▪ I. † fail, n.1 Sc. Obs.
Also 6 fale, 6–8 faill, 8 feal.
[? a. Gael. fàl a sod.]
1. ‘Any grassy part of the surface of the ground, as united to the rest’ (Jam.).
| 1513 Douglas æneis xii. Prol. 88 The variant vestur of the venust vaill Schrowdis the scherald fur, and euery faill. |
2. ‘A turf, a flat clod covered with grass cut off from the rest of the sward’ (Jam.). Also turf, as a material.
| 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 146 Euerie man ane flaik sould mak of tre, And faillis delf into greit quantitie. 1536 Bellenden Cron. Scot. (1821) I. 172 He beildit ane huge wall of fail and devait. 1639 Spalding Troub. Chas. I (1792) I. 173 Close it [the port] up strongly with faill and thatch. 1708 J. Chamberlayne St. Gt. Brit. ii. iii. i. (1743) 400 Every minister has fewel, foggage, faill, and diviots allowed them. |
3. Comb. fail-dyke, a wall built of sods.
| 1536 in Pitcairn Crim. Trials Scot. I. 174* The overthrowing of a ‘faill-dyke’ built on the said lands. 17.. in Scott Minstr. Scot. Bord. (1803) III. 241 ‘Behint yon auld fail dyke, I wot there lies a new slain knight.’ 1816 Scott Antiq. xx, ‘Auld Edie will hirple out himsell if he can get a feal-dike to lay his gun ower.’ |
▪ II. fail, n.2
(feɪl)
Also failyie.
[a. OF. faile, faille, deficiency, failure, fault, f. faillir to fail.]
1. = failure 1. Obs. exc. in phrase without fail; now used only to strengthen an injunction or a promise; formerly also with statements of fact, = unquestionably, certainly. † Also, in same sense, (it is) no fail (but), sans fail: without any doubt, for certain.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 245 Þer wyþoute fayle, At Eccestre strong enou hii smyte an batayle. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1725) 245 In luf & pes sanz faile went Edward. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1092 Dido, Comaunded hire massangerys for to go The same day with outyn any fayle. c 1430 Lydg. Bochas viii. xvii. (1544) 188 b, In Europe stant Thrace..it is no fayle. 1546 Langley Pol. Verg. De Invent. i. xvi. 29 a, It is no fayle but it [the knowledge of medecines] was perceyued, by what thinges were wholsome, & what unwholsome. 1555 Abp. Parker Ps. l, I wil no fayle deliuer thee. 1611 Bible Josh. iii. 10 The liuing God..will without faile driue out from before you the Canaanites. 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. v. i. 27 Dangers, by his Highnesse faile of Issue, May drop vpon his Kingdome. 1656 Burton's Diary (1828) I. 176 There is no fail of justice..yet. 1678 Cudworth Intell. Syst. 128 There might be never any Fail of Generations. 1713 Swift Jrnl. to Stella 26 Feb., The meeting of parliament..will be next Tuesday..without fail. 1847 Marryat Childr. N. Forest xviii, The tailor has promised the clothes on Saturday without fail. |
† 2. = failure 3. for fail: in the event of failure; as a precaution against failure. Obs.
| 1477 Norton Ord. Alch. ii. in Ashm. (1652) 29 Of all paines the most grevious paine, Is for one faile to beginn all againe. 1627–77 Feltham Resolves i. xci. 141 The Prince suffers in the fails of his Ambassador. 1660 Sharrock Vegetables 98 Be sure you plow up..annoying weeds, and for fail let some⁓body, with a spade, follow the plough, to root up such as are left. a 1734 North Exam. ii. iv. §84 (1740) 272 They continually watched for Colours, and for Fail, made them, to affirm this. |
† 3. = failure 2. Obs.
| 1647 Sanderson Serm. II. 207 Overmuch sorrow..upon the fail of any earthly helps or hopes. 1654 Gataker Disc. Apol. 47 Chalkie Pillars..threatning a fail, if not a fall. |
† b. Death. Obs. rare.
| 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. ii. 145 How grounded hee his Title to the Crowne Vpon our faile. |
Restrict † Obs. to sense 2 a in Dict. and add: [2.] b. A failure to achieve the standard required to pass an examination; a classification denoting this. Cf. pass n.2 4 and pass-fail a.
| 1944 J. L. Brereton Case for Examinations 206 The marks..have fulfilled their purpose when they have enabled the examiners to classify the candidates in each subject separately as ‘pass’ or ‘fail’. 1988 M. Warnock Common Policy for Educ. iii. 78 In this way [Grade] F must soon be interpreted as standing for ‘Fail’. |
▪ III. fail, v.
