▪ I. hurling, vbl. n.
(ˈhɜːlɪŋ)
[f. hurl v. + -ing1.]
The action of the verb hurl.
1. Throwing, casting: esp. with violence.
| 1388 Wyclif Baruch iv. 33 Babiloyne made ioie in thi hurlyng doun, and was glad in thi fal. 1484 Caxton Fables of Poge (1889) 5 By hurlynge and drawynge of stones. 1573–80 Baret Alv. H 743 A dart more vehement by the stroke and hurling. 1641 Hinde J. Bruen xxxviii. 120 The play at Dice, the property whereof is, by casting and hurling here and there. |
2. a. A game, once very popular in Cornwall, played by two parties whose object is to hurl or carry a ball to a distant goal or to their own part of the country; the same as the Welsh Knappan, and closely akin to Hand-ball.
| c 1600 Norden Spec. Brit., Cornw. 291 The Cornish men as they are stronge, hardeye and nymble, so are their exercises violent, two especially, wrastling and hurling. 1602 Carew Cornwall 73 b, Hurling taketh his denomination from throwing of the ball. 1603 Owen Pembrokesh. (1892) 279 This plaie is vsed in Wales, and the balle is called Knappan,..and our ancient cozens the Cornishmen haue the selfe same exercise among them yet obserued, w{supc}{suph} they call hurlinge. 1648 Hamilton Papers (Camden) 171 The 2 Counties of Devon and Cornewall are on Munday next to meet at a hurling (a sport they haue with a ball). 1781 Wesley Wks. (1872) XIII. 314 Hurling, their favourite diversion, at which limbs were usually broke..is now hardly heard of [in Cornwall]. 1826 in Hone Every-day Bk. II. 1008 Cornish Hurling..is now scarcely ever practised. |
b. A form of hockey played in Ireland.
| 1527 Galway Stat. in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. v. 402 The horlinge of the litill balle with hockie stickes. 1780 A. Young Tour Irel. 365 Hurling is a sort of cricket, but instead of throwing the ball in order to knock down a wicket, the aim is to pass it through a bent stick, the ends stuck in the ground. 1893 Le Fanu 70 Years Irish Life 129 ‘Hurling’, or ‘hurley’, as it is now called, was formerly the chief game in Ireland. |
c. attrib., as hurling ball, hurling match, hurling tournament.
| 1780 New Ann. Reg., Manners Nations 64 All will pay her a visit after mass for a hurling match. 1825 T. C. Croker Fairy Leg. S. Irel. I. 306 Hurling-balls. 1888 Pall Mall G. 24 Apr. 6/2 Returning from a hurling tournament near Ennis. |
† 3. Strife; commotion, disturbance, tumult. Obs.
| 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 231 Kyng Henry and þe chapitre of Caunterbury was rebel aȝenst hym. In þat horlynge he made it as þey he knewe it not. c 1440 Promp. Parv. 253/2 Hurlynge, or stryfe, incurcio. c 1440 Partonope 2000 And in this hurlyng Partanope With hys swerde a stroke smote he. 1570–6 Lambarde Peramb. Kent (1826) 406 That Taxe of money whereof I have before spoken:..the onely cause and fountaine of all that hurling, as they termed it. |
† b. hurling time, a time of tumult or commotion: applied by the old chroniclers to Wat Tyler's rebellion in the reign of Richard II. Obs.
| 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxxxix. 264 In the iiij yere of kyng Richardes regne the comunes arisen vp in dyuerse partyes of the reame..the whiche they callyd the hurlyng time. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vii. 531 In this season also, called the hurlynge tyme, the Commons of Norfolke & Suffolke came vnto y⊇ Abbey of Bury, & there slewe one of y⊇ Kyngis iustycis, callyd Iohn Caundysshe. 1658 W. Gurnall Chr. in Arm. ii. 233 There are great complaints of what men have lost in these hurling times. |
† 4. The violent rushing of wind; the sound of this, roaring or blustering (of the wind); rolling of thunder; grumbling or rumbling of the bowels.
| 1398 Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. clxviii. (1495) 712 Newe whete..bredyth swellynge and ventosytee and hurlynge and kurlynge in the wombe. a 1400–50 Alexander 4794 Þare was hurling on hiȝe as it in hell ware. 1519 W. Horman Vulg. 46 Yf the herynge place be hurte..than comme the deffenesse, or it semeth hyssynge, hurrelynge, syngeynge, or suche other. 1583 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 53 In corneshocks sindged with blasterus hurling Of Southwynd whizeling. 1585 Jas. I Ess. Poesie (Arb.) 15 They heare the whiddering Boreas bolde, With hiddeous hurling, rolling Rocks from hie. 1668 Glanvill Blow at Mod. Sadduc. 99 The sign of its approach was an hurling in the Air over the House. |
5. The wheeling of a barrow; driving in a cart. Sc.
▪ II. hurling, ppl. a.
[f. hurl v. + -ing2.]
1. Rushing, impetuous, violent: sometimes esp. referring to sound; sometimes associated with whirling.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 413 Þe arc houen watz on hyȝe with hurlande gotez. c 1555 Harpsfield Divorce Hen. VIII (Camden) 277 God did send a tempestuous hurling wind. c 1566 J. Alday tr. Boaystuau's Theat. World G viij, By the which meanes groweth such a hurling noyse. 1602 Shakes. Ham. i. v. 133 These are but wild and hurling [Qos. whirling] words, my Lord. 1790 A. Wilson Discons. Wren Poet. Wks. (1846) 98 Some dreadfu' hurling noise I heard. |
† 2. Struggling, conflicting. Obs.
| 1528 Paynel Salerne's Regim. P b, The one labourethe to be losed and to go out: the other withstandeth and byndeth..Wherfore a hurlynge mouynge is caused in the bodye inducynge gnawynge and inflasion in the bealy. |