Obs. exc. dial. In 5 brystylle, 6 bristell, brissle, burstle, 7 brusle, brustle, (9 dial. brizzle, bruzzle). [The forms brusle, brustle, suggest adoption from 15–16th c. Fr. brusle-r to burn, Pr. bruslar, It. brustolare; but the earlier bristle, brissle, makes this derivation doubtful, as does also the Sc. form BIRSLE.]
1. trans. To render the surface of (anything) crisp with heat; to toast, scorch, parch.
Hence Bristled ppl. a.
1483. Cath. Angl., 44. To Brystylle, vstillare.
1553. Douglas, Æneis, VII. ix. 109. Blunt styngis of the brissillit tre [MSS. byrsillit].
1562. Turner, Bathes, 17. Let him perche or bristell at the fyre Nigella Romana. Ibid., Herbal, II. (1568), 93. The perched or burstled peasen … called in Northumberland Carlines.
1691. Ray, N. C. Wds., ‘The sun brustles the hay’ i. e. dries it; ‘brusled pease’ i. e. parched pease.
1876. Mid-Yorksh. Gloss. (E. D. S.), Brizzle or Bruzzle, to scorch, near to burning; to broil.
1877. Holderness Gloss. (E. D. S.), Bruzzled-peas.
2. intr. (for refl.) To become crisp with heat.
1788. Gentl. Mag., I. 189. They [peas] will then parch, crack, as we provincially [Northumberland] call it, bristle.
