Sc. Forms: 4–6 tulȝe, tolȝe, 5 tuyl, toilȝe, (tulyhe, tohile, tohyle), 5–6 tulye, 6 tuilȝe (-ze), tuylȝe, -ȝhe, tuill, tule, toulȝe, 6–7 tuilye; 5–6 tuilyie, 6–9 tulyie, -ȝie (-zie), 8 tuilie, toolie, 7–9 tuilȝie (-zie), 8–9 tooly, 9 tully. [ad. OF. tooil, touil, treil, contention, f. OF. toillier: see next and TOIL v.1 For the forms cf. brulyie, fulȝie, spulȝe, ulye. The forms in -ie, -ye are app. taken from the vb.] A quarrel, brawl, fight; a noisy contest, dispute: = TOIL sb.1 1.
(In quot. c. 1425 vaguely used. In Hawick it was formerly usual in time of frost to have a slide of a quarter of a mile long down the centre of the steep street called the Loan, on which long files of sliders came down at a thundering pace: this was famous as the ‘Yokit tuilie’ or ‘Yoke o’ tuilie.’)
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., V. xii. 3943 (Wemyss MS.). It may be callit vnhonest tulȝe [v.rr. tuyl, tohyle, tolȝe, tule, tuylȝe, tuylȝhe] To se þe quyk þe dede dispulȝe Quhen he is woundit in his schete.
a. 1500. Peebles to Play, xix. Sevin-sum, that the tulye maid, Lay gruffling in the stokks.
1557. Peebles Burgh Rec. (1872), 242. Gif ony suddand tulye happyng within the tovne.
1609. Skene, Reg. Maj., I. 142. Na man quha is given to tuilzies or strife, sall presume to beare ane knife with ane poynt, within the Portes … of our Gild.
1728. Ramsay, Advice to Mr. ——, 38. And, smiling, ca’ her little foolie, Syne with a kiss evite a toolie.
1814. Scott, Wav., lxiii. Killed that same night in the tuilzie.
1886. Masson, Edinb. Sk., 25. Edinburgh was famous for its tulzies or causeway fights between noblemen and lairds.
b. without article: Quarrelling, contention, strife; trouble, turmoil.
1550. Records of Elgin (New Spald. Cl., 1903), I. 106. Burges that beis convict for tuilze sall pay for the first tuilze viii s.
1572. Satir. Poems Reform., xxxiv. 59. In Scotland had not bene sic tuill, Gif this had bene þe common reull.
1785. Burns, To W. Simpson, xxxi. But tho’ dull-prose folk Latin splatter In logic tulzie, I hope we Bardies ken some better Than mind sic brulzie.
c. Also Tulyie-mulyie.
1819. W. Tennant, Papistry Storm’d (1827), 4. In mony a fecht and tulzie-mulzie. Ibid., 196. In hideous tulyie-mulyie.
