▪ I. † grill, n.1 Obs.
Forms: 4–5 grille, gryll(e.
[Related to grill a. and v.1 Cf. MLG. grille hatred, anger.]
a. Ill-will, vexation; harm, mischief. b. ? Fierceness, violence.
| a. 13.. Cristenemon & Jew 297 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1878) 207 Mete and drynke þei hedde at wille Wiþouten grucchyng or grille In trouþe tente þei þer tille And lafte al þat oþer. c 1400 Melayne 224 The Sowdane grauntis wele þer-till, Þat tornede oure gudmen all to gryll. c 1450 Erle Tolous 279 Lady he ys to us a foo,..He hath done us grete grylle. c 1485 E.E. Misc. (Warton Club) 64 For thi tale thou mayst bere the blame away Of every syde with gram, and grille. |
| b. c 1450 Guy Warw. (C.) 11488 Ther come neuer man in þys hylle Thorow qweyntys nor þorow grylle, But yf the lorde hym hedur broght. |
▪ II. † grill, n.2 Obs. rare.
[After Spenser's Gryll, which is ad. Gr. γρύλλος a pig.]
A quasi-proper name for a person of low tastes or lazy habits.
| [1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. xii. 86 One..That had an hog beene late, hight Grylle by name, Repyned greatly, and did him miscall That had from hoggish forme him brought to naturall. Ibid. 87 Let Gryll be Gryll, and have his hoggish minde.] 1597 Pilgr. Parnass. i. 83 Let lazie grill snorte till the midst of the day. 1597 Bp. Hall Sat. ii. ii. D 1 b, Let swinish Grill delight in dunghill clay. 1644 Quarles Whipper Whipt Wks. (Grosart) I. 177/2 Grains are fitter for Grill, then Pearles. |
▪ III. grill, n.3
(grɪl)
[f. grill v.2]
1. Meat, fish, etc., broiled on a gridiron; a grilled dish. Also fig.
| 1766 Anstey Bath Guide (1767) 81 These are your true poetic fires That drest this sav'ry grill. 1844 J. T. J. Hewlett Parsons & W. xxiv, He..enjoyed himself over a grill and other relishes. 1849 Alb. Smith Pottleton Leg. vii. 41 West, get breakfast ready: cutlets and grill; and [etc.]. |
2. Short for grill-room.
| 1896 Westm. Gaz. 2 Oct. 7/2 The big hall, where most people will dine..below this there is a grill. |
3. A turn or spell of grilling. In quot. fig.
| 1842 Barham Ingol. Leg. Ser. ii. Old Woman in Grey, So that after a grill [in Purgatory].. She'd have rubb'd off old scores. |
4. attrib., as grill-cook, grill-stove; grill-room, a room in a restaurant in which chops, steaks, etc., are grilled; also more generally, an informal restaurant.
| 1883 ‘Annie Thomas’ Mod. Housewife 126, I learnt to treat kidneys..and beefsteaks better than I have ever known them treated out of a public grill-room. 1884 Health Exhib. Catal. 66/1 Smokeless Grill Stove. 1892 Encycl. Cookery (ed. Garrett) I. 721 All good grill cooks employ tongs. 1910 Bradshaw's Railway Guide Apr. 1027 Midland Hotel, Bradford..popular grill room and restaurant. 1931 J. Betjeman Mount Zion 19, I wish you'd seen the rag we had In the Grill Room at the Cri. 1957 Encycl. Brit. XIX. 229/2 Modern grill rooms are an even later offshoot of the hotels and restaurants... The grill room made no demand for dress. |
▪ IV. grill, n.4
(grɪl)
[a. F. gril gridiron (OF. gril(l, grail, greil, gridiron, grating), masc. corresponding to grille fem. grille, perh.:—pop. L. *graticulum neut.]
