Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

TOUL, n. Also toull, too(e)l, ¶tuel (Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.); toal (Gall. 1972). Sc. forms of Eng. towel, a cloth for drying (Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson; Abd. 1926 Dieth Bch. Dial.; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein, Rxb. 1942 Zai 100). Gen.Sc., also in n.Eng. dial. Comb. toul-dance, a dance freq. performed at weddings by farm servants in which the dancers carried towels (Fif. 1957). [′tu(ə)l; Gall. ′toəl]Abd. 1716 Sc. N. & Q. (Ser. 1) II. 73:
A hand Toull of hardin.Sc. 1727 P. Walker Remark. Pass. 52:
He dried his Face and Hands with a Tool.Ayr. 1833 J. Kennedy G. Chalmers 81:
Bring a tooel here as fast as ye can.Slk. 1892 W. M. Adamson Betty Blether 46:
Three dizen touls lyin' scattered through the hoose as black as coalpocks.Gsw. 1904 H. Foulis Erchie xii.:
A tooel as coorse as a carrot-grater.Wgt. 1939 J. McNeillie Wigtown Ploughman vi.:
Hae ye a toal an' some sape?