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

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. X).
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Tal(e, Tail, n. Also: taile, taill(e, tayl(e, tayll, tael, teal(e, teall, teil(l, tell, tel-. [ME and e.m.E. tale (1175), taile (1412-20), tayll (c1460), OE talu, MDu., MLG tāle, ON tala.]

1. A tale. a. An account or report of an incident, series of events, something said, etc.; a statement. b. A true or fictional story told or written for entertainment or amusement or to preserve the history of events. c. A report of events which should not properly be divulged; gossip. d. A falsehood. Also proverb.a., b., c., d. 1375 Barb. xvii 835.
Thar come tythandis out off Ingland … at the Scottis men throu the land Raid ȝeit brynnand and distroyand. And quhen the king had hard [this] tale His consaile he assemblyt haile a1400 Leg. S. xi 233.
Tal a1400 Leg. S. xxxii 72.
A Cristine dekine, that Prely hicht, Tel ser talis of Godis micht c1400 Troy-bk. ii 3077.
Dares & Dytis … in all tyme of thare battale … Couth in thare talis ay accord ?1438 Alex. ii 2898.
Tallis c1420 Wynt. v 1688.
Quhen scho mycht noucht get assent Off that abbot … Scho defamyt that abbot hale, And till the mwnkys tald a tale [C. tayl] 1456 Hay I 302/1.
Mony learis oft tymes flechis lordis with fals talis 1460 Hay Alex. 368.
That is ane suthfast tale, For all the goddis are thairon accordit hale a1500 Seven S. 1897.
This pyot can scho schore Said leif thi talis that thou tellis Or thi lyf it sall cost thé ellis 1501 Treas. Acc. II 102.
[Jame Widderspune,] fithelar and tellar of tales a1540 Freiris Berw. 75 (M).
The freiris wox blyth and mirrie talis culd tell a1570-86 Maitland in Maitl. F. 21/10.
Be nocht … ane roundar of inuentit talis 1558-66 Knox II 472.
He would give no more credit to the New Testament than to a tale of Robin Hood, except it were confirmed by the Doctors of the Church 1665–7 Lauder Jrnl. 83.
She told me … the tale or conte of daupht Jock … just as we have it in Scotland(b) 1375 Barb. ix 581.
Taile [C. taill] c1420 Ratis R. 1467.
Thow sal nocht in speciall Wyt quhome of that I tell my tail a1500 Henr. Hasty Credence 24.
Thairin is na ressoun, To gif till taillis hestely creddence c1475 Wall. ii 352.
Taille c1475 Wall. xi 222 (McD.).
A fygourd taill thai tald hym off this cace a1500 Prestis of Peblis 925.
Sum wil tel il tailes of the queene c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 205/29.
Fle perrellus taillis foundit of invy c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 246.
Than said the weido … Now tydis me for to talk, my taill it is nixt 1531 Prot. Bk. J. Brydin No. 131.
It is ane fals tail ye tell and not trew and ye lied 1547–8 Cal. Sc. P. I 96.
Ye ar nocht … the man that will alleig syk taillis upon us 1579 Misc. Bann. C. II 195.
xi bukes callit The hundredth myrrie taillis 1609 Crim. Trials II 282.
He tald me ane of the strangest taillis of ane nobill man of Padoa that ever I hard in my lyf 1572 Buch. Detect. (1727) 36.
Quhill I seik to mak end of my taill … mony thingis for haist I haue bot lichtlie tuichit 1572 Buch. Detect. (1727) 53.
As for his eloquence and bewtie, we neid not mak lang taill of thame(c) a1400 Leg. S. xviii 501.
Zozomas … sad … ‘Tel furth thi tayle, modyr dere, & al the suth thu lat me here' c1420 Wynt. v 1674 (C) (see (a) above).
Tayl 14.. Acts I 112/2.
Of conspiratouris & fyndaris of new taylis … the kyng hes statut … that nane be conspiratour na fyndar of taylis or of tithingis [L. conspirator nec inventor narracionum seu rumorum] thruch the quhilkis mater of discord may spryng betuix the kyng & his pepill c1475 Wall. v 950.
Quhen schir Jhon had his [sc. Wallace's] tayll weyll wndirstand, Off nane othir fra thine furth tuk he heid 1491 Treas. Acc. I 183.
Wallas that tellis the tayllis 1549 Compl. 63/15.
The tayl of the giantis that eit quyk men(d) a1570-86 Maitland in Maitl. F. 62/35.
An sa my teill is endit a1570-86 Maitland in Maitl. F. 446/62.
Do na thing in thi minoritie Be persuasioun of ewill teillis nocht trewe c1590 J. Stewart 21/245.
Sall I thé leiwe for teils that tratlers tels(e) a1570-86 Maitland in Maitl. F. 61/8.
Ageit men sould iois in morall telis And nocht in talis a1570-86 Maitland in Maitl. F. 330/36.
My wyff sum tyme wald telis trow And mony lesingis weill allow 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. in Cath. Tr. (STS) 102/19.
Vtheris, quha lyk parrokettis enterteneis the auditouris be clattering tellis c1610 Jok Uplandis Newis 2a.
I am to tell yow ane old tell that I anes hard ane old wyse man tell(f) 1569-73 Bann. Memor. 131.
I hard your lordschipe tell ane teale, that thair was ane apointment … betuixt the kingis of England and Spainyie; and when [etc.] 1581 Hamilton Cath. Tr. 21.
S. Paulis epistles ar als facil to thame as ane teale of Robin Hude 1584 Sempill in Sat. P. xlv Pref. 47.
Teall 1584 Melvill 202.
Trattelles, lies and forgit tealles(g) c1590 Fowler I 180/10.
I … now dois see to be bot taels and dremes That thow hes Mars and Jove him self subvertproverb. a1570-86 Maitl. F. 161/63.
Ane gud taill ewill tald is spilt in the telling a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 489.
Half a tail is aneugh to a wyse man a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 167.
Teal a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 220.
A taile oftimes tald tynes the taist

