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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Spale, Spail(e, n. Also: spaill, speal(e, spealle, speill, spile. [e.m.E. spale (1570), spail (1670), speal, spell (1674), spyle (1634), spile (1671) a splinter, spell (1559) a bar, rail. Cf. ME, OE speld a flake, splinter, ME spille (c1300) a splinter, ON spal-, spǫlr a bar, rod, short piece of wood, Norw. dial. spel, spela, spila a splinter, OHG spale a rung, Germ. dial. spale a wooden spit, wedge, Germ. spellen to cleave. Common in the later dial. Cf. Spil(e n.] A splinter or shaving, a thin (sharp-pointed) piece, chip or strip of wood.Also transf. and proverb.(a) c1420 Ratis R. 1130.
[The child] plays With stikis and with spalys small To byge vp chalmer, spens & hall a1500 Bk. Chess 683.
[He] gart schere hir with a spale of tre Wp till hir hals 1535 Stewart 28604.
Quhill speris brak, and all in spalis sprang Aboue thair heid 1552 Dundee B. Ct. II fol. 190b (10 Oct.).
The said Pattone to have the spalis or ellis as mony colis as thai ar of awail 15.. Clar. iii 1070.
He maid alse monie peices of thair theis As dois the wricht small spaillis of the treis a1578 Pitsc. II 161/11.
The King of France was ewill hurt in the face witht the spaill of ane speir(b) 1600-1610 Melvill 85.
In the … sellar wrights war working, and it was full of dry timber and spealles, grait and small 1600-1610 Melvill 85.
The small speales lyand alangs a pleaning burde 1666 Glasgow B. Rec. III 86.
The wholl barkes quhilkes sall be brought and missoured within this burghe sall be onlie of the lenth of thrie or four inches the langest speall thairof and twa inches broad(c) 1513 Doug. ix ix 42.
Sum stekit throu the cost with spilys [Ruddim. spalis] of tre Lay gaspand 1540 Treas. Acc. VII 486.
For glew, to glew on the spilis upoun ane patrown of ane guntransf. a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 629.
Thai hewit on hard steil, hartly with hand Quhil the spalis and the sparkis spedely out sprang a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 983.
Half ane span at ane spail … He hewit attanis 1671 Justiciary Ct. Rec. II 33.
He would have thanked them if they had haged an spail of the tennents cheecksproverb. 1535 Stewart 20190.
So micht be said … Of the Scottis that culd nocht be content Quhen thai war weill preissand to huif ouir hie, Quhill that the spaill fell into thair ee a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 170 (L).
Quha hewis he, The spaill [W. speill] sall fall into his ey a1598 Ferg. Prov. No. 317. a1598 Ferg. Prov. No. 336.
He is not the best wright that hewes the maniest speals a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 1370.
Sic wricht, sic spailes