Probably an alteration of plash (compare spatter, spill for the initial s-).
Meanings
(onomatopoeic) The sound made by an object hitting a liquid.
I heard a splash when the rock landed in the pond.
A small amount of liquid.
Add the tomato purée and cook for a further 4-5 minutes. Add a splash of whisky to the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze. 2014 August 17 (last accessed), Chris Morrison, “recipe, Grilled fillet of halibut and langoustine tails with smoked haddock risotto and shellfish froth”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), archived from the original on 07 Jul 2013:
I felt a splash of rain, so I put up my hood.
I felt a splash of water on my leg as the car drove into the nearby puddle.
A small amount (of color).
The painter put a splash of blue on the wall to make it more colorful
A mark or stain made from a small amount of liquid.
There was a visible splash on his pants after he went to the bathroom.
An impact or impression.
The new movie made quite a splash upon its release.
(informal) A splash screen.
When the splash appears with Please wait, wait for Windows to start configuration. 2008, Ron Carswell, Heidi Webb, Guide to Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 and Virtual Server 2005:
A body press; a move where the wrestler jumps forward from a raised platform such as the top turnbuckle, landing stomach first across an opponent lying on the ground below.
(dated) A cosmetic powder to whiten the complexion.
A large, prominent headline or article.
So for a local newspaper, a splash on a fatal crash is just the first of a series of reports. 2006, Bob Franklin, Local Journalism and Local Media: Making the Local News:
After the brouhaha and the newspaper headline splashes, each of these contentious items would simply die its own quiet death to be replaced by a newer scandal: […] 2019, Victoria Hoffarth, When Turtles Come Home, page 69:
A splash page.
(slang) The shooting down of an aircraft over water.
Hits were observed, but again the poor functioning of VT ammunition hindered in effecting a splash. 2010, Robin L. Rielly, Kamikaze Attacks of World War II, page 267:
(Multicultural-London-English, slang) The bleeding caused by a knife wound.
Jojo caught up and gave him a splash
Slap that wap, get rid of them plats 2020 July 2, “Stop Check”, Td of TPL (lyrics), 1:52–1:56:
(Multicultural-London-English, slang) A knife.
You grip your splash for fashion—me and you, we ain’t got the same intentions. 2021 August 13, #CO CMoney, “Don’t Ask”, 2:51–2:53:
ko 튀김 (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · fi loiskahdus (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · fi loiskaus (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · crg chimuck (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · it schizzo (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · es poquito (small amount of liquid) · fi lätsähdys (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · it sciacquio (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · sk plesk (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · es chiringuito (small amount of liquid) · nl plons (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · uk плеск (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · pl plusk (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · fr plouf (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · it tonfo (impact or impression) · pt chape (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · ru плеск (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · pt tchibum (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · fi häivähdys (small amount of color) · ca plaf (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · bg плясък (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · ro pleosc (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · de Platschen (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · es poco (small amount of liquid) · uk плю́скіт (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · fr éclaboussure (impact or impression) · fi roiske (mark or stain made from a small amount of liquid) · cmn 濺潑聲 /溅泼声 (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · gl salseiro (small amount of liquid) · it tonfo (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · ru всплеск (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · mr शिंतोडा (small amount of liquid) · es chorrito (small amount of liquid) · hi छपाक (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · eo plaŭdo (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · ko 튀기다 (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · mk пле́сок (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · ru шуми́ха (impact or impression) · sv plask (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · sk čľup (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · vi tõm (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · fi vaikutus (impact or impression) · fi tippa (small amount of liquid) · vi ùm (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · fr bruit (impact or impression) · vi tùm (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · bg цопване (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · srn tyubun (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · hu csobbanás (sound made by an object hitting a liquid) · fi liraus (small amount of liquid) · es salpicadura (sound made by an object hitting a liquid)
Probably an alteration of plash (compare spatter, spill for the initial s-).
Meanings
(intransitive) To hit or agitate liquid so that part of it separates from the principal liquid mass.
I know the reason I feel so blessed / My heart still splashes inside my chest 1990 October 28, Paul Simon, “She Moves On”, in The Rhythm of the Saints, Warner Bros.:
sit and splash in the bathtub
(intransitive) (of a liquid) To disperse suddenly as a result of an impulse; to splatter.
Water splashed everywhere.
(transitive) To hit or agitate (liquid) so that part of it separates from the principal liquid mass.
She splashed water onto her face.
I accidentally splashed some coffee on my keyboard.
(transitive) To hit or expel liquid at.
The children were splashing each other playfully in the sea.
When she comes in the door, splash her with perfume.
(transitive) To create an impact or impression; to print, post, or publicize prominently.
The headline was splashed across newspapers everywhere.
The March 5, 1978 issue of National Reader […] contained an exciting front page headline -- "Most Major Hollywood Stars Are Gay or Bisexual!!!!" Splashed on the cover are photos of Rock Hudson, Shaun and David Cassidy, […] and, last but not least, Lily Tomlin. 1978 April 8, Eric Rogers, “Speaking Out”, in Gay Community News, page 5:
Now it's big black cars and Riviera views / And your lover in the foyer doesn't even know you / And your secrets end up splashed on the news front page 2012, Taylor Swift, “The Lucky One”, in Red (Taylor's Version), published 2021:
(transitive) To spend (money).
