eyethurl

From eye +‎ thurl (“hole”), a modern calque of Old English ēagþyrel. Popularized by Susan Kelz Sperling’s 1977 book Poplollies and Bellibones: A Celebration of Lost Words (see quotation).

eyethurl (plural eyethurls)

1. (puristic (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) or humorous, rare) A window.
   • 1977, Susan Kelz Sperling, Poplollies and Bellibones: A Celebration of Lost Words, New York, N.Y.: Clarkson N. Potter, →ISBN, pages 31 and 53:

     A kidcote is a special name for a prison. Some kidcotes don’t even have an eyethurl. What is an eyethurl? An eyethurl is a window such as the one through which the lovely Rapunzel let down her crinets. […] Note: For dretching the curly crineted child with a fearbabe, the killbuck was sent to a kidcote without an eyethurl. […] The hardhewer graffed for stone for a knosp / For the door to his cosh, upsy-English with burl; / He theeked it with thatch and stood back to aimcry, / Then shrieked, “Juvament! Hadivist! No eyethurl!”

   • 1978, Stuart Diamond, Paul S. Lorris, It’s in Your Power: The Concerned Energy Consumer’s Survival Kit, New York, N.Y.: Rawson Associates Publishers, Inc., →ISBN, page 135, column 2:

     Hark! What light through yonder eyethurl breaks.

   • 1979, Susan Kelz Sperling, The New Book of Knowledge Annual 1979, Danbury, Conn.: Grolier, →ISBN, page 319:

     I was watching the sunset through our eyethurl when I heard strange slurping noises just a wurp away.

   • 1979 September 24, Lauren Calobrisi, “[Fun, Games & Stuff: Kidsday] Story Time: The Kotee and the Bellibone”, in Newsday, Suffolk edition, volume 40, number 22, Long Island, N.Y.: Newsday Inc., part II, page 14:

     There he saw a bellibone sticking her head out of an eyethurl and crying. […] He threw the rope up to the eyethurl.

   • 1985, Cathryn Berger Kaye, Word Works: Why the Alphabet Is a Kid’s Best Friend (A Brown Paper School Book), Boston, Mass.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 99, column 1:

     Glancing out the eyethurl of her modest cosh, she saw a blue scrow—a good sign for a new day.

   • 1985 March 13, The Central and North Jackson County Star, Kansas City, Mo., page 11B:

     Beware of eyethurls that rob home of cooling and heating energy

   • 1987 November 14, Linda Kirlis, “Sheart, I’m shittled: A tale for lovers of rare words”, in The Whig-Standard Magazine, Kingston, Ont., page 31:

     I drag my weary bones from my donge, glance out of the eyethurl, realize that it is barely sparrowfart and I have to iswonk until dimpse.

   • 1990 November 28, Herald & Review, 118th year, number 332, Decatur, Ill., page Focus 4:

     “Eyethurls” Upgrade Home

   • 1992 June 24, Billy Porterfield, “Perot, Clinton, Bush leave voter all agruw”, in Austin American-Statesman, Austin, Tex., page B6, column 1:

     Kew-kaw Perot liked the beek, saw an eyethurl, now not so small, to the presidency.

   • 1993 October 5, Adrienne Jenkins, “[Your stuff: What’s that you just said?] Pleasure”, in The Daily Times, Salisbury, Md., School Zone, page 2, column 3:

     So, when Pleasure was riding on her blonke, a knight named Louis was staring out of his eyethurl.

   • 1995 summer, “Snappy Decors”, in Home: A Guide to Residential Living in Williamsburg and the Surrounding Communities (The Virginia Gazette), Williamsburg, Va., page 8:

     Eyethurls open way to brightness

   • 2012 November, Leon Robert McNarry, “The Erendrake”, in Poems, Tales & Whimsy, Victoria, B.C.: FriesenPress, →ISBN, page 28:

     In the quiet cockshut after a heavy darg, a boonfellow likes to croodle with her fanger (or he with his bellibone) as they watch the sunset through the eyethurl.

     The author thanks Susan Kelz Sperling for Poplollies and Bellibones.