An 18th century device for turning a roasting spit when cooking a joint of meat on an open bar grate fire. The wheel was powered by a small dog who ran 'on the spot' within it. The dogs called 'turnspit dogs' usually had long bodies with shorter legs and to train them it has been suggested a hot coal would be put in the wheel with the dog and the only way to avoid it was to run full tilt.
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