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QITILL.
perforce thy Doric quill. 1878 BROWNING Poets Croisic
xlviii, Joining the Delphic quill and Getic trump.
d. A piece of cinnamon or cinchona bark curled
up in the form of a tube. Also, the extent to which
such bark curls up in drying.
1797 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3) VT 12/2 The bark which is
rolled up into short thick quills .. was esteemed the best.
1811 A. T. THOMSON Loud. Disp. (1818) 116 The secondary
. . [characteristics] are exterior coat, fracture, weight, thickness,
and quill. 1851 MORFIT Tanning fr Currying (1853)
86 It is known to commerce as cassia, and comes in single
quills. 1880 C. R. MARKHAM Perttv. Bark 71 The bark
which comes from Loxa is in the minutest quills.
t 2. A small pipe or tube ; esp. a small water-
pipe. 06s.
. Phys, Meek. vi. 57 We took a slender Quill of Glass
which happen'd to be at hand. tr. 1712 J. JAMES Le Blondes
Gardening \w1\K Bore of the Quill ought to be four Times
less than the Bore., of the Conduit-Pipe.
*f-b. A tap or faucet. 06s.
1611 SPEED Hist. Gt. Brit. ix. xv. (1623) 8n With what
quill these wines were vented from the setled Lees. 1611
COTGR., Git tile, the quill, or faucet of a wine vessel. 1737
BOYER Diet. Royal II, The Quill (or Tap) of a Barrel.
c. The hollow steel mandrel of a seal-engraver's
lathe, into which the engraving tools are fitted.
1873 KNIGHT Diet. Mech. 2081/2 The quill is of steel,
about 2 inches long and i inch in diameter.
3. The tube or barrel of a feather, the part by
which it is attached to the skin. Sometimes extended
to include the shaft, or used loosely in the
sense of (
feather '
(esp. one of the strong wing- or
tail-feathers) and/o&A for 'wing',
1555 EDEN Decades 163 Suche thmges as they make of
fethers and quilles impaled with golde. 1575 TURBEBV.
Faitlconrie 331 The seconde kinde of Teynte which fretteth
the principals of a Hawke to the verie Quill. IS93 Q-
ELIZABETH Boetk. iv. met. i. 76 Spedy quilles haue I That
fur aboue the Pole do reache. a 1682 SIR T. BROWNE
Tracts 83 A hard reed about the compass of a Goose or
Swans quill. 1713 C'TESS WINCHELSEA Misc. Poems 216
No Quill, thence pull'd, was shap'd into a pen. 1774
GOLDSM. Nat. Hist. (1776) V. 102 One of the quills was two
feet four inches long; and the barrel, or hollow part, was
six inches and three quarters. 1834 M cMuRTRiE Cieviers
Anim. Kingd. 114 The bony tail, .has a range oflarge quills,
which, .assist in supporting the bird.
b. The feather of a large bird (usually a goose)
formed into a pen by pointing and slitting the
lower end of the barrel.
Brother^ Knigkt ofthe quill \ see BROTHER, KNIGHT. To
draw the quill: see DRAW.
155* [see GOOSE-QUILL], 1581 DERRICKS Image Irel.
(1883) 19 Lorde guide my quiuryng quill. 1591 FLORIO
znd Fruites 97 A serpents tooth bites not so ill, As dooth
a schollers angrie quill 1663 BOYLE Ustf. Exp. Nat,
Philos, i. iv. 87 The quill that a philosopher writes with,
beinj* dipt in ink [etc.]- '704 SWIFT T. Tub i. (1709) 32
A quill worn to the pith in the service of the State. 1771
SMOLLETT Humph. Cl. 10 June, Let. i, His house is open
to all unfortunate brothers of the quill. 1871 B. TAYLOR
Faust (1875) II. it. i. 84 The quill. .Wherewith his compact
with the devil he signed.
c. A plectrum formed of the quill of a feather,
used for plucking the strings of a musical instrument
; in instruments of the harpsichord type, a
piece of crow-quill, fixed on a jack
and set in
motion by the keys.
1551 HULOET, Quyll, with whiche a musician vseth to
play to saue his fingers, or any lyke thinge, plectrum.
