Directly or immediately backward; with sudden force or velocity going backward (chiefly dialectal or archaic).
Back + spang; 'spang' comes from Scandinavian languages (Old Norse 'spanga') meaning to rush or move quickly. This compound emerged in regional English dialects, particularly Scottish.
This wonderfully onomatopoetic word captures the sound and feeling of something snapping backward suddenly—like a rope whipping or a door slamming shut, but in reverse!
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