birl

American  

[burl] / bɜrl /

verb (used with object)

1. Chiefly Northern U.S. Lumbering. to cause (a floating log) to rotate rapidly by treading upon it.

2. British. to spin or cause to rotate.

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verb (used without object)

1. Chiefly Northern U.S. Lumbering. to cause a floating log to rotate rapidly by treading on it.

2. British.

   1. to move or rotate rapidly.

   2. Informal. to spend money freely.

   3. Informal. to gamble.

noun

1. British Informal. an attempt; a gamble.

birl ¹ British  

/ bɜːl, bɪrl /

verb

1. to spin; twirl

2. to cause (a floating log) to spin using the feet while standing on it, esp as a sport among lumberjacks

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noun

1. a variant spelling of burl 2

birl ² British  

/ bɪrl, bɜːl /

verb

1. archaic to ply (one's guests, etc) with drink

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Other Word Forms

• birler
  noun
• birling
  noun

Etymology

Origin of birl

1715–25; perhaps blend of birr ¹ and whirl, influenced, in some senses, by birle

Example Sentences

Forbye we've all got our whistles, which are the same as a bobbie's birl, and Old Bill and Peter are grand at copyin' a man's voice.

From Huntingtower by Buchan, John

“I only catched Rough Shan McCane in among the lumber piles this afternoon and took a birl out of him.”

From The Boss of Wind River by Chisholm, A. M. (Arthur Murray)

Birl, birl, v.t. to spin anything round: to throw down a coin as one's share in a joint contribution.—v.i. to whirl round.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various