Sc. Forms: 6 bonspeill, 8 -speel, 9 -spel, -speil, -spiel. [Of uncertain origin and history: many conjectures may be seen in Jamieson and elsewhere; perhaps it represents a Du. *bondspel f. bond = verbond ‘covenant, alliance, compact,’ and spel ‘play.’ The word prob. entered Scotch as a whole, spiel, spel, having never been in common use for ‘play.’]
† 1. A set match at some game. Obs.
c. 1565. R. Lindsay, Cron. Scotl., 348 (Jam.). The kingis mother … tuik ane waigeour of archerie vpoun the Inglishmanis handis, contrair the king hir sone…. The king, heiring of this bonspeill of his mother, was weill content.
2. spec. A ‘grand curling-match’ between two distinct clubs or districts.
(The spiels, and definition of them, in quot. 1831, are constructed by the writer from his own etymological fancies.)
a. 1772. J. Græme, in Anderson, Poets, XI. 447 (Jam.). Some hoary hero … tedious talks … of many a bonspeel gain’d Against opposing parishes.
1815. Scott, Guy M., xxxii. He never … gave another glance at the bonspiel, though there was the finest fun amang the curlers ever was seen.
1831. Blackw. Mag., XXX. 972. Bonspiels or bonspels, in contradistinction to spiels, which may be defined to imply a game or match between members of the same society, or of a limited number of adversaries, are matches between rival parishes or districts.
1865. Times, 22 Feb., 10/6. [Quebec.] The grand ‘bonspiel’ of the Curling Club comes off to-morrow.
