split n Cp OED ~ sb1 2 'a piece of wood separated or formed by splitting'; EDD sb1 10 'long, thin pieces of bogwood used as lights' Ir (1892). A thin piece of wood, about twelve to fourteen inches (30-36 cm) long, used chiefly as kindling; BAVIN. Also attrib.
1858 [LOWELL] i, 74 ... the fire, where the round bake-pot stood, covered with its blazing 'splits.' 1866 WILSON 353 Making a fire was quite an art, and required back-junks, fore-junks, middle-junks, triggers, splits and brands. 1919 GRENFELL1 198 'Get a few more splits, then, boy,' she replied, 'and I'll be cutting t' pork t' while.' 1936 DULEY 194 With difficulty Joe Perry had cleaved some splits, and because they had no paper Uncle Seth had whittled some shavings with his knife. T 12-64 A whiten is the rampike or very dry stick used for making Splits. T 140-65 You carried a junk o' wood an' a few splits under your arm every morning. 1965 Evening Telegram 30 Nov, p. 10 Mind the Paradise splitmen? [who sold kindling in St John's]. 1966 ibid 19 Apr, p. 17 Since Joey took over everyone is usin' oil. No need of splits nowadays. T 246-66 [The jannies] carry a split to defend themselves, see, an' anybody that'd make battle at them, they'd stop 'em with their split. 1967 READER 16 During the depression he used to get wood and made what were called 'splits' (kindling for starting a fire) and he used to go around from door to door selling these bundles of splits. C 70-12 Splits were pieces chopped only from dry wood because they were used to light the fire in the morning... After they had begun to burn, the person lighting the fire would put on regular wood. 1973 PINSENT 5 His half-wool, half-holes sweater [was] hooked on a splinter from the 'splits' in his arms. P 181-80 [proverb] There is favour in hell if you come armed with splits.