1. a. A gridiron.
| 1685 Cotton tr. Montaigne i. xxx. (1711) I. 291 They..cleave it [hard wood] into Swords, and make Grills of it to broil their Meat. 1892 Encycl. Cookery (ed. Garrett) I. 720 The grill may be placed either over or before the fire. |
b. In modern use: a gas burner (on a gas cooker), or a hot plate or a set of elements (on an electric cooker), which directs radiant heat downwards. Also attrib.
| 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 218/2 Gas stoves... The Talbot, hot plate and grill, fitted with 1 Reversible Grill Burner. 1908 Installation News II. 49/2 Three terminals are fitted on the grill, so that by suitable arrangement of these connections, half, three quarters, or the whole of the coils fitted are placed in circuit, and the degree of heat can thus be regulated. 1923 Harmsworth's Househ. Encycl. II. 1034/1 Extending under the whole surface of the grill, and resting on the upper surface of the oven, is a white enamelled tray. 1928 Daily Mail Cookery Bk. 113 In making toast under the grill, be careful to see that the grill-pan with gridiron is underneath. 1951 Good Housek. Home Encycl. 75/2 A solid rectangular plate called the grill boiler. 1961 Which? Oct. 248/1 A recent trend in cooker design has been to move the grills to eye level. |
2. to put on the grill: to subject (a prisoner) to ‘third degree’ treatment. U.S. (Cf. grill v.2)
| 1928 Daily Express 25 May 10/5 Mr. John Brown..is arrested on a murder charge. He does not sound frank, so he is ‘put on the grill’. |
▪ V. grill, n.5
see grille n.
▪ VI. † grill, a. (adv.) Obs.
Forms: 3–6 grill(e, 3–6 gril, 4 gryl, 4–5 grylle, 5 gryle, 6 gryll.
[First in early ME.; cf. Du. gril (grel) fierce, angry, rough (of persons, weather, etc.), shrill (of sound), glaring (of colour), LG. grel, grell (in the same senses), MHG. grel, rough, angry, G. grell (of sounds and colours); also ON. grellskapr, spite. It is not certain, however, that the Eng. word corresponds in ablaut-grade with these, as it might equally well represent an OE. *grylle; cf. grill v.1]
1. Of persons: Fierce, harsh, cruel.
| c 1200 Ormin 9881 Hæþenn follkess herrte Iss harrd..& grimme, & grill. Ibid. 19859 Ȝho warrþ sone gramm & grill Ȝæn Sannt Johan Bapptisste. a 1300 Cursor M. 719 A-ganis godd wex he sa gril þat al his werk he wend to spil. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 92 Whan William had his wille of Scotland & of Wales, To riche men was he grille. c 1450 Cov. Myst. (Shaks. Soc.) 230 The Jewys ageyn the were grym & grylle. 1460 Lybeaus Disc. 1875 Swerdes they through out tho, Wyth herte grym and grylle. a 1529 Skelton E. Rummyng 6 Tell you I chyll..of a comely gryll, That dwelt on a hyll, But she is not gryll, For she is somewhat sage And well worne in age. |
2. Of things, actions, language, etc.: Cruel, painful, bitter, severe, terrible, dreadful.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 17228 Iesu..Forget i oft þine greues grill. Ibid. 22690 Þe dai fourtend sal be ful il, Til al þe werld it sal be gril. a 1310 in Wright Lyric P. xxxi. 91 Shalt thou never for mi love woundes thole grylle. c 1330 Amis & Amil. 1275 Tho wordes..That were so gret and grille. ? a 1366 Chaucer Rom. Rose 73 Whyl they han suffred cold so strong In wedres grille. a 1400 in Pol. Rel. & L. Poems 226 Þis sper þat is so gril. c 1420 Anturs of Arth. 620 (Douce MS.) Ho gretes one Gaynour, with gronyng grille. 1570 Levins Manip. 123/47 Chil, cold, algidus. Gril, idem. |
3. adv. Bitterly, cruelly.
| c 1400 St. Alexius (Laud) 564 Þai grete & groned grille. c 1460 Towneley Myst. xv. 99 Full gryle may I grete, My fomen and I mete. |
▪ VII. † grill, v.1 Obs.
Forms: 1 gri(e)llan, 2–4 grulle(n, 4–5 grill(e, 5 gryll(e.
