Now dial. and U.S. Forms: 3–7 tolle, (4 tulle), 4–6 tol, (6 toull, 6–7 toule, towle, 7 toul, toal), 5–7, 9 toll, tole. [ME. tollen, tullen, implying OE. *tollian, *tullian:—*toll-, tullôjan; from same root tull- as TILL v.3:—OE. (for)tyllan:—*tulljan.
Ulterior history and phonology obscure. Relation to stem till-, in OFris. tilla, MLG., MFlem., LG., Du., WFris. tillen, ‘to raise, lift up, take up,’ is phonetically difficult.]
1. trans. To attract, entice, allure, decoy; † to incite, instigate (obs.).
In literary use in England down to 1690; in 18–19th c. in midl. and south. dialects (see E.D.D.), and U.S. literary use.
c. 1220. Bestiary, 545, in O. E. Misc., 17. Ðis deuel … Tolleð men to him wið his onde.
a. 1250. Owl & Night., 1627. An swa mai mon tolli him to Lutle briddes & iuo.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Reeve’s T., 214. And we wil payen trewely atte fulle With empty hand men may none haukes tulle [Camb. MS. folle … tolle]: Loo heere our siluer redy for to spende.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 496/1. Tollyn, or mevyn, or steryn to doon … a dede, incito, provoco, excito.
1548. Udall, etc., Erasm. Par. Mark iv. 33. Which allure and tolle men vnto them.
1570. T. Wilson, Demosth., Ded. 4. If by this meanes I could towle out some other to do this perfitely.
1593. Tell-Troth’s N. Y. Gift (1876), 18. To tole in customers.
1594. Carew, Tasso (1881), 117. She … with sweet sighes them on doth toule.
1601. Holland, Pliny (1634), I. 261. She … by little and little tilleth and tolleth them so neere, that she can easily sease vpon them.
1611. Cotgr., Emmiellé … inticed, inueagled, allured, tolled, or drawne on by sweet meanes.
1653. Milton, Hirelings (1659), 132. By that lure or loubel [he] may be toald from parish to parish all the town over.
1692. Locke, Educ., § 115. Whatever you observe him to be more frighted at … be sure to tole him on to by … Degrees.
1801. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1830), III. 467. To toll us back to the times when we burnt witches.
1828. Craven Gloss., Toll-on, to entice, to draw on by degrees.
1879. J. D. Long, Æneid, I. 785. Now Dido, she Of Tyre, is toling him with tender words.
1879. T. Hardy, Wessex Tales (1889), 248. ’Tis all done to tole us the wrong way.
1885. Howells, Silas Lapham (1891), I. 271. I’m not going to have ’em say we … tolled him on.
2. spec. U.S. To lure or decoy (wild animals) for the purpose of capture; esp. (a) to decoy (ducks) by means of a dog trained for the purpose (see TOLLER2 2); (b) to attract (fish) by means of bait thrown into the water (see TOLL-BAIT, also TOLLING vbl. sb.1 b, quot. 18[?]). Also absol. or intr.
1858. Lewis, in Youatt, Dog, iii. 90. In this simple branch of education, within the comprehension of any dog, consists the almost incredible art of toling the canvass-back.
1885. C. F. Holder, Marvels Anim. Life, 131. I … procured a large rabbit and placed it some way up from the pond, to toll her [a snake] away from the water.
1885. Blackw. Mag., July, 108/1. Captain Kennedy’s Indian attendant had toled: but neither stag paid any attention. Ibid. (1901), Nov., 691/2. He [a fox] is ‘tolled’ … by a noise made like two fighting crows.
b. intr. for pass. To admit of tolling.
1858. Lewis, in Youatt, Dog, iii. 90. The canvass-back toles better than any other duck.
1874. J. W. Long, Amer. Wild-fowl, xxv. 251. The black-heads tole the most readily.
3. trans. To pull, drag, draw (physically). ? Obs.
a. 1400–50. Alexander, 3640. Þan preses in þe Persyns & of þe proud Medis … agayn all þe yndis, Tolls of þe tirantis…, Seȝes doun on aithire side a sowme out of nounbre.
a. 1440. York Myst., xlvi. 58. As a traytour atteynted þei toled hym and tugged hym [Jesus].
1542. Lam. & Piteous Treat., in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), I. 243. Thynkynge that … he woulde with strength of men, tolle forth his shippes … into the depth of the see.
1654. Gayton, Pleas. Notes, I. vi. 20. Mr. Nicholas … toles downe the books with as little remorse, as a Carman does billets.
† b. Toll out: (?) To stretch out to (a stated length) by being pulled. Obs. rare–1.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 214. And put hem in a presse and pyn[n]ed hem þerinne, Tyl ten ȝerdes or twelue hadde tolled out threttene.
c. intr. for pass. To pull (itself), move, drift.
18[?]. Scott, in Goode, Amer. Fishes (1888), 89. The boat toles round from the tide toward the feeding-ground.
