"I'm not a good lander" he said, "I might spill myself".
Any ideas what this might mean? The book was written in 1968 so perhaps so older usage.
From "The owl who was afraid of the dark" here: https://books.google.ch/books?id=zZL...elf%22&f=false
He might fall over himself.
How about looking into a dictionary?
It's not common but it means a fall or tumble.
"She took a nasty spill"
I've read the entry in the OED, it didn't really shed light.
Yeah, I know that one, but this is being used reflexively. I might say "I spilled myself out of bed", but in this context it seems that "spilling himself" is a potential consquence of being a bad lander.
According to my Chambers Dictionary, obsolete meanings also include kill and destroy.
He's a baby owl. He has a somewhat idiosyncratic grasp of English, as one might expect from a young learner.
To be fair, most baby owls haven't learnt any English at all. I think he's doing a great job!
I dunno. Tripping over oneself is a common expression and would seem to fit.
If he lands/spills in water would he be too wet to woo?
Had a burton, didn't he?
but that is not inconsistent.
"I spilled myself out of bed" is reflexive
"spilling himself" also reflexive.
if you spill yourself out of bed as a consequence of being clumsy, that's also a consequence of something.
so not sure why you are happy to accept one but reject the other.
Could he be pissed ? The term ‘spillage’ is well known so to spill in this sense could be the same reason you don’t drink and drive- you’ll spill it.
spill verb
1. To grow or spread in a disorderly or planless fashion:
sprawl, straggle.
2. To come to the ground suddenly and involuntarily:
drop, fall, go down, nose-dive, pitch, plunge, topple, tumble.
Idiom: take a fall.
3. Informal. To disclose in a breach of confidence:
betray, blab, divulge, expose, give away, let out, reveal, tell, uncover, unveil.
Archaic: discover.
Idioms: let slip, let the cat out of the bag, spill the beans, tell all.
noun
A sudden involuntary drop to the ground:
dive, fall, nosedive, pitch, plunge, tumble.
Informal: header.
A spill is a thin stick or folded paper used to transfer a flame from the fire to a cigarette or pipe. I remember this from my childhood in Newcastle. Maybe just a Geordie expression.
No. We used spills to light bunsen burners in chemistry lessons down south.
I'm going with spill from the shorter OED.
4. v.t. spoil, damage, make imperfect or useless, destroy the goodness or value of. Long Sc. & dial. ME.