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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Fail(l, Fale, Feal(l, n.² Also: fayl(l, fayle, faile, faille, phaill; fael, feale, feill. [Of obscure origin. Gael. fál (not in Irish) is prob. from Sc.]

1. Turf, as material, of greater thickness than divot.Very common throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, usually in the form faill.(a) c1420 Wynt. v. 237.
The cité … fand he Wyth dykys made off fayle or mude 1456 Liber Aberbr. II. 89.
The said commoun … sal nocht be occupyit with casting off petis, faile na dwuate 1505 Reg. Cupar A. I. 261.
The croft … with tua kyis grys … , fail and dovet as efferis 1533 Boece v. iii. 168.
Adriane … gart big ane thik strang wall of dovettis and faill 1547 Treas. Acc. IX. 100.
To certane pure men that keist faill to the gabiounes upoun the forewall of the castell 1590 Reg. Great S. 810/2.
To wyn fewall, faill and dovat in the commoun of Dyffyn 1613 Crim. Trials III. 245.
Diuerse housses, pairtlie of tymmer, and pairtlie of stane and faill c1650 Spalding I. 209.
Johnston … causit clois wp the samen [port] stronglie with thik faill 1689 Reg. Privy C. 3rd Ser. XIII. 544.
Faill, earth, and stone wherwith to repair the Castle 1707 Corshill Baron Ct. 231.
The defender … acknowledges the haill articles of the accompt, except the article for fayll(b) c1420 Wynt. iv. 16.
He … wallyt it rycht welle wythoute Wyth dykis off fale and mwde aboute 1531 Bell. Boece II. 426.
Thay maid thair bastailyeis and trinscheis of fale and devat 1558 Edinb. Old Acc. I. 287.
To vj men quha laid the fale at the loche quhair it wes lattin furth(c) 1566 Reg. Episc. Brechin II. 212.
Unacum potestate … lucrandi caespites vulgo feall and devott in lie commoun den de Brechin 1593 Aberd. B. Rec. II. 85.
The commoun lynkis … hes bene cassin up and delvit be casting of feal thairupon 1681 Stair Inst. ii. vii. § 13.
A servitude of pasturage … was not to be extended to feal and divet 1701 Burnett Fam. P. MS.
That no tenent or subtenent … cast fael or doviot upon that ground(d) 1596 Elgin Rec. II. 43.
Thei careit ane certane feill vpoun thair schulderis and tuik out certane ruittis 1605 Stewart Mem. 114.
Jhone Stewart … winis fewall, feill, and doffwatis within the proper … meithis thairof

2. A piece of turf, thicker than a divot; a sod.The singular is used after numbers, as ‘four hundreth faill’.(a) 1513 Doug. xii. Prol. 88.
Euery faill Ourfret with fulȝeis of figuris full diuers 1535 Stewart 24493.
That euerie man … sould … faillis delf into greit quantitie 1558–9 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 301.
For ane hundreth faill to dam out the louche 1577 Prot. Bk. J. Scott 38 b.
Sa mony faillis to big the dyk thairof 1683 Rec. Old Aberd. II. 80.
For every grave that is higher above the level ground than the thiknes of ane ordinarie faile(b) 1542 Reg. Great S. 626/2.
Cum potestate effodiendi glebas, cespites, lie falis et duvattis in dict. moris 1544 Reg. Privy S. III. 126/1.
The landis of Rayth Wester, … with the … falis and duvatis of the sammyn(c) 1558 Reg. Great S. (1586) 329/2.
Peittis, turffis, fealis and dewaittis 16.. Hist. Kennedy 47.
The ane at the heid of the feallis, and the wther at the futt 1647–8 Misc. Spalding C. V. 108.
For casting threttie sevin thowsand feall to cover the graves

3. Attrib. and comb. with caster, dyke, midding, wall. 1536 Crim. Trials I. 174.
[The overthrowing of a] faill-dyke 1572 Treas. Acc. MS. 165.
To the faill castaris for certane thowsandis faill casting 1609 Hilderstoun Silver Mines I. 119.
For bigging of the faill wall to the same hous 16.. Hist. Kennedy 47.
At the fut of the bog thair wes ane cumpany of feall dykis 1689 Foulis Acc. Bk. 111.
For eall and spyce to the masons, faillcasters, etc. 1704 Peebles B. Rec. II. 172.
The counsell … ordaines all faill middings, … laid upon the streets, to be removed