1647 WARD Simp. Cobler 84 The world's a well strung
fidle, mans tongue the quill. 1697 DRYDEN SEneidw. 879
His flying fingers, and harmonious quill, Strike sev'n distinguish'd
notes. 1776 BURNEY Hist, Mns. (1789) I. ix. 150
To produce a clear tone . . by the common means of quills
or hammers.
d. The float of a fishing-line, made of a quill.
a 1639 SIR H. WOOTTON On a Bank 8 (Percy Soc.) VI. 17
There stood my friend, with patient skill Attending of his
trembling quill. 1650 E. POWEL in Walton Angler (1875) 13
This Fisherman , . sits by a brook, watching a quill, a 1678
MARVELL Upon Appteton House 640 But now away my
Hooks, my Quills, And Angles, idle Utensils.
e. A toothpick made of a quill.
1784 COWPER Task ii. 628 He picks clean teeth, and, busy
as he seems With an old tavern quill, is hungry yet.
f. Alining. A blasting-fuse, consisting of a quill
filled with
powder (Cent. Diet. 1891).
4. One of the hollow sharp spines forming part
of the covering of a porcupine.
1602 SHAKS. Ham. \. v. 20 Make . . each particular haire
to stand an end, Like Quilles vpon the fretfull Porpentine.
1675 GREW Disc. Tastes Plants vi. 9 As the Quills in the
Skin of a Porcupine. 1774 GOLDSM. Nat. Hist. IV.
(17^76)
108 All these quills .. incline backwards, like the bristles of
an hog. 1855 LONGF. Hiaw. iv. 41 Leggings, Richly wrought
with quills and wampum.
f 5. One of the
I
cylindrical plaits or folds of a
ruff (Nares) ? ; a quilled ruff. Obs.
a 1818 The Gardener xi. in Child Ballads IV. 213 The lily
white to be your smock . . And the jelly-flower to be your quilt.
6. A quill-gnat (see 8 b).
1899 IVestm. Gaz. 2 June 3/2 They prefer to kill their ..
fish with smaller patterns a red quill, or a Wickham's
Fancy.
7. (In full
quill-stroke?)
the game of billiards.
A particular stroke in
61
1896 R. D. WALKER in W. Broadfoot Billiards 370 The
so-called quill or feather stroke, which was tabooed years
and years ago. 1901 Q. Rev. Apr. 483 What was known as
the feather stroke or the 'quill' Mardon considered extremely
serviceable.
8. attrib. and Comb. a. General combs., as
(sense i b) quill-boy, -winder ; (sense 3 or 3 b)
quill-barrel^ -dealer^ -dresser, -employment* -encty -gun, -man, -merchant, -nib, -pen, -shaped adj.,
-timber, -vendor ; (sense 4) quill-darting, -like adjs.
1770 KUCKHAN in Phil. Trans. LX. 314 An incision just
big enough to introduce the end of a *qu ill-barrel. 1812
SOUTH EY in Q. Rev. VIII. 351 What quantity of quill- barrel
ought to be allowed for a clerk's daily consumption. 17*7
BOYER Diet. Royal II, *Quill-Boy, Epeulier. 1670 S.
CLARKE 4 Plant. Amer. 32 *Quil-darting Porcupines and
Rackcopnes. a 1735 ARBUTHNOT & POPE Mem. M. Scrib-
employment was to the King's secretaries. 1797 Encycl,
Brit. (ed. 3) XVII. 692/2 The small *quill ends which touch
the strings. 1859 URE Diet. Arts 454 Into this the quill
end of the feather must be plunged. 1617 LANE Contn.
Syr.'s T. (1887) 37 What *quill-gon bownces dares shee not
[709 STEELE Tatler No. 19 ? 2 Small *Ql
and Transcribing Clerks. 1830 SCOTT Ayrsh. Trag. \. i,
Quintin the quillman, Quintin the comptroller. 1813
Examiner 8 Feb. 86/1 J. Jones, .. *quill merchant. 1853
SIMMONDS Diet. Traiie 310 *Quill-nibs. 1875 KNIGHT Diet.
Mech. 1848/2 Bramah probably first suggested quill-nibs.
i86j MRS. CARLYLE Lett. III. 109 A couple of good "quillpens
of your own making. xSsaMoRFlT Tanning $ Currying
(1853) 86 Cinnamon of Ceylon .. is found in commerce in
thin *quill-shaped pieces. 1650 FULLER PisgaJi in. v. 419
They conceive this third . . Temple never had other then
paper-wals, inke-mortar, and *quil-timber. 1833 J. HOLLAND
Manuf. Metal II. 324 The "quill-venders have found their
occupation tpfalloff. i885C