Word of the Day for Sunday, January 6, 2013

birl \burl\, verb:

1. To spin or cause to rotate.
2. Chiefly Northern U.S. Lumbering. To cause (a floating log) to rotate rapidly by treading upon it.
3. British. A. To move or rotate rapidly. B. Informal. To spend money freely. C. Informal. To gamble.

noun:
1. British Informal. An attempt; a gamble.

I feel a bit light, then it's like my brain starts to birl in my head sending my thoughts and emotions cascading around.
-- Irvine Welsh, "Filth"

To-night he would birl the bottle with Templandumir as usual, till the fuddled laird should think himself a fine big fellow…
-- George Douglas Brown, "The House With The Green Shutters"

Birl arose in the 1700s from an unknown origin. It may have been a combination of birr (meaning "force") and whirl.

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