Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The act of emitting a shrill sound; also, a shrill sound; a skirl.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Prov. Eng. & Scot. A shrill cry or sound; a crying shrilly; a skirl.
- noun (Zoöl.), Prov. Eng. A small trout or salmon; -- a name used loosely.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb Present participle of
skirl . - noun UK, dialect A small
trout orsalmon . - noun A
shrill cry or sound; a cryingshrilly ; askirl .
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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Queen Victoria herself used to have the pipers file out before her at Balmoral to the "skirling" of "Bonnie Dundee," "Over the Water to Charlie," and "Wha'll Be King but Charlie!"
Famous Affinities of History — Volume 1 Lyndon Orr
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Queen Victoria herself used to have the pipers file out before her at Balmoral to the "skirling" of "Bonnie Dundee," "Over the Water to Charlie," and "Wha'll Be King but Charlie!"
Famous Affinities of History — Complete Lyndon Orr
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Arkangel have done very well here, by taking the rare but very obvious course of setting the play in, er, Scotland, with appropriate accents and skirling of bagpipes; this gives the whole play an extra edge that I had never really considered properly before.
March Books 8) Macbeth, by William Shakespeare nwhyte 2009
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Watched as he pulled off her elastic, tipped back his head, and held his arms out cruciform, an angular scarecrow in a scrim of skirling snow.
Archive 2009-02-01 L. Lee Lowe 2009
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Watched as he pulled off her elastic, tipped back his head, and held his arms out cruciform, an angular scarecrow in a scrim of skirling snow.
Is it plagiarism, cento, or prose riff? L. Lee Lowe 2009
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The rider stumbled, glowing fragments of its flesh skirling out from it like fireflies.
Vicious Grace M.L.N. Hanover 2010
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There was a massive shout from the floor below, an outbreak of skirling pipes, and the solemn scene dissolved into a heaving surge of riotous yelling.
Sick Cycle Carousel 2010
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The rider stumbled, glowing fragments of its flesh skirling out from it like fireflies.
Vicious Grace M.L.N. Hanover 2010
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The rider stumbled, glowing fragments of its flesh skirling out from it like fireflies.
Vicious Grace M.L.N. Hanover 2010
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To acknowledge we'd lost our way under Cheney-Bush, marching off in every direction with drums pounding, violins skirling and banners flying, is to acknowledge the need we had and still have for salvation.
pterodactyl commented on the word skirling
I've only ever heard this word used to describe the sound of bagpipes. Have any of you heard it used to describe something else?
January 10, 2011
bilby commented on the word skirling
There were a fearful skirling that night the terrier with ringworms was strangled by cross-dressing Angus, aye.
January 10, 2011
chained_bear commented on the word skirling
Not me, pterodactyl, though I have heard caterwauling used to describe pipes too. :)
January 11, 2011