▪ I. mackle, macle, n. Printing.
(ˈmæk(ə)l)
[ad. F. macule, ad. L. macula spot. Cf. G. makel spot, stain.]
A blur in printing; a doubling of the impression; also, a blurred sheet. (Cf. macule n.)
| 1706 Phillips (ed. Kersey), Maculature, or Macle, a waste Sheet of printed Paper. 1825 Hansard Typographia 928 Mackle, when part of the impression on a page appears double, owing to the platten's dragging on the frisket. 1871 Amer. Encycl. Printing (ed. Ringwalt) s.v., If the frame of the tympan rubs against the platen, it will cause a slur or mackle. 1888 Jacobi Printers' Vocab., Mackle, a printed sheet with a slurred appearance. |
▪ II. mackle, macle, v.1 Printing.
(ˈmæk(ə)l)
[f. mackle n.]
a. trans. To blur, spot, or spoil (a sheet of paper); also (now usually) to print (a page) blurred or double. b. intr. Of the paper: To become blurred or spoiled. (Cf. macule v.) Hence ˈmackled ppl. a., ˈmackling vbl. n.
| 1594 R. Ashley tr. Loys le Roy 22 On a double tympan or parchmin (hauing a wollen cloth betwixt them) and a moyst linnen cloth to keepe the leafe from mackling. 1724 Bailey, Mackled, blotted or daub'd in Printing. 1867 Fry Playing-Card Terms in Philol. Soc. Trans. 56 To Mackle, To Macule, v. a. To spot, stain, soil; to set off newly printed or painted work. Mackled, adj. Spotted, stained, soiled. Macklings, Mackling-paper, Mackling-sheets, soiling-paper; sheet of paper put between printed sheets of playing-cards, to prevent rubbing, setting-off, and soiling. |
▪ III. † ˈmackle, v.2 Obs.—0
[ad. Du. makelen to offer for sale.]
intr. ‘To sell weavers' goods to shop-keepers’ (Bailey 1724).
Hence † ˈmackler, a seller of weavers' goods (Bailey 1731 vol. II).