spanking

Etymology

From spank + -ing.

verb

1. present participle and gerund of spank

adj

1. Fast and energetic.
   a spanking pace
   On both the Gothland and the Öland Railway, a spanking railcar provides an alternative to riding in the wayward, steam-driven mixed train, but the latter is the proper conveyance for a real railway lover, even over the flat, limestone plains which form much of the Baltic island scenery. 1939 July, “Overseas Railways: Baltic Island Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 51
2. (often nautical) Brisk and fresh.
   a spanking breeze

adv

1. (colloquial, now usually with “new”) An intensifier.
   brand spanking new
   a spanking good time
   spanking clean
   spanking white

noun

1. A form of physical punishment in which a beating is applied to the buttocks.
   Domestic spanking is often endured over the knee (or lap), formal spanking rather applied over a contraption such as a tresle or A-frame, with or without constraints
2. An incident of such punishment, or such physical act in a non-punitive context, such as a birthday spanking.
   Some people think spankings of any sort constitute child abuse. 2001, John Rosemond, John Rosemond's New Parent Power!