Forms: 4–6 calle, 6 caull(e, 6–7 call, cal, kall, caule, cawle, 7 kal, kaull, kawle, 7–9 cawl, 7– caul. See also KELL. [a. F. cale a kind of small cap or head-dress.]
1. A kind of close-fitting cap, worn by women: a net for the hair; a netted cap or head-dress, often richly ornamented. Obs. exc. Hist.
a. 1327. Pol. Songs (1839), 158. Heo … scrynketh for shome, ant shometh for men, Un-comely under calle.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, III. 725. And makyn hym a howe [hood] above a calle. Ibid. (c. 1391), Astrol., I. § 19. A maner krokede strikes … like to the werk of a womanes calle.
c. 1450. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 607. Reticulum, a calle.
1530. Palsgr., 202/2. Call for Maydens, retz de soye.
1557. Praise Maistr. Ryce, in Tottel’s Misc. (Arb.), 201. On her head a caule of gold she ware.
1600. Hakluyt, Voy. (1810), III. 524. Feathers, and cals of net worke.
1697. De la Pryme, Diary (Surtees), 125. Having opend a coffin they found a skelliton, and, about the skull, an antient caul, which was a sort of cap or cornet that women wore formerly on their heads.
1729. T. Cooke, Tales, Prop. etc. 92. With paralytic Hands she pulls the Caul From Head as naked as the Billiard-ball.
1834. Planché, Brit. Costume, 114. The hair … gathered up behind into a caul of golden network.
† b. The netted substructure of a wig. Obs.
1693. Lond. Gaz., No. 2897/4. A … Perriwig … with a Seal on the Caul almost worn of.
1761. Sterne, Tr. Shandy, III. xxxiii. He … inserted his hand … between his head and the cawl of his wig.
1786. Wolcott (P. Pindar), Bozzy & Piozzi, Wks. 1812, I. 363. To the foretop of his Wig … Down to the very net-work, named the Caul.
c. The hinder portion of a woman’s cap.
1740–61. Mrs. Delany, Life & Corr. (1861), III. 400. Her cap … had a very good effect with a pompon; and behind, where you may suppose the bottom of the caul, a knot of diamonds.
1798. Jane Austen, Lett., I. 177. I took the liberty a few days ago of asking your black velvet bonnet to lend me its cawl.
1851. Mayhew, Lond. Labour, I. 387. Net for making caps and ‘cauls,’ which are the plain portion at the back, to be trimmed or edged according to the purchaser’s taste.
1862. Mrs. H. Wood, Mrs. Hallib. Troub., I. xii. 61. The peculiar net cap, with its high caul and neat little border.
† 2. gen. A net for wrapping something in; any ornamental network. Obs.
1481–90. Howard Househ. Bks. (1841), 339. Item for iij. callis iiijd. ob.
1552. Inv. Churches of Surrey, 73. A calle for the pyx.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, VI. lvii. 732. A greene thicke huske … under the same … certayne thinne skinnes, lyke to cawles or nettes.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 199. The women … weare a large long cawle or sack, lik net-worke, which as a garment hides them wholy.
1681. Grew, Musæum, IV. 373 (J.). An Indian Mantle; Also made of Feathers. The Feathers … wrought into a Caule of Packthred.
† 3. A spider’s web. Obs.
1548. Hall, Chron. (1809), 462. Like a Spyder that daily weaveth when hys Calle is torne.
1598. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. i. IV. (1641), 104/1. The low-rooft broken wals (Instead of Arras) hung with Spiders cauls.
1631. Brathwait, Whimzies, Almanack-maker, 7. His shelves for want of authors, are subtilly inter-woven with Spiders Caules.
fig. 1594. W. Percy, Cœlia, iv. in Arb., Garner, VI. 141. What be mens sighs but cauls of guilefulness?
† 4. Anat. Any investing membrane or structure, as the membranes of the brain. Caul of the heart: app. the pericardium; also fig. (from Hosea xiii. 8; cf. Joel ii. 13). Obs. in general sense.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., V. iii. (1495), 107. A merueyllous calle in whiche calle the brayne is wounded and byclypped.
1533. Elyot, Cast. Helth (1541), 12. Calles betwixt the uttermoste skinne and the fleshe.
1610. Barrough, Meth. Physick, IV. i. (1639), 216. The plure or kall that girdeth in the ribbes.
1611. Bible, Hosea xiii. 8. I will meet them as a beare that is bereaued of her whelpes, and will rent the kall of their heart, and there will I deuoure them as a Lion.
1684. trans. Bonet’s Merc. Compit., III. 112/2. Worms are bred in the heart and in its Caul.
fig. 1579. Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 63. Who so is blinded with the caule of beautie.
1636. Featly, Clavis Myst., ii. 26. Custome in sinne hath drawne a kall over my conscience.
1643. S. Marshall, Lett., 15. If their long conversing with God-dammee’s, hath not drawn such a Kawl over their hearts, that to them damnation is ridiculous.
5. spec. a. The fatty membrane investing the intestines; the epiploön or omentum.
1382. Wyclif, Ex. xxix. 13. The calle of the mawe, and the two kydneers.
c. 1440. Anc. Cookery, in Househ. Ord. (1790), 442. Wynde hom in the calle of the swyne.
1611. Cotgr., Alzatin, the fat cawle, or kell, wherein the bowels are lapt.
1713. Cheselden, Anat., III. iv. (1722), 127. Omentum, or Cawl, is a fine Membrane larded with Fat, somewhat like Net-work.
1802. Paley, Nat. Theol., xi. The omentum, epiploon, or cawl, is an apron, tucked up, or doubling upon itself, at its lowest part.
b. The amnion or inner membrane inclosing the fœtus before birth; esp. this or a portion of it sometimes enveloping the head of the child at birth, superstitiously regarded as of good omen, and supposed to be a preservative against drowning.
1547. Boorde, Brev. Health, cccxix. 103 b. A skyn or a call in the whiche a chylde doth lye in the mothers bely.
1610. B. Jonson, Alch., I. ii. (1616), 613. Yo’ were borne with a caule o’ your head.
1798. Morton, Secr. worth know., I. i. 6 (L.). Was he not born with a cawl?
1826. Hood, Sea-Spell. In his pouch confidingly He wore a baby’s caul.
1849. Dickens, Dav. Copp., i. I was born with a caul, which was advertised for sale, in the newspapers, at the low price of fifteen guineas.
6. attrib. and Comb., as (senses 1 and 2) caul fringe, silk, work; † caul-visarded adj.; (sense 5 a) caul fat.
1882. Daily Tel., 29 Aug., 5/1. When oleomargarine is made from *caul fat, it is fit for food.
1653. H. Cogan, trans. Pinto’s Trav., xxxii. 129. A cloth of State of white damask, frenged about with a deep *cawl frenge of green silk and gold.
1483. Act 1 Rich. III., x. § 1. Laces, *calle sylk or coleyn silk throwen or wrought.
1593. Nashe, Christ’s T. (1613), 146. Masker-like *cawle-visarded.
1577. Harrison, England, II. xv. (1877), I. 272. Some ladies exercise their fingers … in *caulworke.
1830. G. P. R. James, Darnley, II. xii. 278. Here stood a frame for caul work.
