sb. pl. Now dial. or Hist. Forms: α. 4 keyles, 5 caylys, 6 cayles, kayls, kayells, keiles, 6–7 cailes, (7 keils, kyele-), 4– kayles. β. 6–7 keeles, 6–8 keels, 7 keales, 8 keals. γ. Sc. 5 kilis, 7 kiles, 7– kyles. [Corresp. to MDu. keghel, kegel (also keyl- in keylbane skittle-alley: Du. kegel, pl. kegels and kegelen) = OHG. chegil (MHG. and G. kegel) tapering stick, ninepin, cone, etc. Da. kegle and Sw. kegla, kägla are from LG.; F. quille (known from 1320) is commonly supposed to be an adoption of the Teutonic word; Welsh has ceilys from English. The phonology of the Eng. forms presents difficulties: ME. ei (ai) does not normally give ea, ee in later English. The Scotch form was prob. from Fr.]
1. pl. The set of pins of wood or bone used in a kind of ninepins or skittles; more frequently, the game played with these.
α. c. 1325. Song, in Rel. Ant., I. 292. Ther-fore has ure mayster. ofte horled mi kayles.
1388. Act 12 Rich. II., c. 6 § 1. Les … jeues appellez Coytes dyces gettre de pere keyles & autres tielx jeues importunes.
c. 1450. Advice to Apprentices, in Rel. Ant., II. 224. Exchewe allewey … Caylys, cardyng, and haserdy.
1540. Order, in Rymer Fœdera (1710), XIV. 707. The Playes of Handeoute and Keiles.
1602. Carew, Cornwall (1769), 10. The residue of the time they weare out at Coytes, Kayles or like idle exercises.
1633. B. Jonson, Chloridia, Wks. (1692), 657/2. All the Furies are at a Game call’d Nine-pins, or Keils, made of old Usurers Bones, and their Souls looking on with delight, and betting on the Game.
1737. Pegge, Kenticisms (E. D. S.), Cales,… skittles, nine-pins. So they call them at Canterbury.
1838. Mrs. Bray, Tradit. Devonsh., II. 170, note. This [Kales] is our provincial name, for what, I believe, is nothing more than the common game of nine-pins, or skittles, now played by the vulgar in public-house yards.
1887. Kentish Gloss., Cailes, skittles, ninepins.
β. a. 1586. Sidney, Arcadia, I. (1622), 83. And now at keels they try a harmelesse chaunce.
1598. Florio, Aliossi, a play called Nine pins or keeles, or skailes.
1642. Charles I., Let. both Houses Parlt. You … will quickly resolve all their debates and all their actions, into keales.
1721. B. Lynde, Diary, 15 June (1880), 131. Playing keels. Ibid., 7 July, 132. Played keels with Icha.
1887. Kentish Gloss., Keals.
γ. 1496. Acc. Ld. High Treas. Scot., I. 275. Item, that samyn nycht in Drummyn, to the King to play at the kilis, xxviij s.
1617. Minsheu, Ductor, Kiles, or nine pinnes.
1653. Urquhart, Rabelais, I. i. They found nine Flaggons set in such order, as they use to ranke their kyles in Gasconie.
1715. Sherrifmuir, in Jacob. Songs & Ball. (1887), 96. They houghed the clans like ninepin kyles [Kyles or kiles were played in Hawick in early part of 19th c.]
b. sing. One of the pins used in the game. rare.
1652. Urquhart, Jewel, Wks. (1834), 278. To use their king as the players at nine-pins do the middle kyle, which they call the king, at whose fall alone they aim.
¶ Johnson has the following, apparently through confusion with another game: ‘Kayle, a kind of play still retained in Scotland, in which nine holes ranged in three’s are made in the ground, and an iron bullet rolled in among them.’
2. Comb. (of the sing. kayle-, keel-, etc.), as kayle-alley, -bone, -pin, play.
1621. Burton, Anat. Mel., II. ii. IV. Keelpins, tronkes, coits,… and many such, which are the common recreations of country folkes.
1634. Brereton, Trav. (Chetham Soc.), 51. Keale-bones and checke-stones to play with children.
1664. Evelyn, Sylva (1776), 261. Osiers good for hurdles, sieves … kyele-pins [etc.].
c. 1702. in Rogers, Soc. Life Scotl. (1884), II. xii. 252. Bowling-greens, kyle-alleys.
1726. Brice’s Weekly Jrnl., 11 Feb., 3. A very spacious Yard, for both Keal and Tennis-Play.
1801. Strutt, Sports & Past., III. vii. 238. Primitively the kale-pins do not appear to have been confined to any certain number.
