† sans fail Obs.
Forms: α. 3–5 saun, 4–5 san, 5 sain, saing, sawm, sawn, 5–6 sam; β. 4 sauntz, 4–5 sauns, sanz, 4–6 saunz, sans, 5 saunce; 3–6 faile, 4 feil, 4–5 fayle, faille, 4–6 fayl, fail, 5 fayll, faill, 6 fale.
[a. OF. sansfail(l) e: see sans and fail n.2]
Without fail; without doubt, doubtless; in ME., a common riming tag.
| α 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 8360 Go & seie hom þis Þat hii turne aȝen to me & icholle to hom saun faile [v.rr. samfayle, san fail(l)e, sawmfaile]. 13.. K. Alis. 217 Of hire faired, saun faile, He hadde in hert gret mervaile. ? a 1400 Arthur 439 Þe Muchelnesse of Men sainfayle Ys nat victorie in Batayle. 14.. Sir Beues 4021 (MS. M.) All oure londis Hathe the kynge arested, samffayll, Thorouȝe Brians counsell of Cornwayll. c 1475 Partenay 1592 [He] both his penon And baner sanfaill Put within the town, so making conqueste. |
| β c 1325 Chron. Eng. 285 in Ritson Metr. Rom. II. 282 Ant Luces the emperour, sauntz fayle, He overcom in bataille. c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 2350 ‘It is now’, quaþ he, ‘sanzfaile to late þer-to to gon’. c 1384 Chaucer H. Fame i. 188 (Fairf.) And seyde he most vnto Itayle As was hys destanye sauns faille. 1421–2 Hoccleve Dial. 461, I feele now, sanz faille, That in this cas yee can nat wel consaill. c 1450 Merlin 91 Antor ansuerde, ‘This is the childe that the kynge me praide to norisshe of my wif’... And he seide, ‘It is the same saunz-faile’. 1513 Douglas æneis i. vi. 61 Ȝe bene in the marchis of Libie, sans fail, Inhabeit with peple vndowtable in battail. c 1530 Crt. of Love 117 Under the cloth of their estate, saunz faile [rime availe], The king and quene ther sat. |
¶ Misused as if
= ‘sans avail’.
| 1597 Guistard & Sismond ii. C 4 b, But all his excuse was euin samfayll. |