n. 1. a small fatty European fish; usually smoked or canned.
Syn. -- sprat. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a small herring (Clupea sprattus) processed like a sardine.
Syn. -- sprat. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A gosling. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. gōs goose + -ling. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A young or unfledged goose. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A catkin on nut trees and pines. Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Housel. ] Sacramental; as, housling fire. [ R. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. Thin shreds of leather shaved off in dressing skins. Simmonds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Nurse + -ling. ] One who, or that which, is nursed; an infant; a fondling. [ 1913 Webster ]

I was his nursling once, and choice delight. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. slinge; akin to OD. slinge, D. slinger, OHG. slinga; cf. OF. eslingue, of German origin. See Sling, v. t. ] 1. An instrument for throwing stones or other missiles, consisting of a short strap with two strings fastened to its ends, or with a string fastened to one end and a light stick to the other. The missile being lodged in a hole in the strap, the ends of the string are taken in the hand, and the whole whirled rapidly round until, by loosing one end, the missile is let fly with centrifugal force. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act or motion of hurling as with a sling; a throw; figuratively, a stroke. [ 1913 Webster ]

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

At one sling
Of thy victorius arm, well-pleasing Son. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A contrivance for sustaining anything by suspension; as: (a) A kind of hanging bandage put around the neck, in which a wounded arm or hand is supported. (b) A loop of rope, or a rope or chain with hooks, for suspending a barrel, bale, or other heavy object, in hoisting or lowering. (c) A strap attached to a firearm, for suspending it from the shoulder. (d) (Naut.) A band of rope or iron for securing a yard to a mast; -- chiefly in the plural. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sling cart, a kind of cart used to transport cannon and their carriages, large stones, machines, etc., the objects transported being slung, or suspended by a chain attached to the axletree. --
Sling dog, one of a pair of iron hooks used as part of a sling. See def. 3 (b) above. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. Slung Archaic Slang p. p. Slung; p. pr. & vb. n. Slinging. ] [ AS. slingan; akin to D. slingeren, G. schlingen, to wind, to twist, to creep, OHG. slingan to wind, to twist, to move to and fro, Icel. slyngva, slöngva, to sling, Sw. slunga, Dan. slynge, Lith. slinkti to creep. ] 1. To throw with a sling. “Every one could sling stones at an hairbreadth, and not miss.” Judg. xx. 16. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To throw; to hurl; to cast. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To hang so as to swing; as, to sling a pack. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Naut) To pass a rope round, as a cask, gun, etc., preparatory to attaching a hoisting or lowering tackle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. G. schlingen to swallow. ] A drink composed of spirit (usually gin) and water sweetened. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who slings, or uses a sling. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. tubular ring around the propeller hub of an airplane through which antifreeze solution is spread over the blades. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. [ 1st pref. un- + sling. ] (Naut.) To take off the slings of, as a yard, a cask, or the like; to release from the slings. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]