Tail v.²

Forms: 4–5 taille, 4–6 taylle, tayle, taile, (6 talle, tale), 6– tail. [ME. taille, a. OF. taillier, 3 sing. pres. taille (S. Leger a. 1000), to cut, shape by cutting, determine the form of, limit, etc.; in mod.F. tailler to cut, etc.; Pr. talhar, talar, Cat. tallar, Sp. tajar, Pg. talhar, It. tagliare, to cut:—late pop. and med.L. tāliāre, talliāre, f. tal(l)ia, in cl. L. tālea rod, twig, cutting: see TALLY sb.¹ OF. taillier gave taille vbl. sb., TAIL sb.², whence again taillier vb. to impose a tax on, to tax: see sense 6 below.]

  I.  In literal and connected senses.

  † 1.  trans. To cut, esp. to a certain size or shape; to shape, fashion; well tailed, well shaped or fashioned. See also TAILED ppl. a.² 1. Obs.

c. 1400.  Laud Troy Bk., 3154. Thenne by-gan this clerkes to tayle Parchemyn and lettres dite.

1422.  trans. Secreta Secret., Priv. Priv., 227. Thay that haue the shuldres hangynge downe-ward and welle taillet, bene fre and lyberall.

1558.  Acc. Fratern. Holy Ghost, Basingstoke (1882), 9. Paide … for fellinge the oke … Item payde … for tallinge and sawinge of the same.

  † 2.  To cut up, cut to pieces, slaughter. Obs.

c. 1330.  R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 14136 Arthur sey þe day gan faille, He bod & stynte his folk to taille.

  [Taile in K. Alisaunder, 2133 (Weber) is a scribal error; MS. Bodley, Laud Misc., 622 has (l. 2137) ‘Bigynneþ ȝoure fomen coile Alto sleiȝtte & nouȝth to spoyle.’]

  † 3.  To put into shape, trim, make ready. (Cf. OF. metre en taille.) Obs.

c. 1330.  R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 115. Dauid of Scotland hasted to þe bataile, Walter Spek ros on hand, þe folk to forme & taile. Ibid. (c. 1330), Chron. Wace (Rolls), 12081. Mariners dighte þem … þer takel for to righte & taille.

c. 1375.  Sc. Leg. Saints, xxiii. (vii Sleperis), 237. Þai … bad malchus he suld hyme taile, & pas to þe towne fore vitale.

  II.  [a. AF. tailler, OF. taillier in sense ‘to determine, fix, appoint’: cf. the Sc. form TAILYE. But, in sense 5, in later use app. f. TAIL sb.² 3.]

  † 4.  To decide or determine in a specified way; to settle, arrange, or fix (a matter).

  [OF. taillier: cf. c. 1250 in Godef. ‘Puis fu la pais ensi taillie que…’.)

c. 1315.  Shoreham, Poems, vii. 817. And was þat conseyl so y-tayled, Þat hyt ne myȝte habbe faylled To bote of manne.

1375.  Barbour, Bruce, XVIII. 238 (Edin. MS.). At that tyme he wald him taile, To dystroy wp sa clene the land, That nane suld leve tharin liffand. Ibid., XIX. 188 (MS. C) [see TAILYE v. 2].

c. 1425.  Wyntoun, Cron., VIII. 5309 (Colton MS.). Had þe Talbot, as talyt [Wemyss MS. talȝeit] was, Iustit, he had suelt in þat plasse.

1472–3.  Rolls of Parlt., VI. 24/1. Yf the seid William Lord Berkeley and Johan his wyfe … cause or suffre any recovere to be had or tayled ayenst theym … by their covyne or assent.

  5.  trans. Law. To limit (an estate of inheritance) to the donee and his heirs general or special; to grant in tail (TAIL sb.² 3); to tie up by entail; to ENTAIL.

[1292.  Britton, II. ii. § 9: see TAIL a.]

1425.  in E. E. Wills, 64. My lande þat is tayled to him.

1425.  Rolls of Parlt., IV. 274/2. By cause ye name of Duc of Norffolke is tailled to me, and to my heirs males of my body commyng: and ye name of Erel of Norffolke is tailled to me, and to my heirs of my body commyng generaly. Ibid. (1483), VI. 253/1. Hereditaments, that were tailled to hym, or to eny other of his Auncesters, by dede or withoute dede.

1501.  Plumpton Corr. (Camden), 152. If Mr. Eleson can fynd any of your lands talled to the here male, send copies therof; I thinke none be.

1647.  N. Bacon, Disc. Govt. Eng., I. xli. (1739), 66. In latter times this estate was also tailed, or cut out sometimes to the Sons and Daughters severally.

1864.  Serjt. Manning, in Athenæum, 27 Feb., 302/2. The great landholders … obtained an Act of Parliament, called the statute de donis, which directed that thenceforth the will of the donor should be strictly observed. Upon this the lands so tailed (appointed) became inalienable.

  III.  Related to tail tax, impost (TAIL sb.² 2).

  † 6.  trans. To impose a ‘tail’ or tax upon; to tax. [OF. taillier, med.L. tāl(l)iare, Du Cange.] Obs.

c. 1330.  R. Brunne, Chron. Wace (Rolls), 2382. Þe Duk of Cornewaille, Al þe souþ tyl hym gan taylle. Ibid., 16550. Ffro Scotland vntil Cornewaille, Al þe lond gan þey [the Saxons] taille.

1474.  Rolls of Parlt., VI. 165/1. That the Maier, Bailyfs and Cominalte … to xx li only … shulden be assessed, taxed and tailed.

1525.  Ld. Berners, Froiss., II. lxii. [lxv.] 210. Nowe they tayle theyr people at theyr pleasure.

a. 1577.  Sir T. Smith, Commw. Eng. (1633), 263. In France the Lords doe taile them whom they call their subjects at their pleasure and cause them to pay summes of money.

  IV.  Related to tail a tally (TAIL sb.² 4).

  † 7.  trans. To mark or record on a tally; to charge (a person) with a debt; transf. to make a mark on, to mark. Obs.

1377.  Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 429. Ȝif I bigge and borwe it, but ȝir it be ytailled [v.r. tailled, 1393 C. VIII. 35 y-tayled] I forȝete it as ȝerne.

a. 1500[?].  Chester Pl., vii. 410. Nay, he come by night—all things lafte—Our tuppes with tar to tayle.

1655.  Fuller, Ch. Hist., XI. i. § 10. His bond of two thousand pounds wherewith he was tailed, continued uncancelled, and was called on the next Parliament.

  † 8.  intr. To deal by tally, or on credit. Obs.

1514.  Sir R. Jernegan, Lett., in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1721), I. App. v. 10. They [of the garrison] had offered the victualers to taylle with them and to set it upon scores:… for mony they had none.

1570.  Foxe, A. & M. (ed. 2), 413/1. He was in great debt … dryuen to tale [so edd. 1576–83; ed. 1596 tallie] for his owne cates.

  † 9.  trans. To tally or agree with; to equal; = TALLY v.¹ 5. Obs.

1638.  Ford, Lady’s Trial, III. iii.