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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread toil and moil #113479 10/12/2003 1:22 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 An ancient cliché. "“No, my young friend,” says Chadband, smoothly, “I will not let you alone. And why? Because I am a harvest-labourer, because I am a toiler and a moiler, because you are delivered over unto me, and are become as a precious instrument in my hands." Moil \Moil\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moiled; p. pr. & vb. n. Moiling.] [OE. moillen to wet, OF. moillier, muillier, F. mouller, fr. (assumed) LL. molliare, fr. L. mollis soft. See Mollify.] To daub; to make dirty; to soil; to defile. Thou . . . doest thy mind in dirty pleasures moil. --Spenser. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: toil and moil #113480 12/26/2003 7:34 PM Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Ah, yes, we'd more likely read today of something having been defiled rather than moiled. Wonder why it has dropped so much out of use? Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: toil and moil #113481 12/26/2003 8:08 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 The old order changeth, ever giving way to the new. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: toil and moil #113482 12/27/2003 11:34 AM Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Wordwind Carpal Tunnel Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 6,296 Piedmont Region of Virginia, U... But moiled is such a direct word--easy to understand and pronounce. I do wonder why this one dropped out of use, at least among the people I know. I don't know that I've ever knowingly read it, but will look out for it from now on. It gets over a thousand hits on Google, but I suppose many of those will have to do with Irish moiled cattled based on a quick read of hits. Here's a link that has a photograph and information about the Irish breed also known as Irish polled cattle: http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/irishmoiled/ Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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