DSL - SND1   SPIEL, n., v. Also speel, speal, speil, spell; -spel. [spil; sm.Sc. + spel]     I. n. 1. Any sort of game or play (s.Sc. 1825 Jam.). Comb. ba-sp(i)el. See BA', n.¹, 3. (2).
    *Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 433:
    A boor who takes his meat well is said to play a good speil at the porridge coag.
    *Lnk. 1893 T. Stewart Miners 88:
    But see hoo they sport yet an' relish a speel.
    2. Specif. a curling match (G all. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 333). Gen.Sc. Cf. BONSPIEL. Freq. in comb. pairish spiel.
    *Kcb. 1789 D. Davidson Seasons 163:
    Then tye your crampets, Glenbuck cries --- Prepare ye for the speal.
    *Ayr. 1810 J. Fisher Winter Season 74:
    With tramps, and brooms, and stones, a crowd now comes, with jocund glee, the long projected speel to play.
    *Sc. 1831 Blackwood's Mag. (Dec.) 972:
    Bonspeils or bonspels, in contradistinction to spiels, which may be defined to imply a game or match between members of the same society, or of a limited party of adversaries, are matches between rival parishes or districts.
    *Sc. 1864 J. C. Shairp Kilmahoe 183:
    We'll hie to the spiel, as our fathers afore us.
    *Gall. 1908 M. M. Harper Rambles 27:
    These curling spiels in Carlingwark Loch.
    *Dmf. 1937 T. Henderson Lockerbie 69:
    When the parish spiel was pit aff frae a Friday till a Saturday because the ice was ower drug.
    *Rnf. 1965 T. E. Niven East Kilbride 113:
    A favourite howff for bygone generations of curlers after a day-long spiel on the Common Dam.
    *Dmf. 1967 Dmf. & Gall. Standard (25 Nov.) 8:
    A spiel between Scottish and Canadian curlers at the Ayr Ice Rink.
    II. v. tr. and intr. To sport, play, take amusement (Sc. 1825 Jam.).
    *Fif. 1873 J. Wood Ceres Races 6, 43:
    While weel-faured groups frae ilka yirth, Gang skelping on to speel their mirth . . . A dizzen gude hae ceased to speel, At which the croods are sneering weel.
    [Mid.Du., M.L.Ger. spel, n. spelen, v., (to) play. The phonology suggests early borrowing, though evidence is not available. The cog. O.E. spilian, to play, became obs. in Early Mid.Eng. See also SPEEL, v.²]

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