streel
/striːl
/Irish
noun
A disreputable, untidy person, especially a woman: her daughter will not appear in St John’s looking like a streel
verb [no object, with adverbial of direction]
1Wander aimlessly: youngsters streeling through the house...
- She had earrings like chandeliers; and a yellow satin train that streeled after her like the tail of a cornet.
- The group dumped their arms, and streeled back to their homes, though many of them never got that far, for the government seized thousands and clapped them into jail.
1.1 [with object] Trail or drag (something): children streeling bits of coloured cloth...
- On impulse, she tightly took hold of his forearm to streel him out of the school and onto the student veranda.
Origin
Early 19th century: from Irish s(t)raoill(e) 'untidy or awkward person'.