Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1912-1935
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0]
BRAIL, Brile, n. An intense or strong outburst. [brɛ:l Ork.; breil Cai.]Ork.(D) 1912 J. Spence in Old-Lore Misc., Ork., Sh., etc. V. ii. 68:
An dan da tow cam an' a bonnie brail o sun, an he haed a faigh crap efter a'.Ork. 1929 Marw.:
Used chiefly in two phrases — "a b[rail] o' heat" and "a b[rail] o' sweat"; e.g. "He was just in a b[rail] o' sweat when he finished"; "What a b[rail] o' heat it's been the day."Cai.7 1935
brile
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Brail n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/brail_n>
