| 释义 |
▪ I. † spale, n.1 Obs.—1
[OE. spala substitute: see spele v.]
Sparing; respite or rest.
a1250Owl & Night. 258 Þu mihtest bet hote galegale, Vor þu hauest to monye tale. Let þine tunge habbe spale.
▪ II. spale, n.2 Sc. and north.|speɪl|
Forms: 5–6, 9 spale, 5–6, 8–9 spail, 6 spaile, spaill, 8–9 speal, 9 north. spial, spyel.
[Of uncertain origin: cf. spall n.1 and speel n.
There is resemblance in form to ON. spal-, spǫlr bar, rod, short piece, MHG. (and G. dial.) spale rung of a ladder, G. dial. spale, spal wooden spit, wedge; but real connexion with these is doubtful.]
1. A splinter or chip, a thin piece or strip, of wood.
c1470Gol. & Gaw. 629 The spalis and the sparkis spedely out sprang. Ibid. 983 Half ane span at ane spail..He hewit attanis. a1500Ratis Raving 57 With stikis, and with spalys small, To byge vp chalmer, spens & hall. 1535Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 283 Quhill speris brak, and all in spalis sprang Aboue thair heid. 1570Levins Manip. 17 A spale, chip, assula. a1578Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) II. 161 The king of France was ewill hurt in the face witht the spaill of ane speir. 1710Ruddiman Gloss. Douglas' æneis s.v. Spalis, We use..speals for chips of wood, or small splinters. 1781J. Hutton Tour to Caves (ed. 2) Gloss. 96 Speals, chips, or small split sticks. 1786Burns Address of Beelzebub 39 But smash them! crash them a' to spails! 1839Ure Dict. Arts 472 This multiplication of tools becomes unnecessary, by laying against the cutting part of the bit, slips of wood, called spales. 1854H. Miller Sch. & Schm. (1858) 14 The poor Friendship lies in spales on the bar of Findhorn. 1865G. Macdonald A. Forbes 50 The floor was covered with shavings or spales, as they are called by northern consent.
b. In proverbial phrases.
1535Stewart Cron. Scot. I. 654 To huif ouir hie, Quhill that the spaill fell into thair ee. a1585Montgomerie Cherry & Slae 184 To late I knaw, quha hewis to hie, The spail sall fall into his eie. 1670Ray Prov. (1678) 369 He that hews over hie, the spail will fall into his eye. 1862A. Hislop Prov. Scot. 88 He's no the best wright that casts maist spails. 1894P. H. Hunter J. Inwick iv. 48 Hew abüne your heid, an' ye'll get a spale in your ee.
2. transf. (See quot. 1824.)
1824Mactaggart Gallovid. Encycl. 432 Spales o' the cannle, little curls of tallow, which sometimes appear on a burning candle. 1897Rampini Hist. Moray & Nairn vi. 333 A ‘spale’ or ‘waste’ on a burning candle indicates an approaching death.
3. attrib., as spale-basket, spale-board, spale-box.
1830J. Wilson Noct. Ambr. Wks. 1856 III. 19 Has the dowg swallowed the spale-box o' pills? 1857Mrs. Carlyle Lett. II. 316 In a little oval spale-box. 1877Fraser Wigtown 304 To..have nothing but a bit of a spale-boord between him an' etarnity. 1894Heslop Northumb. Gloss. 681 Spyel-basket, a basket made of wooden spails, oak preferred, for carrying food to cattle on a farm.
Add:[1.] c. Basket-making. A thin strip of wood woven to form the cross-slat of a wooden basket; such strips collectively. Also ellipt. for spale basket.
The ellipt. use is noted in S.N.D. as having been recorded from Ayrshire in 1928.
1959D. Wright Baskets & Basketry vi. 136 Spale: thin strips of wood such as oak or chestnut woven into a basket; sometimes used as stakes or sticks with other materials as weaving. Ibid. iii. 79 The Italians in particular are alive to the possibilities of using traditional spale and willow shapes in new ways. 1964H. Hodges Artifacts x. 146 Cleft larger timbers were also used for basket-making..clefts (spelks, spales, swills, laths)..have been split radially from the timber. 1966Third Statistical Acct. Scotl. XVIII. ii. xvi. 145 The broader and thicker strips of oak that went from side to side of the basket were called ‘spales’. 1972Daily Tel. 5 Aug. 9/4 In the small workshop alongside his cottage he showed me how the spales (baskets) are made.
▪ III. spale, n.3
[Cf. spall n.3]
(See quot. and cross-spale.)
1867Smyth Sailor's Word-bk., Spales, in naval architecture, internal strengthening by cross artificial beams.
▪ IV. spale, v. Cornish dial.|speɪl|
[Of obscure origin.]
trans. To fine for absence, lateness, or breach of rules.
1854N. & Q. 1st Ser. X. 419/2 Spile, which miners pronounce spaël; to inflict a fine or penalty for late attendance at work. 1865R. Hunt Pop. Rom. W. Eng. Ser. ii. 125 It isn't worth while to be spaled for any such foolishness.
▪ V. spale
dial. variant of spele v. |