Forms: 4–6 foile, foyle, 7 foyl, 6– foil. See also FOUL v. and Sc. FULYIE v. [irreg. repr. of OF. fuler, foler, fouler (mod.F. fouler), to full cloth, to tread, trample down, press hard upon, crush, oppress; corresponding to Pr. folar, Sp. hollar, It. follare in similar senses:—popular Lat. *fullāre originally to full cloth, f. fullō a fuller: cf. FULL v.
The Eng. forms foyle, foil, and Sc. fulȝe, fulyie, would normally represent not OF. foler, fouler, but fouillier (mod. F. fouiller), which has the quite different senses ‘to dig, grub up, root (as a swine), search.’ The cause of the irregularity has not been discovered: a suggestion is that the sb. foulis, foleïz = FOIL sb.3 may have been confused with fouillis the ‘rooting’ of a swine, a mass of dirt and rubbish, and that this led to a confusion in the verb; but it is doubtful whether this would account for the facts.]
I. In sense of Fr. fouler.
† 1. trans. To tread under foot, trample down.
c. 1300. K. Alis., 2711.
| And also mony gentil cors, | |
| Was y-foiled undur fet of hors. |
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 9440.
| Pinogras he feld of hors, | |
| And foiled al his cursed cors. |
1502. Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W., 1506), V. ii. 363. They shall foyle and threste all the dampned togyder.
1577–87. Holinshed, Chron. (1808), IV. 877. The more they contended to suppresse him, the more (like the camomill being foiled and troden) his vertues rose vp and appeared, and their malice was both vnfolded and controlled.
1596. Danett, trans. Comines, IV. iii. 124. But the third [man] the Beare tooke and ouerthrew, and foiled wider hir feete, holding hir mussell hard to his eare.
1603. Knolles, Hist. Turks (1621), 69. King Richard … caused the ensignes of Leopold … to be puld downe, and foiled vnder foot.
fig. c. 1400. An Apology for Lollard Doctrines, 44. In veyn þu foilist þi flesch wiþ abstinens.
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., xxxvii. 151 (Harl. MS.). The swyne is a synner, that enterithe in to holy chirche, and foylithe the comaundementes of god.
1470–85. Malory, Arthur, XVIII. xxv. Worshyp in armes may neuer be foyled.
2. Of animals: To trample or tread down; to tread into mud; esp. in Hunting, to run over or cross (the ground, scent, or track) with the effect of baffling the hounds. Also absol. of a deer (see quot. 1886); † refl. of a hound: To spoil his own scent.
1649. Blithe, Eng. Improv. Impr. (1652), 25. Thou soake not thy Land too much, that Cattell treading, or Grazing upon it, foyle it not, for then the Rush will come upon thee, and it will over grow thee.
1651. Davenant, Gondibert, II. xlv. Their [Doggs’] scent no North-east winde could e’re deceave … nor Flocks that foyle the Ground.
1672–3. Marvell, Reh. Transp., 72. Having foil’d himself so long with every thing he [a dog] meets, after him now he goes, and will never leave till he hath run him down.
1735. Somerville, The Chace, II. 172.
| Huntsman! her Gate observe, if in wide Rings | |
| She wheel her mazy Way, in the same Round | |
| Persisting still, she’ll foil the beaten Track. |
1781. P. Beckford, Hunting, 260. When a fox runs his foil in cover, if you suffer all your hounds to hunt on the line of him, they will foil the ground, and tire themselves to little purpose.
1828. Carr, Craven Gloss. (ed. 2), 158. Foil.… To trample, as meadow grass is said to be foiled when trampled or trodden down by hares.
1888. Elworthy, W. Somerset Word-bk., Foil.… A deer is said to foil when he retraces his steps over the same track. The scent, or the ground, are said to be foiled when other deer than the hunted one have crossed the scent.
fig. 1711. Addison, Spect., No. 131, 31 July, ¶ 2. It is ten to one but I am crossed in my Way by another, and put up such a Variety of odd Creatures in both Sexes that they foil the Scent of one another and puzzle the Chace.
