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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

TOSSEL, n., v. Also tossil, tossle, toshel; †taisel, tessel (Sc. 1700 Edb. Gazette (1 April, 27 June)). Variant forms of Eng. tassel (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Fif., Lth. 1926 Wilson Cent. Scot. 271). Gen.Sc. Sc. usages. [tosl; †tesl]

I. n. 1. As in Eng. Comb. tossel-jock, a bonnet with a tassel.Sc. 1743 Caled. Mercury (1 Aug.):
A Scarlet Pistol-Bag trim'd with Silver, fringed, and a Tossel.Sc. 1797 Encycl. Britannica II. 214:
A white sash, with green tossels.Edb. 1828 D. M. Moir Mansie Wauch xi.:
The Hessian boots, having cuddy-heels and long silk tossels.Fif. 1873 J. Wood Ceres Races 13:
Big tossel-jocks bob up and doon.Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond B. Bowden (1922) 96:
A braw noo silk umberell, wi' a sterlin' silver hannel an' a pair o' silk tossels.Lth. 1925 C. P. Slater Marget Pow 13:
The hassocks with the tossels.s.Sc. 1962 Southern Annual 28:
The ear flaps were fastened on the top with a broad black braid, making a kenspeckle tossel.Abd. 1992 David Toulmin Collected Short Stories 195:
Brass handles on the ends and black cords and toshels draped along its sides.

2. A tuft or fringe of hair (Sh., ne.Sc., Ags., Per. 1972). Obs. in Eng.Abd. 1915 H. Beaton Benachie 79:
A loon fa's een is luikin' oot amo' a tossle o' hair, like a fumert's.

†3. Transf. a dead body hanging on a gallows. Also gibbet tossel, id.Kcb. 1885 A. J. Armstrong Friend and Foe xxiv.:
If Willie Hill was made a gibbet-tossle o' the morn.Ags. 1887 A. D. Willock Rosetty Ends 105:
He wad form a bonnie tossil at the end o' a hemp string.

4. The penis (Abd., Per., Fif., sm.Sc. 1972).

II. v. In vbl.n. tosslin, in weaving: the forming of the thread-ends of a web into tassels (Ags., Per., Slg., Ayr. 1972); ppl.adj. toss(e)l(l)ed, ornamented with tassels, lit. and fig. Gen.Sc.Sc. 1897 H. Hendry Burns from Heaven 38:
The book-brod, tossled roun' and roun'.Lth. 1924 A. Dodds Poppies in Corn 12:
When the catkin's brawly tossel'd.Bnff. 1933 M. Symon Deveron Days 4:
Wi' a tosselled trok o' a nicht-kep on.