After pay day I can afford to splash some cash and buy myself a motorbike.
(figuratively) To roughly fill with color.
This was pure theatre, with a 60,000 crowd at Wembley adding colour to the fight to face either England or Denmark in Sunday's final, the stadium splashed with the red of Spain at one end and the victorious blue of Italy at the other as crowds flocked back in ever bigger numbers after pandemic restrictions were lifted. 2021 July 6, Phil McNulty, “Italy beat Spain on penalties: 'Pure theatre as Italy present formidable obstacle in final'”, in BBC Sport:
(transitive) To launch a ship.
In the two years following Midway, Japanese shipyards managed to splash only six additional fleet carriers. The United States in the same period added seventeen, along with ten medium carriers and eighty-six escort carriers. 1999 March, David M. Kennedy, "Victory at Sea": Atlantic Monthly:
(slang) To shoot down (an aircraft) over water.
Planes were sighted at about 5000 yards, fire was opened at 4500 yards; the first plane was splashed about 1800 yards from the ship, the second was splashed about 3000 yards from the ship and rudder shifted to hard right. 2010, Robin L. Rielly, Kamikaze Attacks of World War II, page 234:
(Multicultural-London-English, transitive) To stab (a person), causing them to bleed.
Grab him, don't panic, rambo under my jacket
Nap him, splash him, then I'm petrol bath my jacket 2017 October 18, “Panic”, Knockoutned (lyrics), performed by #Moscow17 Ruth x Knockoutned:
uk хлю́патися (to hit or agitate liquid) · uk хлю́патися (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · fi loiskia (to hit or agitate liquid) · hu csobban (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · hu loccsan (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · wa spiter (to hit or agitate liquid) · bg плискам (to hit or agitate liquid) · km ក្រឡក (to hit or agitate liquid) · uk бри́зкати (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · uk хлюпати (to hit or agitate liquid) · hu löttyint (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · pl pluskać (to hit or agitate liquid) · nl pletsen (to hit or agitate liquid) · fr faire du bruit (to create an impact or impression) · az sıçramaq (to hit or agitate liquid) · de plätschern (to hit or agitate liquid) · ja はね散らす (to hit or agitate liquid) · mi pūhoru (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · es chapaletear (to hit or agitate liquid) · cs šplouchat (to hit or agitate liquid) · ms cebar-cebur (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · bg плискам се (to hit or agitate liquid) · hu fröccsent (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · mi pōhutu (to hit or agitate liquid) · de pritscheln (to hit or agitate liquid) · ru бры́згать (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · uk розлива́тися (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · yi שפּריצן (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · tr sıçramak (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · ota صچرامق (to hit or agitate liquid) · no skvette (to hit or agitate liquid) · pt chapinhar (to hit or agitate liquid) · sco blash (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · pt espalhar (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · fr éclabousser (to hit or agitate liquid) · hu szenzációként tálal (to create an impact or impression) · tr sıçratmak (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · cs postříkat (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · ca esguitar (to hit or agitate liquid) · ru бры́згаться (to hit or agitate liquid) · ru нашуме́ть (to create an impact or impression) · az sıçratmaq (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · vi tung toé (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · cmn 潑 /泼 (to hit or agitate liquid) · izh šolikkoa (to hit or agitate liquid) · fi loiskuttaa (to hit or agitate liquid) · ja し吹く (to hit or agitate liquid) · es chacualear (to hit or agitate liquid) · svs ghogho (to hit or agitate liquid) · sv plaska (to hit or agitate liquid) · tr sıçramak (to hit or agitate liquid) · es chapalear (to hit or agitate liquid) · mi pōhutu (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · es salpicar (to hit or agitate liquid) · mi pōhutuhutu (to hit or agitate liquid) · no plaske (to hit or agitate liquid) · cmn 濺 /溅 (to hit or agitate liquid) · hu fröccsen (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · ru плеска́ть (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · gl batuxar (to hit or agitate liquid) · fr asperger (to hit or agitate liquid) · cs cákat (to hit or agitate liquid) · bg пръскам (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · de spritzen (to hit or agitate liquid) · gld писири (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · sv skvätta (to hit or agitate liquid) · hu fröcsköl (to hit or agitate liquid) · gl salpicar (to hit or agitate liquid) · la aspergō (to hit or agitate liquid) · de platschen (to hit or agitate liquid) · tr sıçratmak (to hit or agitate liquid) · es chapotear (to hit or agitate liquid) · la respergō (to hit or agitate liquid) · ota صچرامق (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · ru расплеска́ться (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · sv stänka (to hit or agitate liquid) · nl spetteren (to hit or agitate liquid) · ca esquitxar (to hit or agitate liquid) · fi roiskua (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · ru плеска́ться (to hit or agitate liquid) · wa tchapoter (to hit or agitate liquid) · km ខ្ទាត (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · grc καχλάζω (to hit or agitate liquid) · mk пр́ска (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · mk пли́ска (to hit or agitate liquid) · hu lubickol (to hit or agitate liquid) · cs stříkat (to splatter or spread around suddenly) · no stenke (to hit or agitate liquid)