† 3. To press hard upon, oppress. Obs. rare–1
This sense, common in OF., appears to be required by the context, though the other texts read fylus, fylen.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 10103 (Cott.).
| Þis werld, my fleche, þe warlau als, | |
| þat folus [Laud MS., foylyn] me wit fonding fals, | |
| To do me fal in filthes fele. |
II. To overthrow, defeat, baffle.
4. To overthrow, defeat (an antagonist); to beat off, repulse, discomfit (an assailant or an attack). † In Wrestling: To throw, to inflict a ‘foil’ upon: see FOIL sb.2 1. Also fig.
1548. Hall, Chron., Edw. IV. (an. 23). If they lacke actiuitie, euery creature be he neuer so base of birthe, shall foyle and ouerthrowe them, like domme beastes, and beastly dastardes.
1600. Shaks., As You Like It, II. ii. 14.
| The Wrastler | |
| That did but lately foile the synowie Charles. |
1610. Guillim, Heraldry, III. ii. (1660), 102. To chase away and foil all passionate perturbations of the mind.
1648. Bp. Hall, Breathings Devout Soul (1851), 175. I strive and tug what I may with the spiritual wickednesses in high places, which set upon my soul; but sometimes I am foiled, and go halting out of the field.
1667. Milton, P. L., I. 272.
| Leader of those Armies bright, | |
| Which but th’ Omnipotent none could have foyld, | |
| If once they hear that voyce. |
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., II. 773.
| He calls on Bacchus, and propounds the Prize; | |
| The Groom his Fellow-Groom at Buts defies; | |
| And bends his Bow, and levels with his Eyes. | |
| Or stript for Wrestling, smears his Limbs with Oil, | |
| And watches with a Trip his Foe to foil. |
1715. Pope, Odyss., XX. 25.
| Not fiercer woes thy fortitude cou’d foil, | |
| When the brave partners of thy ten years toil | |
| Dire Polypheme devour’d. |
1736. West, Lett., in Gray’s Poems (1775), 10. You have foiled him infinitely at his own weapon.
1737. Burke, Abridgm. Eng. Hist., Wks. 1842, II. 572. A number of suits, on various pretences, were commenced against him, in every one of which he was sure to be foiled.
1808. J. Barlow, The Columbiad, IV. 247.
| Her Howard there first foils the force of Spain, | |
| And there begins her mastery of the main. |
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), I. 344, Apology, Introduction. These sophisms all occur in his cross-examination of Meletus, who is easily foiled and mastered in the hands of the great dialectician.
b. To outdo, surpass.
a. 1687. Waller, Of a tree cut in paper.
| Fair hand! that can non virgin paper write…. | |
| Strange that your fingers should the pencil foil, | |
| Without the help of colours or of oil! |
1786. Burns, Lass o’ Ballochmyle, iii.
| But woman, nature’s darling child! | |
| There all her charms she does compile; | |
| Ev’n there her other works are foil’d | |
| By the bonnie lass o’ Bollochmyle. |
1812. H. & J. Smith, Rej. Addr., No. 10.
| Perhaps jealous Venus has oil’d | |
| Thy hair with some opiate drug, | |
| Not chusing her charms should be foil’d | |
| By Lady Elizabeth Mugg. |
† c. intr. To suffer discomfiture. Obs.
1591. Greene, Maiden’s Dreame, xlix.
| For country’s weal his labour and his toil | |
| He took, lest that the English state might foil. |
1639. Verger, trans. Camus’ Admir. Events, To Rdr. a vj. There be mindes which foyle in reading a history of great length, humane patience being not of any great extent.
5. To frustrate, render nugatory (an attempt or purpose); to parry (a blow); to baulk, disappoint (hopes, etc.); to baffle, frustrate the efforts of (a person).
App. developed from sense 4 with some influence of the notion of ‘foiling a scent’: see 2.
a. 1564. Becon, Jewel of Joy, in Catechism, &c. (1844), 426. Paul, which before had so many years been foiled with the foolish fantasies and elvish expositions of certain doting doctors, and as it were, drowned in the dirty dregs of the drowsy duncers.
1600. Hakluyt, Voy., III. 160. He could not yeeld againe to withdraw though hee sawe no encouragement to proceed, lest his credite, foyled in his first attempt, in a second should vtterly be disgraced.
1612. T. Taylor, Comm. Titus i. 2. Faith shall bee easily shaken, hope quickly foyled, and the rest of our graces in a continual wane and decay.
