to spirit away
Preserved but no longer current.
To kidnap, abduct; to make away with speedily and secretly. The phrase first came into use in the 17th century, in connexion with kidnapping youths and trans- porting them to the West Indian plantations.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to spirit away” mean?
To kidnap, abduct; to make away with speedily and secretly. The phrase first came into use in the 17th century, in connexion with kidnapping youths and trans- porting them to the West Indian plantations.
Is “to spirit away” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.