Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

DALE, Dail, n.⁴ Also deal, dael. Dim. dailie.

1. A goal or stopping-place in the game of rounders (Abd. correspondents, Ags.², Ags.¹⁷ (dailie), Arg.¹, Lnk.³ (dail), Kcb. correspondents 1939; Arg. 1990s). Also at football. Sc. 1783 W. Tytler Poet. Remains James I 187:
A well-known phrase at foot ball. When the ball touches the goal or mark, the winner calls out, Hail! or it has hailed the dule, or dail.

2. The base or “home” in hide-and-seek, Smuggle-the-gig and similar games. Known to Fif.¹⁰ 1939.Abd. 1873 J. Ogg Willie Waly, etc. 75:
Behold yon assembly o' cheerfu' young boys, . . . Assembled ye see on the famed “Baker's Brig,” The “dale,” or headquarters for “Smuggle the Gig.”Ags. 1887 J. M. McBain Arbroath 344:
We may explain that a certain indicated space along a wall or the side of a house in most games was required as "the deal". This is a curious old word. We pronounced it more like "dael". It was needed, as we showed, in peekoo, and it was also needed in any number of other games. "The dael" was where the game was arranged, and was a place of rendezvous and refuge, for you were safe if you got into it uncaught.Dmf. 1925 W. A. Scott in Trans. Dmf. and Gall. Antiq. Soc. 22:
Dail, in school games the home position of the opposing sides. In Stinky-dails each side went to its own dail, from which one ran out and was chased by one of the other side. If caught that one became a stinky, and stayed until relieved by one of his own side.