caffle
verbUK /ˈkæfl̩/ · US /ˈkæf(ə)l/
Etymology Alteration of cavil.
1
Ireland, Northern England, Dialectal To wrangle, to argue, to quarrel.
2
Ireland, Northern England, Dialectal To entangle.
3
Northern England, Dialectal To prevaricate; to change one's mind.
- Neither snow nor rain could prevent him from going, for he hated caffling.1876, Memoir Rev. J. Gregory, page 25, quoted in the EDD
- Mr. W—, after some caffling, declared he did not say so and so.1886, Notes and Queries, page 67:
2 more examples
- An' he caffles, an' slews, an' weant saay nowt stright oot aboot munny; an' thaay niver gets to knaw how things is to be left.1889, Mabel Geraldine W. Peacock, North Lincolnshire dialect. Taales fra Linkisheere, page 38:
- He caffled a bit when he was afoore th' magistrates, bud it were to noä good.1889, Edward Peacock, A Glossary of Words Used in the Wapentakes of Manley and Corringham, Lincolnshire, page 89:
4
Ireland, Northern England, Dialectal To cheat.
- Derived terms
- caffler