(feɪl)
Forms: 3–4 faile-n, (4–5 faylen), 3–5 fail(l)i, 3–6 faille(n, faylle, 3–7 faile, (3 vaile), fayle, -y, 4–6 faly(e, (4 failly, fal(l)e, feile, 6 feyle, faeille, 7 faill, fall), 3– fail. Sc. 4–6 failȝe (6–7 printed failze), (6 falȝe, 7 failyie), faillie.
[a. OF. faillir to be wanting, miss (mod.F. faillir to miss, falloir impers. to be wanting, to be necessary) = Pr. faillir, falhir, OSp. fallir (in mod.Sp. replaced by the derivative form fallecer, f. L. type *fallescĕre), Cat., OPg. falir (mod.Pg. falecer), It. fallire:—vulgar L. *fallīre (for class. L. fallĕre to deceive), used absol. in sense ‘to disappoint expectation, be wanting or defective.’ The OF. verb was adopted in MHG. vêlen (mod.G. fehlen), Du. feilen, ON. feila.
In 15–17th c. in intrans. senses often conjugated with be.]
I. To be or become deficient.
1. a. intr. To be absent or wanting. Now only of something necessary or desirable (coinciding with sense 5); often in pr. pple. with n. or pron., as failing this = ‘in default of this’ (see failing prep.). In early use, † To be wanting to complete a specified quantity; also impers.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 1486 (Cott.) Matusale Liued..til þat nine hundret yeir war gan And seuenti, falid it bot an. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 741 What if fyue faylen of fyfty þe noumbre? c 1400 Mandeville (1839) xvii. 182 There faylethe but 5 Degrees & an half, of the fourthe partie. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 63 Make þat þe splentis & byndynge faile above þe wounde. a 1400–50 Alexander 4279 Forþi failis vs all infirmit[e]s of ffeuyre & of ells. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 284/3 The preues of the lignages were fayled. 1543–4 Act 35 Hen. VIII, c. 1 §6 If suche heyres shulde fayle. 1611 Bible 2 Sam. iii. 29 Let there not faile from the house of Ioab one that hath an issue. 1703 Maundrell Journ. Jerus. (1732) 128 Shaded over head with Trees, and with Matts when the boughs fail. 1878 Browning La Saisiaz 58 Failing proof then of invented trouble. |
† b. with dat. of the person. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 11426 (Gött.) Þaim fayled neuer drinc ne fode. a 1300 Leg. Rood (1871) 30 Þo þe work was almest ido; hem vailed a vair tre. c 1300 St. Brandan 510 Him faillede grace..his lyf to amende. 1424 Paston Lett. 4 I. 12 Hem fayled ropes convenient to here..purpos. 1611 Bible 1 Kings ii. 4 There shall not faile thee..a man on the throne of Israel. |
c. To be inadequate or insufficient. Chiefly in phrase time would fail. Const. dat. of person.
| c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 548 Tyl any water in þe worlde to wasche þe fayly. 1548 Hall Chron. 244 Kyng James would make no aunswere..knowing that his power now fayled..to performe the request demaunded. 1611 Bible Heb. xi. 32 The time would faile mee to tell of Gedeon. 1614 Bp. Hall Recoll. Treat. 612 The day would faile mee if I should [etc.]. |
2. a. To become exhausted, come to an end, run short. Const. dat. of the person; also, † of, from (a place, receptacle).
| c 1250 Old Kentish Serm. in O.E. Misc. 29 Wyn failede at þise bredale. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1725) 326 Alle þer store failed. 1382 Wyclif 1 Macc. iii. 29 He sawȝ, that monee failide of his tresours. c 1400 Cato's Morals 87 in Cursor M. App. iv, Loke þou spende mesureli, þe gode þat þou liuis bi, or ellis wille hit faile. 1596 Spenser F.Q. iv. i. 43 The breath gan him to fayle. 1611 Bible 1 Kings xvii. 14 Neither shall the cruse of oile faile. ― Job xiv. 11 The waters faile from the sea. 1653 Holcroft Procopius ii. xvi. 58 Their Provisions being failed, they fed upon Hides. 1695 Locke Further Consider. Money (ed. 2) 68 Where the credit and money fail, barter alone must do. 1729 Butler Serm. Wks. 1874 II. 146 All other enjoyments fail in these circumstances. 1801 Southey Thalaba iv. xviii, Soon would our food and water fail us here. 1871 B. Taylor Faust (1875) II. ii. iii. 124 Health is none where water fails! |
b. To become extinct; to die out, lose vitality, pass away. Of an odour or sound: To die away.
