This is an involuntary movement of one or both hind legs, in which the foot is suddenly andspasmodically lifted from the ground much higher than it is normally carried, with excessive flexion of one bone upon the other.
The animal suddenly staggers; the muscles become cramped; the jaws may be spasmodically opened and closed, and the tongue become lacerated between the teeth; the animal foams at the mouth and falls in a spasm.
Her slender body quivered spasmodically and her sobbing became like that of a child.
She clung to him spasmodically and the lips that met his were hot with a fever of fear and love.
The man's face for an instant worked spasmodically and in pain, then it grew dark.
The scorn in his eyes stung her like a lash, and clasping her fingers spasmodically around his hand, she exclaimed: "I never intended to deceive you.
Her fingers closed so spasmodically over the girl's foot, that she winced from the pressure.
Out of the bottomless profundities the gigantic tail seems spasmodically snatching at the highest heaven.
Now to this hand, now to that, he yawed in his faltering flight, and still at every billow that he broke, he spasmodically sank in the sea, or sideways rolled towards the sky his one beating fin.
Walter's cheeks glowed like fire; he pressed his hands spasmodically together, while the lightning fairly flashed from his lustrous eye as he gazed angrily at the irritating woman.
He still held the gun spasmodically clasped in his clenched hand; Molly carefully tried to wrest it from his iron grasp.
Batard's body twitched with the shock, threshed the ground spasmodically for a moment, and went suddenly limp.
As he lost control, his jaws spasmodically wrenched apart, and deep throaty vibrations issued forth, too low in the register of sound for human ear to catch.
Other matters began to flash spasmodically across the screen of her mind.
Judge Harvey glared at Mr. Pyecroft, handsspasmodically clutching and unclutching; his look grew darker and darker.
While it still rose his weapon exploded, the can shook spasmodicallyand turned clear over.
Haltingly and spasmodically they tried to do so, with only persistence enough to put themselves in the wrong and deprive of justification the concurrent employment of the easier process of coercion.
This policy continued to be followed spasmodically and grants exonerating from the penalties of relapse were repeatedly made during the rest of the century.
When I smell it, it affects spasmodically the back of the throat.
I also agree with him that the first symptom is that the animal falls on its side, the jaws are spasmodically closed, and the slightest touch produces another paroxysm.
All the blood seemed to flow back slowly to his heart, his face became deadly pale, his eyes seemed bursting from their wide opened lids, and the longer the stranger spoke, the deeper blue became his thin spasmodically quivering lips.
He pressed his hands spasmodically against his heart and was forced to sit down upon the curb-stone.
As Bear Cat looked on, a startled surprise came into his expression and his face worked spasmodically as if in pain.
Johnston's answer was taken out of his mouth by a loud rattling beneath the floor, near the wheel he had just turned; the sun shook spasmodically for an instant, and its entire surface was faintly illuminated, but the light failed signally.
The old man quivered as with ague; he searched her face eagerly, drew her spasmodically into his arms, and then sank to the floor, overcome with exhaustion.
He laughed spasmodically as he rolled his cigarette.
He softly smote the memorable spot, first with one hand and then with the other, shrinking forward spasmodically with each contact, and throwing utter woe into his countenance.
Alton, who did not see it come out again, also went in headlong, tripped, and fell upon something with life in it that struggled spasmodically beneath him.
It floundered spasmodically for a while, and then lay still.
Then, turning, and lowering his legs over the edge, he clung spasmodically to a projection which offered its help.
The references came spasmodically and without context, as the little white lady busied herself in waiting on Letty or in the care of her room.
To Letty Miss Walbrook seemed friendlier than she had expected, only spasmodically so.
The quarter-breed's muscles strained and his legs twined spasmodically about the legs of MacNair, while his fingers tore through the snow and clawed at the bark of the wood-pile.
His chest heaved spasmodically as he gasped for air, and the thin breath whined through his teeth.
Presently Mademoiselle Brun caught sight of a small dot of colour which seemed to move spasmodically up and down.