2. Numerical reckoning, number. Freq. be (in) tale, by (in) counting, in number, chiefly in contrast to weight or measure. Cf. Tailȝ(i)e n. 7. 1375 Barb. xvi 515.
Schir Eduuard the Bruys with [fifty] Wencussyt of Sanct Jhon schir Amery And [fyften] hunder men be tale a1400 Leg. S. xxvi 238.
The quhet deliueryt hale In quantyte mesur & tale ?1438 Alex. ii 3230.
Than callit the duke quhom he sa wald, In tale tweluesum wer thay tald c1420 Wynt. i 1394 (C).
Be northe Brettane sulde lyande be The Out Ilis in to the se; Off tha ar thre principale Suppose thai be ma in tail hail 1535 Stewart 11296.
Fyftene thousand thai war that tyme be taill 1641 Cochran-Patrick Coinage I xxxi.
That the kings haill tale vpoun the bullioun will not be 3000 li. by yeir 1641 Cochran-Patrick Coinage I xxx.
The tale of money comeing in vpon exchange is 10 li. 13 s. 4 d. vpon the stane 1673 Reg. Privy C. 3 Ser. IV 40.
The selling of herring by tale does much damnifie the herring … the same may be more conveniently done by measur then by tale a1681 J. Welsh Churches Paradox 22.
They [sc. the Israelites] are forbidden to have straw given them, and yet to fulfill the teal of their brick

3. Reckoning of value; account, regard. Const. gif (mak) na (litill) tale of (tyll), give little regard to, make no account of. a1400 Leg. S. x 420.
The apostil thane, that sat had hale His traste in God, & gef na tale Of Yrtacus c1420 Ratis R. 1531.
Thar propre accioune … Wyll besy thaim, and gyf na taill, Tyll hurt the comon profyt haill c1420 Wynt. vi 1923 (W).
Quhen he wes king with crovne regnand For litill taill that tyme gaif he Off the greis of affinite c1420 Wynt. viii 3440.
Thai send to Perth for wyn and ale, And drank, and playid, and made na tale [C. tayl, W. taill] Off thare fays a1500 Prestis of Peblis 1186.
Of me altyme thow gaue bot lytil tail, Na of me wald haue dant nor dail

4. comb. With beirer, tellar, also telling.(1) 1572 Buch. Detect. (1727) 76.
Alexander … any spy and taillbeirer, now ane forsaiker and betrayer of his maisterproverb. a1598 Ferg. Prov. MS No. 27.
A teal-teller is wors nor a theife(2) a1500 Henr. Hasty Credence 25.
Thir teltellaris oft tymes dois grit skaith 1496 Treas. Acc. I 307.
To Widderspune the foulare, that tald talis and brocht foules to the king, vj s. viij d. … To Watschod the tale tellare and Widderspune the tale tellare togidder, xviij s. a1508 Kennedy Flyt. 551.
Tale tellare, rebellare, induellar wyth the devillis 1579 Acts III 140/1.
Menstrallis sangstauris and tailtellaris not avouit in speciall seruice be sum of the lordis of parliament 1580 Reg. Privy C. III 282.
The tailtellaris to have declairit thair ground and the authour of thair report 1604-9 Grahame Anat. Hum. 42.
Woe be to seditious tail-tellers c1610 Melville Mem. 213.
He wald be na taill teller to the Quen of him(3) ?1438 Alex. i 2578.
Man that maid melling With lossingery and taill-telling 1497 Treas. Acc. I 330.
To Widderspune the fowlar, and for fowlis and tales telling