birl
Americanverb (used with object)
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Chiefly Northern U.S. Lumbering. to cause (a floating log) to rotate rapidly by treading upon it.
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British. to spin or cause to rotate.
verb (used without object)
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Chiefly Northern U.S. Lumbering. to cause a floating log to rotate rapidly by treading on it.
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British.
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to move or rotate rapidly.
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Informal. to spend money freely.
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Informal. to gamble.
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noun
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British Informal. an attempt; a gamble.
verb
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to spin; twirl
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to cause (a floating log) to spin using the feet while standing on it, esp as a sport among lumberjacks
noun
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a variant spelling of burl 2
verb
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archaic to ply (one's guests, etc) with drink
Other Word Forms
- birler noun
- birling noun
Etymology
Origin of birl
1715–25; perhaps blend of birr 1 and whirl, influenced, in some senses, by birle
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I only catched Rough Shan McCane in among the lumber piles this afternoon and took a birl out of him.”
From The Boss of Wind River by Chisholm, A. M. (Arthur Murray)
Birl, birl, v.t. to spin anything round: to throw down a coin as one's share in a joint contribution.—v.i. to whirl round.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
Forbye we've all got our whistles, which are the same as a bobbie's birl, and Old Bill and Peter are grand at copyin' a man's voice.
From Huntingtower by Buchan, John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.