| c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xv. 68 Machometes lawe sall faile. 1463 Bury Wills (Camden) 18 If the office of Seynt Marie preest fayle. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. III. 393 Of him the airis maill did falȝe. 1611 Bible Esther ix. 28 These dayes of Purim should not faile from among the Jewes. 1647–8 Sir C. Cotterell Davila's Hist. Fr. (1678) 5 The eldest line failing. 1764 Goldsm. Trav. 91 Where wealth and freedom reign, contentment fails. 1767 Blackstone Comm. II. 239 The blood of the Kempes shall not inherit till the blood of the Stiles's fail. 1819 Shelley Ind. Serenade, The Champak's odours fail Like sweet thoughts in a dream. 1837 Newman Par. Serm. (ed. 2) III. viii. 120 Religion seems to be failing when it is merely changing its form. 1842 Tennyson Vision of Sin 24 The music..Rose again from where it seem'd to fail. |
† c. Of a period of time or anything that has a finite duration: To come to an end, expire. Obs.
| c 1399 Langl. Rich. Redeles ii. 14 Somere hem ffaylid. c 1477 Caxton Jason 14 b, As sone as the triews shall faylle ye shal be guerdoned. 1563 Golding Cæsar (1565) 96 b, The season of the yeare mete for warrefare fayled. 1611 Bible Heb. i. 12 Thou art the same and thy yeeres shall not fayle. |
† d. To cease to speak of. Obs. rare.
| c 1650 Merline 1208 in Furniv. Percy Folio I. 460 Now let us of his mother fayle, And turne us to another tale. |
3. a. ‘To fall off in respect of vigour or activity’ (W.); to lose power or strength; to flag, wane; to break down; fig. of the heart. Of the eyes, light, etc.: To grow dim.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 228 None deofles puffe ne þurue ȝe dreden, but ȝif þet lim ualse [v.r. faille]. c 1275 Lay. 2938 Þo holdede þe king [Leir] and failede his mihte. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. i. 727 At even late he..fayles..and dwynes to noght. 1382 Wyclif Isa. xiii. 7 Eche herte of a man shal wane, or faylen. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. iii. viii. (1495) 54 The soule vegetable faylyth and at the laste whan the body deyth, it deyeth. c 1400 Destr. Troy 3549 His sight failet. 1548 Hall Chron. 88 His heart fayled. 1667 Milton P.L. xii. 9, I perceave Thy mortal sight to faile. 1669 Sturmy Mariner's Mag. iv. 136 Let slip thine Anchor, the Wind fails. 1743 Wesley Jrnl. 20 Oct., My voice suddenly fail'd. 1820 Shelley Julian 597 The poor sufferer's health began to fail. 1833 H. Martineau Tale of Tyne iv. 67 The wind..failed. 1842 Tennyson Lady Clare 78 Her heart within her did not fail. 1860 Ramsay Remin. 1st Ser. (ed. 7) 107 In Scotland it used to be quite common to say of a person whose health and strength had declined, that he had failed. 1881 S. Colvin Landor 136 That kind..old lady had been failing since the spring of 1829 and had died in October. |
b. with dat. of the person (approaching sense 5).
| a 1300 Cursor M. 24001 (Cott.) Gang, and steyuen, and tung, and sight, All failled me þat tide. a 1300 Leg. Rood (1871) 20 Þe strengþe him failede of is lymes. a 1400–50 Alexander 1443 All failis þam þe force. 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretary ii. (1625) 47 My senses did faile me. 1611 Bible Luke xxi. 26 Mens hearts failing them for feare. 1678 Trans. Crt. Spain ii. 61 If my memory fail me not. 1842 Miss Mitford in L'Estrange Life III. ix. 136 His eyesight fails him now. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xviii. 116 The heart of Eustace failed him. |
c. dial. To fall ill (of).
| 1875 Sussex Gloss. s.v., As though he was going to fail with the measles. 1876 Surrey Provinc., Fail of, to fall ill of, to sicken with. |
† d. To die. Obs. [So Sp. fallecer.]
