Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also spank it) to move smartly, briskly and stylishly, esp. when seated on horseback; also adv. phr. full spank, quickly.

1762		Smollett Sir Launcelot Greaves II 6: If so be it as you spank it away at that rate, adad, I can’t continue in tow.
1784		J. O’Keeffe Fontainebleau in Dramatic Works (1798) II 269: Thro’ Pall-Mall I spank it and up Piccadilly.
1793		J. O’Keeffe London Hermit (1794) 17: Off I spank’d for Dorsetshire.
1800		‘Sung in Fontainbleau’ in Songster’s Companion 80: Through Pall Mall I spank it.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum n.p.: Spank. (Whip) To run neatly along, between a trot and gallop. The tits spanked it to town; the horses went merrily along all the way to town.
1816		W.T. Moncrieff All at Coventry II ii: All up with me here – cut – down – jockied – must brush. – Yes, I’ll leave this cursed Coventry and spank it to London.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1827		Egan Anecdotes of the Turf, the Chase etc. 3: His fine old horse, Spankaway.
1833		‘The New Moll in the Wad’ in Corinthian in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 34: You spank it and sport.
1837		Thackeray Yellowplush Papers Works III (1898) 239: If it was summer, he spanked round into the Park, and drove one of the neatest turnouts there.
1840		Thackeray Shabby Genteel Story (1853) 83: How proud he was, to be sure? How knowingly did he spank the horses along.
1841		Comic Almanack Apr. 264: On they come driving full spank.
1859		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1867		‘The Joys of Sleighing’ in Champagne Charley Songster 37: Abreast for miles along we spank.
1873		C.H. Smith Bill Arp’s Peace Papers 202: For seven years they have been spankin around waitin for somethin to turn up.
1883		J. Keane On Blue Water 132: Away we spanked, dead before the wind, with a rattling breeze that brought us up to the mouth of the creek.
1885		Cassell’s Sat. Journal 19 Sept. 802: We spanked along, rapidly accelerating our pace [F&H].
1894		A. Hope Dolly Dialogues 20: We were spanking round the Park, behind Ready and Rhino. Miss Phaeton’s horses are very large.
1908		Bulletin (Sydney) 24 Dec. 39/1: I often heard admiring comments from visitors on the horses that came spanking into Broken Hill with heavy loads from north and west.

2. to crack a whip.

1836

M. Scott Cruise of the Midge II 226: The mule drivers [...] were stringing into the yard and spanking their whip.