Defn: One of a number of small pieces or pegs of wood, ivory, bone, or other material, for playing a game, or for counting the score in a game, as in cribbage. In the plural (spilikins), a game played with such pieces; pushpin. [Written also spillikin, spilliken.]
SPILL
Spill, n. Etym: [sq. root170. Cf. Spell a splinter.]
1. A bit of wood split off; a splinter. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
2. A slender piece of anything. Specifically: — (a) A peg or pin for plugging a hole, as in a cask; a spile. (b) A metallic rod or pin. (c) A small roll of paper, or slip of wood, used as a lamplighter, etc. (d) (Mining) One of the thick laths or poles driven horizontally ahead of the main timbering in advancing a level in loose ground.
3. A little sum of money. [Obs.] Ayliffe.
SPILL
Spill, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spilt; p. pr. & vb. n. Spilling.]
Defn: To cover or decorate with slender pieces of wood, metal, ivory, etc.; to inlay. [Obs.] Spenser.
SPILL Spill, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Spilled, or Spilt (; p. pr. & vb. n. Spilling.] Etym: [OE. spillen,sually, to destroy, AS. spillan, spildan, to destroy; akin to Icel. spilla to destroy, Sw. spilla to spill, Dan. spilde,G. & D. spillen to squander, OHG. spildan.]
1. To destroy; to kill; to put an end to. [Obs.] And gave him to the queen, all at her will To choose whether she would him save or spill. Chaucer. Greater glory think [it] to save than spill. Spenser.
2. To mar; to injure; to deface; hence, to destroy by misuse; to waste. [Obs.] They [the colors] disfigure the stuff and spill the whole workmanship. Puttenham. Spill not the morning, the quintessence of day, in recreations. Fuller.