arch. and dial. Also 6–7 coyle, quoile, 6–8 coile, 7 coyl, quoyle, 7–8 quoil. [First in 16th c.: of unknown origin. Prob. a word of colloquial or even slang character, which rose into literary use; many terms of similar meaning have had such an origin; cf. pother, row, rumpus, dirdum, shindy, hubbub, hurly-burly, etc.
The conjectures that coil may be ‘related’ to Gael. coileid (ko·letsh) ‘stir, movement, noise,’ or to gvilim (go·lim) ‘I boil,’ goileadh, ‘boiling,’ or to goill (goly) ‘shield, war, fight,’ are mere random ‘shots,’ without any justification, phonetic or historical. Coil is unknown in Scotland, and no evidence connects it with Ireland. Gaelic or Irish words do not enter English through the air, with phonetic change on the way!]
1. Noisy disturbance, ‘row’; ‘tumult, turmoil, bustle, stir, hurry, confusion’ (J.).
1567. Drant, Horace Epist., II. ii. H iij. Againe, thinckes thou that I at Rome my vearses can indyte Mongst so much toyle, and such a coyle, suche soking carke, and spyte.
1589. R. Harvey, Pl. Perc. (1860), 30. Such a quoile, with pro and con such vrging of Ergoes.
1590. Shaks., Com. Err., III. i. 48. What a coile is there Dromio? who are those at the gate?
1608. L. Machin, Dumb Knt., I. i. If my husband should rise from his study, and misse me, we should have such a coile!
1610. B. Jonson, Alch., V. iv. Did you not heare the coyle About the dore?
1676. E. Bury, Medit., 375. Many great men which … make a great coil, and keep a great stir and bustle in the world.
1728. Swift, Mullinix & T. But tell me, Tim, upon the spot, By all this coil what hast thou got?
1860. T. Martin, trans. Horace, 208. What means this coil? And wherefore be These cruel looks all bent on me?
1884. Holland, Cheshire Gloss., Coil, row.
2. Confused noise of inanimate things; clutter, rattle, confused din.
1582. Munday, Eng. Rom. Life, in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), II. 201. There was suche a coyle amonge the olde yron, suche ratling and throwing downe the boordes, that … I laye almoste feared out of my witts.
1633. T. Adams, Exp. 2 Peter iii. 3 (1865), 617. But put water to fire, and then you have a thundering coil.
1816. L. Hunt, Rimini, I. 11. You may hear a coil Of bubbling springs about the grassier soil.
3. Fuss, ado; a ‘business.’
1593. Drayton, Idea, 262. You Will, and will not, what a coyle is here?
1595. Shaks., John, II. i. 165. I am not worth this coyle that’s made for me.
1613. Wither, Abuses Stript & Whipt, II. i. Vanity, They might foyle The party faulty e’en with half that quoyle.
1640. Gent, Knave in Gr., I. i. I was extream drunke, aske my man Fub else, he’le tell you what a coyle he had with me.
1652. Culpepper, Eng. Physic., 255. Physicians make more a quoil than needs behalf about Electuaries.
1692. Hacket, Abp. Williams, II. 45. What a coil hath been made to set up consisteries of ministers and ruling elders!
1861. Reade, Cloister & H., I. 303. Who makes the coil about nothing now?
1877. N. W. Linc. Gloss., Coil, fuss, bustle.
4. a. To keep a coil: to keep up a disturbance; make a fuss, bustle, much ado.
1568. T. Howell, Newe Sonets (1879), 147. Dyd flee from fredom to the courte, Where Venus only keepes the coyle.
1577. Holinshed, Chron., II. 743. They kept such a coile against the abbat and moonks, to have certeine ancient charters delivered them.
1587. Golding, De Mornay, ix. (1617), 140. Proclus and Simplicius keepe a great coyle in maintenance of the eternity of the world.
1611. Cotgr., Grabuger, to keepe a foule coyle, to make a great stirre, or monstrous hurlyburly.
1669. Shadwell, Royal Shepherdess, V. 73. They all keep such a coile when they come to die.
1748. Thomson, Cast. Indol., I. 35. Still a coil the grasshopper did keep.
1807. Crabbe, Par. Reg., III. 904. And such sad coil with words of vengeance kept, That our best sleepers started as they slept.
b. Mortal coil: the bustle or turmoil of this mortal life. A Shakespearean expression which has become a current phrase.
1602. Shaks., Ham., III. i. 67. What dreames may come, When we haue shufflel’d off this mortall coile, Must giue vs pawse.
a. 1764. Churchill, Poems, Journey, II. 8. When the Night Suspends this mortal coil.
1814. Scott, Ld. of Isles, I. Introd. Where rest from mortal coil the mighty of the Isles.
1829. I. Taylor, Enthus., v. (1867), 108. The Christian … has waited in the coil of mortality only for the moment when he should inspire the ether of the upper world.
