Forms: α. 1 stricel, -il, 5 strik-, strykylle, -elle, strykkell, 6–7 strikle, 7 stricle, 7– strickle. β. 6 strichell, stritchill, 7–8 stritchel(l, 7–9 strichel. γ. 7–8 stricklace, 8–9 strickless, 9 stric(k)les, -liss, strecless, strikeless. [OE. stricel (? also *stricels) = Flem. strekel masc. (Kilian, De Bo), mod.Fris. strikkil strickle for a scythe (= sense 2 below), f. Teut. *strik-: see STRIKE v.
The OE. word is recorded (see Bosworth-Toller) only in the senses ‘Pulley, small wheel,’ and ‘teat,’ which did not survive into ME.; they seem, like the senses explained below, to be referable to known senses of the verbal root. the β forms are due to a different ablaut-grade of the suffix; the γ forms seem to represent an OE. *stricels.]
1. A straight piece of wood with which surplus grain is struck off level with the rim of the measure. Sometimes applied to the amount so measured.
14[?]. Nom., in Wr.-Wülcker, 726/4. Hoc os[t]orium, a strikylle.
1483. Cath. Angl., 369/2. A Strykylle, hostorium. A Strylkell [sic: ? read strykkell] for A buschelle, hostimentum.
1585. Higins, Junius’ Nomencl., 256/1. Radius,… that which Bakers vse to make their meale measures euen: a streeke or strichell. Ibid., 341/1. Hostorium,… a stritchill: a stricke: a long & round peece of wood like a rolling pinne (with vs it is flat) wherewith measures are made euen.
1641. Best, Farm. Bks. (Surtees), 103. When wee goe to take up corne for the mill, the first thing wee doe is to looke out poakes, then the bushell and strickle.
1790. W. H. Marshall, Rur. Econ. Midl., II. 443. Strickless; striker of a bushel, &c.
1800. W. Pitt, in S. Shaw, Hist. Staff. (1801), II. I. 207/1. The grosser articles are heaped, but grain is stricken off, with the strait edge of a strip of board, called a strickless: this level measure of grain is here provincially termed strike, and strickless.
1887. Kent Gloss., Strickle, a striker, with which the heaped-up measure is struck off and made even. The measure thus evened by the strickle is called race measure, i.e. razed measure.
b. Applied to various instruments used for similar purposes in casting or molding: see quots.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, III. 326/1. The third [plumbers’ instrument] is the Strickle; it is a slender Sparr, rabated in the ends answerable to the breadth of the Casting Frame,… by this he beats down the Sand in the Frame,… and when the Lead is cast over … the Plummer followeth the Lead with this Instrument, to drive it forwards, and keep it … all of a thickness.
1831. J. Holland, Manuf. Metal, I. 69. The box is now filled up [with sand], and having been levelled with a strickle, is turned over.
1843. Holtzapffel, Turning, I. 363. A semicircular piece of wood, called a strickle, is used for working and smoothing the half core.
1885. [Horner], Pattern Making, 154. The sand within the frame is scraped out with a strickle, shouldered to the same depth as the thickness of the plate.
1888. Lockwood’s Dict. Mech. Engin., Strickle,… Any piece of wood cut to a special shape and used to impart a special contour to a bed of foundry sand, and thus save expense in pattern making.
2. A tool with which a reaper whets or sharpens his scythe = STRAIK sb.1 4. Also a mechanical grinder (see quot. 1846).
1641. Best, Farm. Bks. (Surtees), 32. The tooles that mowers are to have with them, are sythe, shafte, and strickle,… the best stricles are those that are made of … oake.
1764. Museum Rust., II. viii. 32. The fixing of the strickle or whetstone at the extremity of our [scythe-] shafts gives a very advantageous balance to the whole machine.
1828. Carr, Craven Gloss., Strickle, a piece of wood besmeared with grease and strewed with sand to sharpen scythes.
1846. Holtzapffel, Turning, II. 913. The edges of the eight blades [of revolving shears for shearing cloth] are ground … by a grinder or strickle fed with emery, passed to and fro on a slide.
1859. F. S. Cooper, Ironmongers’ Catal., 70. Emery Strickles.
1908. [Miss E. Fowler], Betw. Trent & Ancholme, 372. The sharpening strickle on the scythe or the reaping-hook.