| 1613 Shakes. Hen. VIII, i. ii. 184 Had the King in his last Sicknesse faild. 1878 Cumberld. Gloss., Fail, to die. |
4. a. To prove deficient upon trial. † Of fighting men: To give way (before an enemy). Of a material thing: To break down under strain or pressure (arch.). Of a rule, anticipation, sign: To prove misleading.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce ii. 393 For thar small folk begouth to failȝe, And fled all skalyt her and thar. c 1398 Chaucer Fortune 56 In general this rewle may not fayle. a 1400–50 Alexander 1372 With þat scho [a tower] flisch noþer fayle fyue score aunkirs. c 1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 133 Or ellis þou schalt knowe bi þis signe þat nevere failiþ. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 47 Thyng counterfeet wol faylen [printed fayler] at assay. 1622 R. Hawkins Voy. S. Sea xxxii. 76 Creatures..bred in..fresh Rivers die presently, if they come into Salt water..This fayleth in some Fishes. 1776 G. Semple Building in Water 18 The second Pier of the Foot-way, failed and carried off by the Floods. 1782 Cowper Gilpin 95 Loop and button failing both At last it [the cloak] flew away. 1815 T. Forster Atmos. Phenom. 155 The abundance of berries in the hedges is said to presage a hard winter, but this often fails. 1855 Tennyson Maud i. xi. 2 O let the solid ground Not fail beneath my feet. |
b. to fail safe: of a mechanical or electrical device or machine, aircraft, etc., to revert, in the event of failure or breakdown, to a condition involving no danger. Also fail-safe a.
| 1948 Jrnl. R. Aeronaut. Soc. LII. 198/1 Automatic power plant control including automatic ‘fail safe’ provision against mechanical trouble or power failure. 1949 Ibid. LIII. 179/1 What was really required was a propeller and c.s.u. combination which would fail safe. 1958 ‘P. Bryant’ Two Hours to Doom 15 The Failsafe procedure, the system SAC had dreamed up to prevent any accidental attack sparking off a third world war. 1958 Times 20 Aug. 9/7 It is becoming accepted practice that they [sc. jet aircraft] must ‘fail safe’. 1958 Listener 16 Oct. 593/1 Designers [of aircraft] learnt how to design against fatigue, and the ‘fail-safe’ form of design was developed. 1959 New Statesman 790/3 Just as atomic bombers have a technical fail-safe device which recalls them from a mission if anything goes wrong, so it is inevitable that every country will have to devise its own political fail-safe policy, designed to insulate itself from the dangers due to other countries' actions. 1962 F. I. Ordway et al. Basic Astronautics vii. 317 The component..is as fail-safe as the one tested. 1962 Want to run a Railway? 16 The system is designed throughout on ‘fail-safe’ principles—if any part of it is not working properly then signals automatically go to danger. 1971 Daily Tel. (Colour Suppl.) 8 Jan. 15/4 Because of the possibility of human error and total reliance on communications between pilots and controller the system will ‘fail-dangerous’ rather than ‘fail-safe’. |
5. a. Not to render the due or expected service or aid; to be wanting at need. Chiefly with dat. of the person, rarely with to. quasi-trans.: To disappoint, give no help to; to withold help from.
| a 1300 Floriz & Bl. 424 Ihc schal þe failli neure mo. a 1300 K. Horn 638 Mi swerd me nolde faille. c 1305 Edmund Conf. 592 in E.E.P. (1862) 86 Foreward he huld þis monekes: & ne faillede hem noȝt. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 99 Sir Lowys failed nouht, his help was him redie. c 1420 Anturs of Arth. xlvi, Frettut with fyne gold, that failis in the fiȝte. c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon i. 37 Serue the kynge..nor faylle hym not for noo thyng. 1549 Compl. Scot. viii. 74 The inglis men dreymis that ȝe haue failȝet to them. 1590 Sir J. Smyth Disc. Weapons 3 b, Al their other weapons in fight have failed them. 1771 E. Griffith tr. Viaud's Shipwreck 44 If it [the shattered boat] should fail me..said I to myself. 1836 Keble Serm. viii. Postscript (1848) 373 The language..fails him..in his endeavour to find words to express the greatness of the gift. a 1845 Lyte Hymn, ‘Abide with me’, When other helpers fail and comforts flee. 1871 Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) IV. xviii. 222 Here again chronology fails us. 1881 Daily Tel. 28 Jan., In the afternoon the wind failed us. |
† b. trans. with double obj. or const. of: To disappoint of (something due or expected). Obs.
