, "splatterdashed" with fine pebbles on the outside.

   • 1930, The Earth Mover - Volume 17, page 19:

     What a cozy little breakfast room — and the wall is so artistically splatterdashed.

   • 1948, American Poultry Journal - Volume 79, page 62:

     Many like to splatterdash the floor of a bed or kitchen, and the process is simple to do.

   • 1961, Betongen idag - Volumes 26-27, page 84:

     Interior walls are plastered, those subject to the most wear being splatterdashed.

2. To affix splatterdashes to.
   • 1959, Children's Activities - Volume 25, page 9:

     "I could splatterdash it for you," she said. "We used to wear daub-stick cottons when I was a girl, and we thought them pretty fine."

3. To splash violently; to splatter with water and/or mud.
   • 1871 June, “A Cat in a Strange Garret”, in The Yale Literary Magazine, volume 36, number 320, page 402:

     How he found himself stepping up when he was told to step down, down when he was told to step up; how he passed through a long box against a cold sponge splatterdashed in his face; how he opened his astonished eyes to see the knife of the guillotine descending on his innocent neck; how he was tossed up and down in the cruel blanket, until brains and bowels were both "discombobulated," and he felt more than ever like a "cat in a strange garret."

   • 1921, Laura Lee Hope, Bunny Brown and His Sister Sue in the Sunny South, page 93:

     “Dat frisky li'l nigger suah will be splatterdashed ef he fall offen dat mule's back !” And indeed it did look bad for the small colored boy.

   • 1963, Eugene Endrey, Beg, Borrow and Squeal, page 293:

     He was turning around and splashing and splatterdashing with intense spizzerinktum —which is the over-mastering will to succeed.

   • 2019, Karen S. Cole, The Rainbow Horizon: A Tale of Goofy Chaos, page 348:

     Splatterdashing pearls of spring rain carelessly aimed multiple minor blows all over the above Raman passerby's body.