splay

splay /spleɪ/ (also splay out) verb [intransitiveI, transitiveT]

HBHto spread apart widely, or to make things do this, especially parts of the body （使）张开，展开〔尤指身体部位〕

He sat with his legs splayed out in front of him.

他叉开两腿坐着。

Examples from the Corpus

splay• Walking through the old foundations, you discover broken bits of dinner plates and an occasional fork with its tines splayed.• She stood beside McAiister; her feet splayed as though barring the door.• He splayed into the air; over the water; one arm flung back over his head like a trapeze artist.• Behind the Sergeant the Dragoons splayed left and right, but three other horses and four more men died.• Four made a phalanx before the booth, tapping their lead truncheons, their feet splayed like a squad of riot police.• Cows with the disease foam at the mouth and their legs splay out.• Her long willowy legs splayed outwards into a balletic second.• My hands are still splayed over my lower face.

Origin splay

(1300-1400) display

Chinese

Corpus

BNC: 22189 COCA: 16924

splay