Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (Aus./N.Z.) a rant; an oration; a showman’s or other salesman’s patter.

1908		N.Z. Truth 1 Aug. 4/8: The lady showed him a room and [...] started out on a ten minutes’ spruik on the comfortable bed.
1911		Truth (Sydney) 3 Dec. 1/4: Why not call Sir Edward’s spruik a great speech [AND].
1911		N.Z. Truth 2 Dec. 2/4: ‘Spearmint’ has a ‘Spruik’.
1916		Truth (Sydney) 23 July 1/5: Let Cann and Wade cross spruiks in petty strife While Willie views the beauties of Fiji.
1919		Queenbeyan Age (NSW) 8 Apr. 4/5: Having done his ‘spruik’ he retuns to the drum sticks.
1927		Northern Standard )Darwin, NT_ 2 Dec. 5/3: [headline] Bishop Does a Spruik.
1945		N.Z. Eve. Post 8 June 4/8: We like a spruik that’s full of zip.
1959		F. Clune Flight to Formosa 121: The medicine man finished his spruik and began selling his witches’ broth potions at a dollar a bottle.
1987		Meanjin Quarterly (Melbourne) XLVI 407: Badgery reveals that his age was a lie all along, a spruik for the customers.
2007		T. Brabazon U. of Google 121: Instead, spin, spruik and advertising are the inadequate replacements.

2. (Aus.) a chat, a visit.

1953		T.A.G. Hungerford Riverslake 40: I usually go and have a bit of a spruik to him when I knock off.
1954		(con. 1940s) T.A.G. Hungerford Sowers of the Wind 116: He has a spruik to the girls.