[The ME. forms indicate an OE. *gryllan (for which grillan, griellan may be incorrect spellings) perh. = MHG. grüllen, grullen to mock, scorn, and related to MHG. grolle (G. groll, Du. grol, LG. grul), hatred, illwill, G. and Du. grollen to be angry, to feel spite. Cf. however MHG. grellen, MDu. grillen to be angry, and, with senses 3 and 4, Du. grillen to shiver with cold, to shudder. The relationship between the forms and senses of these words is not clear.]
1. trans. To provoke, annoy, irritate, offend.
| c 897 K. ælfred Gregory's Past. xl. 292 Ðeah hie nan mon mid laðe ne grett hie willað grillan [Hatton MS. griellan] oðre men. a 1200 Body & Soul in Fragm. ælfr. Gram. (Phillips) 6 Þeo teone..þe he heom sore [printed sorc] grulde. c 1250 Hymn to God 30 in Trin. Coll. Hom. 259 Fader for ȝif vs ure gult, & eke alle ure sunne Al swo we doð þe us habbeð igruld. 13.. Childh. Jesu 1098 in Horstm. Altengl. Leg. (1875) 38 Ȝif ich were in þat wille Þat ich seide ouȝt him for to grulle, He wolde cuyþe on me is miȝht. c 1420 Anturs of Arth. 422 (Douce MS.) Þou has wonene hem in werre, with a wrange wille, And geuen hem to sir Gawayne, þat my hert grylles. ? a 1500 Chester Pl. iii. 46 Thy bydding, lord, I shall fulfill, And never more the greeve ne grill. |
2. ? To cause to sound, to play, twang.
| a 1250 Owl & Night. 142 He song so lude and so scharpe, Riȝt so me grulde schille harpe. |
3. impers. me grulleð = I am afraid, I shudder.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 366 ‘Sore’, cweð he, ure Louerd, ‘me grulleð aȝean mine pine.’ |
4. intr. To be fearful, to tremble with fear, to shudder.
| c 1420 Anturs of Arth. 632 (Douce MS.) The grones of sir Gawayne dos my hert grille. c 1450 Erle Tolous 165 Game ne gle lyked hym noght, So gretly can he grylle. c 1450 Myrc 780 Lete also þe belles knylle To make her hortes the mor grylle. ? a 1500 Chester Pl. iv. 340 Your stroke, father, wold I [Isaac] not seene, lest I against yt grill. |
Hence † ˈgrilling vbl. n., shivering, shuddering.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. vii. xxxvii. (1495), The seconde [sygne] tofore suche a [roted] feuer comyth gryllynge & colde. Ibid. xl, It [feuer Qartane] greuyth from the fourthe daye to the fourth daye wyth gryllynge & rysynge of heere into the pores fyrste. |
▪ VIII. grill, v.2
(grɪl)
Also 7 gril.
[a. F. griller, f. gril (grille) grill n.4]
1. a. trans. To broil on a gridiron or similar apparatus over or before a fire.
| 1668 [see grilled below]. 1672 Marvell Reh. Transp. Wks. 1776 II. 448 The..boyling of men in caldrons, grilling them on grid-irons, [etc.] were but a small part of the felicities of Julian's Empire. 1677 Miege Dict. Angl.-Fr., To gril or broil on a gridiron, griller. 1708 Yorksh. Racers 9 The pale side boil'd, the other grill'd with bread. 1826 Margravine of Anspach Mem. II. x. 283 He had obtained greater reputation at Court for grilling a beefsteak à l'Anglaise than the most artful minister ever obtained by his negotiations. 1858 Lytton What will he do? iv. vii, The old woman..made his tea, grilled his chop, and..shared his meals. 1873 E. Smith Foods 77 Sheep's head is boiled or grilled. |
b. To scallop (oysters or shrimps).
| 1727–41 Chambers Cycl. s.v. Grillade, To grill oysters is to put them into scallop-shells, season them[etc.]..stewing them half an hour on the fire, and browning them with a red-hot iron. Shrimps are grilled after the same manner. 1730–6 Bailey (folio), To Grill Oisters, the same as scolloping them. 1747 H. Glasse Cookery ix. 99 To Grill Shrimps. |
c. transf. To torment with heat, to ‘broil’.
