Obs. Forms: 6–7 level(l coyl(e, coile, 7 levell acoile, love le cull, leve-le-queue. [Corruptly ad. Fr. phrase (faire) lever le cul (à quelqu’un), to make a person rise from his seat (lever to raise, cul buttock): see Cotgr., and cf. COIL sb.4 The Fr. name of the game is lève-cul (Littré s.v. lever): cf. the Eng. equivalent in quot. 1656. Florio has an It. levaculo.] A rough, noisy game, formerly played at Christmas, in which each player is in turn driven from his seat and supplanted by another; cf. LEVEL-SICE. Hence = riotous sport, noisy riot; phr. to keep level-coil. Also used advb. = turn and turn about, alternately.
1594. Nashe, Unfort. Trav., 33. The next daie they had solempne disputations, where Luther and Carolosiadius scolded leuell coyle.
1605. Armin, Fool upon Fool (ed. Grosart), 21. They … entred the Parler, found all this leuell coyle, and his pate broken, his face scratcht [etc.].
1611. Florio, Leuacúlo, itch-buttocke, leue le cull.
1616. Beaum. & Fl., Faithf. Friends, I. ii. What coil is here? Level-coil, you see, every man’s pot.
1621. Quarles, Argalus & P., I. (1629), 18. The mothers smile Brought forth the daughters blush; and leuell coyle They smil’d and blusht; one smile begate another.
1633. B. Jonson, Tale Tub, III. ii. Young Justice Bramble has kept level-coyl Here in our quarters, stole away our daughter.
1647. Herrick, Noble Numbers, To God, his gift, 72. As my little Pot doth boyle We will keep this Levell Coyle.
1654. H. L’Estrange, Chas. I. (1655), 157. Thus did Episcopacy and Presbytery play Leve-le-queve, and take their turns of Government for about 30 years.
1656. Blount, Glossogr., Level-Coile is when three play at Tables, or other Game, where onely two can play at a time, and the loser removes his Buttocks, and sits out, and therefore called also Hitch-Buttock.
1684. Observator, No. 129. An Ecclesiastical way of (Leve-Cul, or) Level-Coyle.