| c 1386 Chaucer Shipman's T. 188, I wil nought faile yow my thankes. 1647 Evelyn Mem. (1857) III. 7 Two posts having falled me of intelligence. |
II. To have a deficiency or want; to lack.
6. a. intr. To be wanting or deficient in (an essential quality or part).
| c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 22 Men þat failen in charite. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame iii. 8 Though somme vers fayle in A sillable. c 1400 Mandeville (Roxb.) xiii. 58 Bot ȝit þai faile in sum articles of oure beleue. 1556 Aurelio & Isab. (1608) K v, Beter to faille a litell in the justice, than to be superflue in crualte. 1655 Earl of Orrery Parthenissa (1676) 80 You might have fail'd in the knowledge of those particulars. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 114 The Dialogue fails in unity. |
b. to fail of: = 7.
| 1307 Elegy Edw. I, x. in Warton (1840) I. 94 Of gode knyhtes darh him nout fail. c 1386 Chaucer Shipman's T. 248 Of siluer in thy purs shaltow nat faille. 1495 Act 11 Hen. VII, c. 9 §1 The King..not willing his..subgettis to faill of remedy. 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretary i. (1625) 42 If I faile not of memory therein, we [etc.]. 1651 J. Marius Adv. Conc. Bills of Exchange 24 The drawer of the Bill was failed of his credit. 1671 R. Bohun Disc. Wind 20 When the Atmosphere begins to thicken..wee seldom fail of a Wind. 1713 Gay Guardian No. 149 ¶17 A dancing-master of the lowest rank seldom fails of the scarlet stocking and the red heel. 1796 Morse Amer. Geog. I. 150 Whenever the continent shall come to fail of timber. 1867 Longfellow Giotto's Tower 6 How many lives..Fail of the nimbus which the artists paint Around the shining forehead of the saint. 1884 Manch. Exam. 22 May 5/4 Failing of any other remedy, they grumble. |
7. trans. To be or become deficient in; to lack, want, be without. Now rare.
| c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. B. 1535 A fust faylaynde þe wryst. 1375 Barbour Bruce xviii. 269 Thai of the host that falit met. c 1400 Sowdone Bab. 2290 He saugh the ladies so whiȝte of ler, Faile brede on here table. 1466 Marg. Paston in Paston Lett. 560 II. 291 Send me word..whether ye have your last dedes that ye fayled. 1483 Festivall (W. de W. 1515) 22 Whan Jacob fayled corne he must nedes sende for more. 1869 Freeman Norm. Conq. (ed. 2) III. xi. 44 The Primate prayed that their chosen King might never fail the throne. 1883 Jefferies Stor. Heart vii. 115, I fail words to express my utter contempt. |
† 8. to fail little, not much: to have a narrow escape (of some misadventure). Const. to with inf. and of with gerund. Also, to fail of: to keep clear of, escape, miss. Obs.
| 1624 Capt. Smith Virginia i. (1629) 13 We fayled not much to have been cast away. 1653 Holcroft Procopius iv. 130 The Romans Rams..failed little to be all set on fire. 1684 Contempl. State of Man i. ii. (1699) 16 Croesus.. failed but little of being burnt alive. 1724 Swift Drapier's Lett. iv, That pernicious Counsel of sending base money hither very narrowly failed of losing the Kingdom. 1771 Goldsm. Hist. Eng. II. 216 A weak prince..seldom fails of having his authority despised. |
III. To fall short in performance or attainment.
9. a. intr. To make default; to be a defaulter; to come short of performing one's duty or functions.
| 1340 Ayenb. 173 Yef he faileþ at his rekeninge: god nele naȝt faly at his. 1389 in Eng. Gilds (1870) 30 And qwo falye, schal payen thre pound of wax. 1471 Earl Warwick in 12th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. iv. I. 4, I pray you ffayle not now. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. III. 394 Desyrand..To mak redres als far as tha had faillit. 1551 Act Mary (1814) 488 Gif ony Lord..failȝeis and brekis the said act. 1611 Bible Job xxi. 10 Their bull gendereth, and faileth not. 1667 Milton P.L. viii. 534 Nature fail'd in mee. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 324 No one will be less likely..to fail in his religious duties. |
† b. trans. To make default in; to break. Obs.