| 1825 Scott Fam. Lett. 18 July, I can go round its [Dublin's] walls and number its palaces until I am grilled almost into a fever. 1844 E. FitzGerald Lett. (1899) I. 134 Oh, Barton man! but I am grilled here. 1849 E. B. Eastwick Dry Leaves 36, I landed at Sakkar, where destiny had resolved on grilling me till the 10th of November. |
d. To subject to severe questioning.
| 1894 G. Meredith Let. 30 Nov. (1970) III. 1178 Henry Parkman promised she would refresh me with an account of her last visit to you. Not a sign of her since. She comes to-day and she shall be grilled. 1928 A. G. Hays Let Freedom Ring 289 The three men were grilled about their movements on the day of the..attempted hold-up. 1932 E. Wallace When Gangs came to London ii. 25 Some day I'll be grilling you, big boy, up at police headquarters. 1938 G. Heyer Blunt Instrument vii. 139 Why on earth did your Superintendent go and grill the poor girl? 1970 Radio Times 8 Oct. 11/1 Listeners will be able to ‘grill’ leading public figures over the air when It's Your Line, a new-style ‘live’ current affairs programme begins. |
2. intr. To undergo broiling, to frizzle. Chiefly fig.
| 1842 Barham Ingol. Leg. Ser. ii. Smuggler's Leap, I'd rather grill Than not come up with smuggler Bill. 1849 Curzon Visits Monast. 2 Malta..was cool in comparison to the fiery furnace in which we were at present grilling. 1883 J. Hawthorne Dust I. 277 The spleen which was doubtless grilling within him. 1878 Stevenson Inland Voy. 57 The landlady..set some beef-steak to grill. 1886 ― Treas. Isl. v. xxii. 177 Walking in the cool shadow of the woods,..while I sat grilling. |
Hence grilled ppl. a., ˈgrilling vbl. n. and ppl. a. grill room [pun on sense of grill-room s.v. grill n.3 4], a room in a police station where suspects are questioned.
| 1668 Pepys Diary 26 Sept., I had two grilled pigeons. 1796 H. Hunter tr. St.-Pierre's Stud. Nat. (1799) III. 750 Potatoes roasted on the embers, grilled bananas [etc.]. 1839 Thackeray Major Gahagan i. (1887) 10 We landed..on a grilling hot day. Ibid. ii. 25 The drumstick of a grilled chicken. 1843 Lever J. Hinton xxvii. (1878) 196 The grilled bone that browned upon the fire. 1849 E. B. Eastwick Dry Leaves 140 Ph{uacu}laji and other grilling stations near the desert. 1915 Kipling in Nash's & Pall Mall Mag. Oct. 137/1 ‘They had a court-martial on me.’.. ‘We did give you rather a grilling.’ 1930 ‘E. Queen’ French Powder Mystery xii. 86 Welles is on his way here—now we'll have arrests, interviews, grillings, reporters. 1931 O. K. Fraenkel Sacco-Vanzetti Case 16 The defendants had upon arrest been subjected to heavy grilling regarding their radical beliefs. 1950 G. Greene Third Man xv. 129 You were brought here for a grilling almost as soon as you got back into the Inner City. 1958 M. Procter Man in Ambush iii. 21 The ‘grill room’ was a place to make a suspect yearn desperately to see God's sunshine. 1967 ― Rogue Running x. 64 The two men went along to the ‘grill room’... A C.I.D. clerk sat at the corner table. |
▪ IX. † grill, v.3 Obs. rare—1.
[ad. L. gryllāre, f. gryllus a cricket. Cf. grylle.]
intr. To chirp.
| 1688 R. Holme Armoury ii. 191/1 The Worm, or Locust, grilleth. |
▪ X. † grill, v.4 Obs. rare—1.
trans. Of a horse: To wrinkle (the nostrils).
| c 1489 Caxton Sonnes of Aymon vii. 176 Thenne he [Bayard] grylled his nostrelles [orig. il fronca les narines], and bare his hede vp. |
▪ XI. grill, v.5
see grille.