harl

plural harls

1. A fibre, especially a fibre of hemp or flax, or an individual fibre of a feather.

   She pushed her fingers under the cream lace, into the ginger harl of spun glass.

   1974, Guy Davenport, Tatlin!

2. A barb, or barbs, of a fine large feather, as of a peacock or ostrich, used in dressing artificial flies.

   Should it be desired, however, to run the hackle all over the body, it may be tied on along with the peacock's harls.

   1875, Angling, 9th edition, volume 2, Encyclopædia Britannica, page 44

present singular third person harls · participle present harling · participle past harled · past harled

1. transitiveTo surface a building using a slurry of pebbles or stone chips which is then cured using a lime render.

   The east side facade is of rubble, studded with small windows and mannered details, while the harled rear (south) wall forms, as completed, a towering, roughly symmetrical grouping.

   1996, Miles Glendinning, Ranald MacInnes, Aonghus MacKechnie, A History of Scottish Architecture, →ISBN, page 361

present singular third person harls · participle present harling · participle past harled · past harled

1. ScotlandtransitiveTo drag along the ground.
2. ScotlandintransitiveTo drag oneself along.
3. To troll for fish.

plural harls

1. ScotlandThe act of dragging.
2. A small quantity; a scraping of anything.

1. A male given name.

plural Harls

1. A surname from German.