| c 1500 Melusine 12 Fals kinge, thou hast faylled thy couenaunt. a 1653 Gouge Comm. Heb. iii. 5 It is a great crime to fail trust. 1784 Cowper Tirocin. 293 These menageries all fail their trust. |
† c. To disappoint (expectation). Obs. Cf. 5.
| 1634 Heywood Lanc. Witches i. Wks. 1874 IV. 178 Your Vncle..Hath failed your expectation. 1651 Gataker in Fuller's Abel Rediv., Whitaker 403 Neither did he therein either faile their estimation, or [etc.]. 1699 W. Dampier Voy. II. i. 105 Not altogether to fail the Readers expectation, I shall give a brief account. |
10. a. trans. To leave undone, omit to perform, miss (some customary or expected action). Obs. exc. with inf. as object.
| 1393 Gower Conf. I. 352 To mordre who that woll assente He may nought faile to repente. 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. 29 He faylled not to doo gretely hys deuoyr in sacrifyses & oblacions. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. ccxliii. 362 We commaunde you..that this be nat fayled, in as hasty wyse as ye can. 1529 Wolsey in Ellis Orig. Lett. i. 102 II. 2 Fayle not therfor to be here thys nygth. 1611 Bible 1 Sam. ii. 16 Let them not faile to burne the fat presently. 1719 De Foe Crusoe i. v. (1840) 87 My morning Walk with my Gun, which I seldom failed. 1810 Scott Lady of L. iii. xi, Burst be the ear that fails to heed. 1885 C. J. Mathew in Law Times' Rep. LIII. 779/1 He failed to keep his word. |
† b. with gerund as object. Also, to fail of.
| 1723 Pres. State Russia I. 105 Such corrupt Habits as could not fail producing an Aversion to him. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones ii. ii, Thomas..whom he had hitherto seldom failed of visiting at least once a Day. |
c. With inf. as object, of a thing, circumstance, situation, influence: not to have the effect of, not to result in (doing something) (usu. in negative const.).
| 1920 Eng. Hist. Rev. Jan. 143 Turenne..was a protestant, a circumstance which could not fail to prejudice Louis. |
† 11. a. intr. To be at fault; to miss the mark, go astray, err. Const. of, from. Obs.
| c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 95/103 Þou faillest of þin art. a 1340 Hampole Psalter xi. 1 Vnnethes ere any funden þat failes noght fra halynes. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. xxiii. 31 And spiritus prudencie in menye poynt shal fayle Of þat he weneþ wolde falle. c 1440 York Myst. xxiii. 210 In ȝoure faith fayland. 1538 Starkey England i. iv. 119 The ordur of our law also in the punnyschment of theft..faylyth much from gud cyvylyte. 1590 Sir J. Smyth Disc. Weapons 17 b, If..Mosquettiers in taking their sights, doo faile but the lengthe of a wheate corne in the height of their point. |
† b. trans. To miss (a mark, one's footing, etc.). Also, to fail of. Obs.
| 1375 Barbour Bruce iii. 123 He lansyt furth delyuerly, Swa that the tothir failȝeit fete. c 1430 Syr Tryam. 1220 He faylyd of hym, hys hors he hytt. 1470–85 Malory Arthur ix. xxxv, The hors fayled footynge, and felle in the Ryuer. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss I. clxiii. 201 He fayled nat the Englysshe Knyght, for he strake hym. 1568 Grafton Chron. II. 338 He had thought to have lept agayne to his horse, but he fayled of the Styrop. |
† c. trans. To come short of; to miss, not to obtain. Also absol. Obs.
| 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xi. 25 Þe freke þat folwed my wille failled neuere blisse. 1393 Ibid. C. iii. 159 Gyue gold al a-boute..to notaries þat non of hem faille. |
12. a. intr. To be unsuccessful in an attempt or enterprise. Const. to with inf.; also in. Said of persons; occas. of the means.
