v. Obs. exc. dial. Also 7 crisle, crizle, crizel, 8–9 crizzel, 9 crissel. [Origin obscure: perh. dim. of CRAZE v. Cf. F. crisser to crackle.]
1. intr. To become rough on the surface, as some kinds of stone or glass by scaling, or as water when it begins to freeze, etc.
1673. Ray, Journ. Low C. (1738), II. 462. Those stones will last well enough, till they shall be removed into a rougher [air]: But then they’ll crizle and scale.
1676. Lond. Gaz., No. 1136/4. Some of the … Flint Glasses … have been observed to crizel and decay.
1677. Plot, Oxfordsh., 253.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., s.v. Crizzelling, The glass thus made … is subject to crizzel.
1821. Clare, Addr. to Plenty (1821), 55. View the hole the boys have broke, Crizzling, still inclin’d to freeze.
1881. Leicestersh. Gloss., Crizzle, to crisp; to grow hard and rough with heat or cold.
2. trans. To cause to ‘crizzle’; to roughen or crumple the surface of.
(The first quot. may be really intr.)
1624. Ford & Dekker, Sun’s Darling, V. i. To feel the ice fall from my crisled skin.
1821. Clare, Vill. Minstr., II. 26. White frost ’gins crizzle pond and brook.
1876. Whitby Gloss., Crizzle, to broil. Crizzled, hardened or crisped as the land is in a droughty season.
1877. N. W. Linc. Gloss., Crisseled up, twisted up as leaves are by cold.
Hence Crizzle sb. (See quot.)
1876. Whitby Gloss., Crizzles, the rough sunburnt places on the face and hands in scorching weather.
