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wild-fowl
(Also as one word, or as two.) Forms: see wild a. and fowl; also 6 wyelfoyle.
[Cf. MLG., G. wildvogel, ON. villifygli (Sw. vildfågel, early Da. vildfugi).]
A wild bird, or (usually) wild birds collectively; chiefly applied to those caught for food, game birds (now esp. of the duck and goose kinds).
a1000Bi Manna Wyrdum 85 (Gr.) Sum sceal wildne fuᵹel wloncne atemian, heafoc on honda. 1377Langl. P. Pl. B. x. 363 Delyte in wyn and wylde foule. a1417York Memo. Bk. (Surtees) I. 223 Pultre wyldefoule and other vytayll. 1439Maldon, Essex, Court-roll Bundle 25. No. 1, Johannes Yutte est communis foristallator volucrum vocat. Wyldefoule. 1500–20Dunbar Poems xxxix. 19 Vennesoun, wyld fowill, wyne and spyce. 1532–3Durham Househ. Bk. (Surtees) 215 Et de magistro de Fayrne 6 dd. wyelfoyle et 4 puffyngs. 1601Shakes. Twel. N. iv. ii. 55 What is the opinion of Pythagoras concerning Wildefowle? 1784Cowper Task iv. 612 Whoso seeks an audit here Propitious, pays his tribute, game or fish, Wild-fowl or ven'son. 1817Scott Harold v. xvi, As the scared wild-fowl scream and fly.
b. Humorously misapplied in the first quot. to a wild beast; hence allusively; also fig. of persons.
1590Shakes. Mids. N. iii. i. 33 There is not a more fearefull wilde foule then your Lyon liuing. 1610B. Jonson Alch. v. iii, What's your med'cine, To draw so many seuerall sorts of wild-fowle? 1905Times Lit. Suppl. 3 Feb. 38/1 One has to drag in fundamental principles of art and other fearful wildfowl.
c. attrib.
1825Hood To Mrs. Fry x, To tame the wild-fowl-ways of Jenny Diver! 1870N. F. Hele Aldeburgh ii. 8 Very few wild-fowl shooters frequent this part of the river. 1886C. E. Pascoe Lond. of To-day xli. (ed. 3) 360 Wild fowl guns.
Hence wild-ˈfowler, a sportsman who shoots or catches wild-fowl; wild-ˈfowling, the pursuit or capture of wild-fowl.
1859H. C. Folkard (title) The Wild-Fowler: a Treatise on Ancient and Modern Wild-Fowling. 1874J. W. Long Amer. Wild-fowl xv. 193 In no other branch of wild-fowling is a breech-loader of more advantage than in teal-shooting. |