| 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 1463 Now we fande our force, now we fail. c 1385 Chaucer L.G.W. 1646 Hipsiph. & M., He shal nat fayle The fles to wynne. 1523 Ld. Berners Froiss. I. clxiii. 201 And thenglyshe knight thought to haue striken hym with his speare in the targe, but he fayled. 1609 Skene Reg. Maj. 116 Albeit he faillie in probation of the remanent exceptions. 1667 Milton P.L. vii. 139 Our envious Foe hath fail'd. 1732 Law Serious C. viii. (ed. 2) 112 Poor Tradesmen that had fail'd in their business. 1775 Burke Sp. Conc. Amer. Wks. III. 47 Conciliation failing, no further hope of reconciliation is left. 1796 H. Hunter tr. St.-Pierre's Stud. Nat. (1799) II. 254 They scarcely ever fail to bring out fish. 1842 Tennyson Gardener's Dau. 31 You scarce can fail to match his master⁓piece. 1878 Jevons Prim. Pol. Econ. 60 Some occupations..can be taken up by men who fail in other work. |
b. Of an action, design, etc.: To miscarry, not to succeed.
| c 1394 P. Pl. Crede 98 My purpos is i-failed. c 1450 Why I can't be a nun 151 in E.E.P. (1862) 142 My techyng may not fayle. 1610 Shakes. Temp. Epil. 12 My project failes. 1874 Green Short Hist. iii. 148 A revolt which failed..through the desertion of their head. 1883 Sir N. Lindley in Law Rep. 25 Ch. Div. 355 His action..would fail, and he would have to pay the costs. |
c. Of crops, seeds, etc.: To be abortive or unproductive.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (1724) 414 Frute faylede all þulke ȝer, & heruest late also. c 1325 E.E. Allit. P. A. 34 So semly a sede moȝt fayly not. 1611 Bible 2 Esdras, Their seedes shall faile, through the blasting, and haile. 1657 Austen Fruit Trees i. 48 Chuse not those [Grafts] that are very small, they commonly fayle. 1712 Mortimer Husb. ii. ii. 9 He thinks that very few [Grains] failed. 1847 Tennyson Princ. 124 The year in which our olives fail'd. |
d. to fail of: to come short of obtaining or meeting with (an object desired), or of accomplishing or attaining (a purpose, etc.). Now rare exc. with gerund or vbl. n.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 404 Ase þauh a mon þet heuede longe i-swunken and failede..a last, of his hure. c 1315 Shoreham 3 Yf thou nelt nauȝt climme thos, Of hevene thou hest y-fayled. 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xii. iii. (1495) 412 Yf she faylyth..of the pray that she resyth to. 1470–85 Malory Arthur ii. x, He fayled of his stroke, and smote the hors neck. 1577 Hanmer Anc. Eccl. Hist. (1619) 145 Some failed of the purposed end. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. i. x. 39 Fayling of his first attempt to be but like the highest in heaven. 1713 Steele Guardian No. 17 ¶7 His man never failed of bringing in his prey. 1737 Johnson Let. 12 July in Boswell, Could not fail of a favourable reception. 1815 W. H. Ireland Scribbleomania 165 She never can fail of bewitching the reader. 1844 H. Rogers Ess. I. ii. 83 To fail of part of the admiration due to other endowments. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) IV. 249 Mere perception does not reach being, and therefore fails of truth. |
13. To become insolvent or bankrupt. Said of individuals and of mercantile houses, banks, etc.
| 1682 J. Scarlett Exchanges 127 If that Endorser fail and be insolvent. a 1734 North Lives (1826) III. 291 Mills, with his auctioneering, atlasses, and projects, failed. 1796 Hull Advertiser 25 June 2/3 Twelve capital houses have failed in different parts of Italy. 1868 Bentley Wealth & Politics ii. 81 Thirty-one banks failed in little more than three months. |
14. a. intr. To be unsuccessful in an examination, to be ‘plucked’. b. trans. (colloq.) Of an examiner: To report (a candidate) as having failed; to ‘pluck’.
| 1884 Pall Mall G. 6 Mar. 11 He ‘fails’ them all, turns to mistress, ‘Your children are perfect idiots’. |
c. trans. To be unsuccessful in (an examination).
| 1906 Westm. Gaz. 22 Apr. 3/1 Such [sc. Indian] men applying for positions write, ‘I am a failed B.A.’. 1909 H. G. Wells Tono-Bungay iii. ii. 244 He failed some dreadful examination and had to go into the militia. 1925 E. Wallace Mind of Mr. J. G. Reeder v. 168 He..had a sketchy knowledge of the law (on his visiting cards was the inscription ‘Failed LL.B.’). 1971 Daily Tel. 7 Oct. 2/2 The RIBA said that students in the five schools were failing examinations because of low teaching standards. |
IV. † 15. trans. nonce-use. To deceive, cheat (L. fallĕre).
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. iii. xi. 46 So lively and so like that living sence it fayld. |