Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(UK/US Und.) a diamond ring.

1859		Matsell Vocabulum 105: He told Jack as how Bill had flimped a yack, and pinched a swell of a spark-fawney, and had sent the yack to church, and got half a century and a finnif for the fawney.
1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 25/2: I noticed that a very pretty ‘spark fawney,’ which he was in the habit of wearing [...] was non est.
1874		Ladies’ Repository 34 69: A ring is known as a ‘fawney;’ a diamond ring is a ‘spark-fawney;’ ‘grafting a spark-fawney’ is therefore to be interpreted as “stealing a diamond ring.
1906		A.H. Lewis Confessions of a Detective 202: Then I cops his spark-fawney.
1911		Wash. Post 10 Dec. 4/5: A diamond is now ‘ice’ or a ‘spark fawney’. It is no longer referred to as a ‘shiner’ or a ‘headlight’ or a ‘rock.’.
1922		Pearson’s Mag. Sept. 616/1: Lay a finger on a Fift’ Avenoo Willieboy, or look cockeyed at a spark-fawney on th’ mitt of one of them eighteen-carat dames, an' a judge’ll fall over himself to hand youse [etc.].

(US Und.) a jewel-thief.

1902

C.L. Cullen More Ex-Tank Tales 131: Spark grafters, porch-climbers and yeggs.

(UK Und.) a diamond pin or tie-pin.

1865		Leaves from Diary of Celebrated Burglar 25/1: For all his ‘flashing’ of ‘thimble’ of ‘spark prop’ and ‘fawney,’ and liberality in ‘slinging’ for wine [...] He couldn’t ‘come it’ over Beckey.
1867		Memphis Dly Appeal (TN) 12 Mar. 3/3: A breastpin is styled a ‘prop’, a diamond breastpin a ‘spark-prop’.
1879		‘Autobiog. of a Thief’ in Macmillan’s Mag. (London) XL 506: My pal said, ‘Pipe his spark prop’ (diamond pin).
1887		‘Dagonet’ ‘A Plank Bed Ballad’ in Referee 12 Feb. n.p.: A spark prop a pal (a good screwsman) and I / Had touched for in working two dead ’uns.
1896		‘Thieves’ Sl.’ Gent.’s Mag. CCLXXXI Oct. 349: We may notice, too, ‘spark-prop’ (diamond-pin).
1904		Sun (NY) 10 July 29/4: Here is a genuine letter written in thieves’ slang, recently found by the English police [...] They made owt finups, a couter, a red jack, and jerry, and a red spark-prop.
1912		E. Pugh City Of The World 274: He mustn’t make no bloomer either; for it means the lag as sure as a tipster’s nap, if he cops out with only a prize-packet pin in his hand, same as if it was a genuine spark-prop.
1924		E. Pugh in Advertiser (Adelaide) 12 Apr. 24/7: A ‘spark prop’ [is] a diamond pin.
1949		Monteleone Criminal Sl. (rev. edn).
1950		P. Hoskins No Hiding Place! 192/1: Spark Prop. Diamond tie-pin.

(US black) an electric organ.

2000

(ref. to 1940s) Cab Calloway Orchestra ‘Jive Dict.’ on CabCalloway.cc 🌐 Electric Organ: Spark Jiver.

1. (US) one who sets events or plans in motion, a facilitator.

1927		H. Dignowity in Dobie Texas and Southwestern Lore 100: ‘Spark Plug’ is an active live wire.
1943		H.A. Smith Life in a Putty Knife Factory (1948) 166: They put on a good radio show and Mr. Fadiman himself is a splendid spark plug.
1987		J. Stacy q. in Firestone Swing, Swing, Swing 221: ‘Gene Krupa was our spark plug, our showman [...] The rest of us just sat there and played good music’.

2. (US campus) a sanitary tampon [resemblance].

1999

Eble Campus Sl. Nov.

a motor-car.

1904		Standard 53 130: He had just gotten one foot on the step of the Spark Wagon when a boy in Brass Buttons touched his elbow and Whispered, ‘Dispatch, sir’.
1905		A. Binstead Mop Fair 117: Next day, a glistening little spark-waggon, as red as sealing-wax, arrived.
1908		Tomorrow Mag. 74/1: The perfection of the "spark wagon" has had some strange and unforeseen influences. Little did the original inventor dream of the extent to which the automobile would increase the number of hasty marriages [etc].
1920		Modern City 5 18: I am referring to the [...] the $5,000 spark wagon, the well-paid chauffeur and the possibility of Mayors hereafter losing the use of their legs.

a lively, energetic person, but often used ironically as a derog.

1922		Dundee Courier 27 Feb. 4/1: ‘A Bright Spark’ is not always a shining example.
1929		Dover Exp. 22 Feb. 15/3: I wonder who the bright spark wasd who diverted the refuse carts from their proper work to the removal of snow. The insanitary overflow [etc].
1941		J. Cary Herself Surprised (1955) 235: He was very gifted, and Gulley too would say he was a clever spark.
1965		W. Dick Bunch of Ratbags 44: Then some bright spark suggested going to a money-lender.
1978		F. Norman Dead Butler Caper 145: Then some bright spark drew the curtains and the room was bathed in sunlight.
1982		E. Mac Thomáis Janey Mack, Me Shirt is Black 75: Some bright spark discovered that a red hot poker could remove the H.B.F.
1999		Guardian Guide 31 July–6 Aug. 29: Last year some bright spark from the Fringe Office had an idea.
2004		Observer Mag. 13 June 62: It is surely only a matter of time before some ‘reality TV’ bright spark sends Britain’s lardiest family out to Zambia.

(N.Z.) to strengthen one’s spirits by taking a drink.

1939		C. Belton Outside the Law 50: Today young men who intend going to a dance drink until closing time [...] just to get a spark up, they say [DNZE].
1949		J.R. Cole It Was So Late (1978) 53: Can’t get a spark up on beer tonight [DNZE].
1959		G. Slatter Gun in My Hand 102: What’ll you have, Ron? Something to get a spark up for the Reunion?
2003		McGill Reed Dict. of N.Z. Sl. 85: get a spark up Tiddly. From late 1930s.

to be continually thirsty.

1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.
1811		Lex. Balatronicum.
1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue.

(US prison) the electric chair.

1961		A. Dwelen Twilight of Honor 9: If ever a prisoner was ticketed to ‘ride Old Sparky,’ as the jailhouse argot put it, Priest was he.
1971		(con. 1940s) J. Brown Monkey Off My Back (1972) 81: I was next door to ‘Old Sparky’.
1971–2		C. Shafer ‘Catheads [...] and Cho-Cho Sticks’ in Abernethy Bounty of Texas (1990) 215: Sparkie, n. – the electric chair.
1989		J. Morton Lowspeak 107: Ol’ Sparkey – nickname for the electric chair in Florida. When the mass murderer Ted Bundy was executed in January 1989 part of the waiting crowd sang ‘On top of ol’ Sparkey’.
1996		S. Earle ‘Ellis Unit One’ 🎵 Folks just got too civilized, Sparky’s gatherin’ dust.
1999		Indep. 20 July 15: State authorities are to review the use of ‘Old Sparky’, as the electric chair is known.
2001		(con. 1981) A. Wheatle East of Acre Lane 147: De beast would reintroduce de sparky chair, dread. Your backside will fry like egg.
2007		C. Goffard Snitch Jacket 99: I get Old Sparky if I put a bullet into him.
2013		B.H. Shepherd ‘Rogues Gallery’ in ThugLit July-Aug. [ebook] A decade had passed since they dusted off Old Sparky.