to spring a leak

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Leak \Leak\ (l[=e]k), n. [Akin to D. lek leaky, a leak, G. leck, Icel. lekr leaky, Dan. l[ae]k leaky, a leak, Sw. l[aum]ck; cf. AS. hlec full of cracks or leaky. Cf. Leak, v.]

1.A crack, crevice, fissure, or hole which admits water or other fluid, or lets it escape; as, a leak in a roof; a leak in a boat; a leak in a gas pipe. "One leak will sink a ship." --Bunyan. [1913 Webster]

2.The entrance or escape of a fluid through a crack, fissure, or other aperture; as, the leak gained on the ship's pumps. [1913 Webster]

3.(Elec.) A loss of electricity through imperfect insulation; also, the point at which such loss occurs. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

4.an act of urinating; -- used mostly in the phrase

take a leak, i. e. to urinate. [vulgar] [PJC]

5.The disclosure of information that is expected to be kept confidential; as, leaks by the White House staff infuriated Nixon; leaks by the Special Prosecutor were criticized as illegal. [PJC]

To spring a leak, to open or crack so as to let in water; to begin to let in water; as, the ship sprung a leak. [1913 Webster]

Spring \Spring\ (spr[i^]ng), v. t.

1.To cause to spring up; to start or rouse, as game; to cause to rise from the earth, or from a covert; as, to spring a pheasant. [1913 Webster]

2.To produce or disclose suddenly or unexpectedly; as, to spring a surprise on someone; to spring a joke. [1913 Webster]

She starts, and leaves her bed, and springs a light.— Dryden.[1913 Webster]

The friends to the cause sprang a new project.— Swift.[1913 Webster]

3.To cause to explode; as, to spring a mine. [1913 Webster]

4.To crack or split; to bend or strain so as to weaken; as, to spring a mast or a yard. [1913 Webster]

5.To cause to close suddenly, as the parts of a trap operated by a spring; as, to spring a trap. [1913 Webster]

6.To bend by force, as something stiff or strong; to force or put by bending, as a beam into its sockets, and allowing it to straighten when in place; -- often with in, out, etc.; as, to spring in a slat or a bar. [1913 Webster]

7.To pass over by leaping; as, to spring a fence. [1913 Webster]

8.To release (a person) from confinement, especially from a prison. [colloquial] [PJC]

To spring a butt (Naut.), to loosen the end of a plank in a ship's bottom.

To spring a leak (Naut.), to begin to leak.

To spring an arch (Arch.), to build an arch; -- a common term among masons; as, to spring an arch over a lintel.

To spring a rattle, to cause a rattle to sound. See Watchman's rattle, under Watchman.

To spring the luff (Naut.), to ease the helm, and sail nearer to the wind than before; -- said of a vessel. --Mar. Dict.

To spring a mast or To spring a spar (Naut.), to strain it so that it is unserviceable. [1913 Webster]