vbl. sb. [f. FOUL v.1 + -ING1.]
1. The action of the vb. FOUL in various senses.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., III. 513–4. Þe gospel oweþ to be kept, wiþouten ony foulinge, of alle Cristene men.
1552. Huloet, Foulinge or defilynge, vitiatio.
1580. Hollyband, Treas. Fr. Tong, Salissure, fouling.
1691. T. H[ale], Acc. New Invent., 80. As to its fouling, it fouls nothing near so soon as a Wood-sheathing.
1865. The Saturday Review, XIX. 11 March, 293/1. He [Wright] reminds us of the pictures at Thebes of the excesses of ladies of high rank at banquets of wine, and borrows from Sir Gardner Wilkinson a sketch of the ludicrous catastrophe of the fouling of two boats in a solemn funeral procession.
attrib. 1893. R. Kipling, Many Invent., 248. There would be the rifle carefully uncleaned, with the fouling marks about breech and muzzle, to be sworn to by half a dozen superfluous privates.
2. concr. A foul deposit, filth. Also, † a foul person, a wretch.
1382. Wyclif, Ezek. xxiv. 11. That … the foulynge therof be wellid to gidre in the mydil therof, and the rust of it be waastid.
c. 1450. Cov. Myst. (Shaks. Soc.), 306. Spek, I say, thou foulyng, evyl mot thou fare!
1882. J. H. Walsh, Modern Sportsm., I. 382. There is a space left between the swedged part and the chamber where the fouling collects, leading to bad shooting.
1891. Daily News, 23 Oct., 5/8. A rousing flood … will effectually cleanse out this fouling.