1621. Marq. Buckingham, in Fortesc. Papers, 172. Thereupon they touch upon the point of conspiracie, which if they doe, that whole businesse wilbe foyled and the blame will light upon you.
1676. Wiseman, Surgery, V. v. 363. He had been foiled in the Cure, and had left it to Nature; and that the Child was fed with Pudding, and such soft Food, part whereof came daily out at his Wound.
1784. Cowper, Task, III. 4.
| Or having long in miry ways been foiled | |
| And sore discomfited, from slough to slough | |
| Plunging. |
1823. Scott, Peveril, xxxi. To be foiled in a gallant intrigue was to subject himself to the ridicule of his gay court.
1841. Borrow, Zincali, I. iv. II. 301. With the swiftness of lightning he foiled the stroke of Chaléco, and, in another moment, with a dexterous blow, struck the sword out of his hand, sending it ringing against the wall.
1853. Kane, Grinnell Exp., xxviii. (1856), 227. The project, impracticable perhaps from the first, was foiled for a time by a vexatious incident.
1871. Dixon, Tower, III. xii. 123. But here their wits were foiled; for since they dared not speak of what they meant to do, how could they raise an army and equip a fleet?
1871. R. H. Hutton, Ess. (1877), I. 19. The narrow anxiety that would thus supplant a hopeful trust, and limit the aims and activity of man in order to cheat separation a little longer of its pain, is apt to foil its own end, and cool the affection which thus unnaturally limits the range of life.
III. Influenced by FOUL a. and v.; cf. defoil, DEFOUL v. and FILE v.
6. To foul, defile, pollute. In material or immaterial sense. Obs. exc. dial. (In some mod. dialects perh. a pronunciation of FILE.)
Quot. 1440 may belong to sense 3 or 4.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Serm., Sel. Wks. II. 86. Þei preche not to profit of þe folk but to spuyle hem of þer goodis, and to foile [v. r. foulen] hem wiþ many synnes.
c. 1440. Hylton, Scala Perf. (W. de W., 1494), I. xxxiv. A man that hath be moche foyled wyth worldly or flesshely synnes.
a. 1553. Udall, Royster D., V. vi. (Arb.), 85.
| R. Royster. Ah dame, by the auncient lawe of armes, a man | |
| Hath no honour to foile his handes on a woman. |
1633. P. Fletcher, Purple Isl., xi. 33.
| Do Thou protect it from the ravenous spoil | |
| Of ranc’rous enemies, that hourely toil | |
| Thy humble votarie with loathsome spot to foil. |
1878. Cumberld. Gloss., Foil, to defile.
† 7. To dishonor; esp. to deflower (a woman), to violate (chastity).
c. 1440. Gesta Rom., xxxvi. 143 (Harl. MS.). Hast thowe foylid my dowter, and put hir oute of the palis.
a. 1577. Gascoigne, Steel Glas, Wks. (1587), 300.
| And rather chose, to die in their defence, | |
| Then filthy men, should foyle their chastitie. |
a. 1592. Greene, Mamillia, Wks. (Grosart), II. 152–3. Hast thou … no more regard to thy solemne othe than to foile it with periurie?
† 8. To cause filth, drop excrement; = FILE v.2 1 d.
1599. Hayward, 1st Pt. Hen. IV., 77. Like swallows, they forsook that house in the winter of fortune’s boisterous blasts, where they did nothing but feede and foyle in the summer of her sweete sun shine. Ibid. (1616), Sanct. Troub. Soul, I. § 13 (1620), 285. Shall I be like Swine vnder a Mast tree, who doe nothing else but feede and foile, and neuer cast vp their eyes to him, who beateh downe the Acorns to them.
Hence Foiled ppl. a., in senses of the vb.; also of a horse: Injured. Also Foiler, one who foils.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts 425. If he [a horse] be foiled on his fore-feet, by foundering or otherwise, then let him bloud in the toe veins.
1700. S. Parker, Six Philosoph. Ess., 2. O thou prodigious, incomparable, divine Burnet! thou foiler of all Philosophers, High-Priest of Nature!
1810. Scott, Lady of L., II. xxx.
| Till the foil’d king, from pathless glen, | |
| Shall bootless turn him home agen. |
1869. Peacock, Lonsdale Gloss., Foiled-girse, grass much trodden.
