▪ I. † spale, n.1 Obs.—1
[OE. spala substitute: see spele v.]
Sparing; respite or rest.
| a 1250 Owl & 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.
| c 1470 Gol. & Gaw. 629 The spalis and the sparkis spedely out sprang. Ibid. 983 Half ane span at ane spail..He hewit attanis. a 1500 Ratis Raving 57 With stikis, and with spalys small, To byge vp chalmer, spens & hall. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 283 Quhill speris brak, and all in spalis sprang Aboue thair heid. 1570 Levins Manip. 17 A spale, chip, assula. a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) II. 161 The king of France was ewill hurt in the face witht the spaill of ane speir. 1710 Ruddiman Gloss. Douglas' æneis s.v. Spalis, We use..speals for chips of wood, or small splinters. 1781 J. Hutton Tour to Caves (ed. 2) Gloss. 96 Speals, chips, or small split sticks. 1786 Burns Address of Beelzebub 39 But smash them! crash them a' to spails! 1839 Ure Dict. Arts 472 This multiplication of tools becomes unnecessary, by laying against the cutting part of the bit, slips of wood, called spales. 1854 H. Miller Sch. & Schm. (1858) 14 The poor Friendship lies in spales on the bar of Findhorn. 1865 G. Macdonald A. Forbes 50 The floor was covered with shavings or spales, as they are called by northern consent. |
b. In proverbial phrases.
| 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. I. 654 To huif ouir hie, Quhill that the spaill fell into thair ee. a 1585 Montgomerie Cherry & Slae 184 To late I knaw, quha hewis to hie, The spail sall fall into his eie. 1670 Ray Prov. (1678) 369 He that hews over hie, the spail will fall into his eye. 1862 A. Hislop Prov. Scot. 88 He's no the best wright that casts maist spails. 1894 P. H. Hunter J. Inwick iv. 48 Hew abüne your heid, an' ye'll get a spale in your ee. |
2. transf. (See quot. 1824.)
| 1824 Mactaggart Gallovid. Encycl. 432 Spales o' the cannle, little curls of tallow, which sometimes appear on a burning candle. 1897 Rampini 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.
| 1830 J. Wilson Noct. Ambr. Wks. 1856 III. 19 Has the dowg swallowed the spale-box o' pills? 1857 Mrs. Carlyle Lett. II. 316 In a little oval spale-box. 1877 Fraser Wigtown 304 To..have nothing but a bit of a spale-boord between him an' etarnity. 1894 Heslop 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.
| 1959 D. 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. 1964 H. 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. 1966 Third 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’. 1972 Daily 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.)
| 1867 Smyth 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.
| 1854 N. & Q. 1st Ser. X. 419/2 Spile, which miners pronounce spaël; to inflict a fine or penalty for late attendance at work. 1865 R. 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.