tusslen.

/ˈtʌs(ə)l/

Forms: see tussle v.

Etymology: < tussle v. Rare in literary use before 19th cent.

A vigorous or disorderly conflict; a severe struggle, a hard contest; a scuffle.

a. in physical sense; †in quot. 1629, an assault (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > specific offences > [noun] > unlawful violence > assault

assault1447

battery1531

striking1541

tusslement1597

tussle1629

common assault1743

society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > [noun] > a fight

bicker1297

fightc1300

tirpeilc1330

ragea1393

stradec1400

intermell1489

cockfighta1513

skirm1534

bustle1579

pell-mellc1586

brabble1587

jostle1607

scufflea1616

counterbuff1632

mêléea1648

roil1690

tussle1749

scrimmage1780

turn-up1810

scrape1812

pounding match1815

mellay1819

struggle1840

mix-up1841

scrap1846

rough-up1891

turn-to1893

push and shove1895

bagarre1897

stoush1908

dogfight1910

bundle1936

sort-out1937

yike1940

bassa-bassa1956

punch-up1958

thump-up1967

1629 in J. A. Picton City of Liverpool: Select. Munic. Rec. (1883) I. 232 Wee present Hugh Houghton for a tusle upon Mr. Ballive Chantrell.

1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones III. ix. iv. 339 I hate to see two People bear Ill-will to one another, after they have had a Tussel .

1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian xiv, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. IV. 346 It is some comfort, when one has had a sair tassle..that it is in a fair leddy's service.

1848 A. H. Clough Bothie of Toper-na-Fuosich i. 152 Where the life and the strength come out in the tug and the tussle.

1851 G. Borrow Lavengro (1893) lxxxii. 318 I put myself into a posture which I deemed the best both for offence and defence, and the tuzzle commenced.

1862 S. Smiles Lives Engineers III. 31 There was a terrible tussle and worrying between the dogs.

b. in figurative sense: esp. a sharp and determined contention or dispute.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > dissent > contention or strife > [noun] > an act or instance of

flitec1000

strifea1225

wara1300

pulla1400

lakec1420

contenta1450

stour?c1450

contentiona1500

pingle1543

agony1555

feudc1565

combat1567

skirmish1576

grapple1604

counter-scuffle1628

scuffle1641

agon1649

tug1660

tug of war1677

risse1684

struggle1692

palaver1707

hash1789

warsle1792

scrabble1794

set-to1794

go1823

bucklea1849

wrestle1850

tussle1857

head-to-head1884

scrum1905

battleground1931

shoot-out1953

mud-wrestle1986

1857 C. Dickens Let. 3 Aug. (1995) VIII. 399 I hope you have seen my tussle with the Edinburgh [Review].

1883 C. F. Adams College Fetich 11 An experience in the tussle of life.

1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 17 July 2/1 The prospect of a tussle with the Peers.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1916; most recently modified version published online June 2018).

tusslev.

/ˈtʌs(ə)l/

Forms: Middle English tussill, 1500s–1600s tusle, 1500s–1800s tussel, 1700s–1800s tustle, 1800s tussell, tussle, tuzzle.

Etymology: Originally apparently Scots and northern; probably diminutive or frequentative of touse v.: compare tousle v., in northern dialect toozle.

1. transitive. To pull or push about roughly, to hustle; to struggle or contend roughly with, to engage in a tussle with. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > movement > impelling or driving > pushing and pulling > push and pull [verb (transitive)] > push or pull about roughly

to-push13..

manhandlea1470

tussle?a1500

touse1509

rouzle1582

touslea1585

turmoil1588

jostle1602

grabble1684

swig1684

shovel1816

tousle1816

to push (someone) around1900

scruff1926

a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Fox, Wolf, & Cadger l. 2065 in Poems (1981) 79 I trou ȝe haue bene tussillit with sum tyke.

1573 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 18 Sum of them..hath baitid and tuslid and chasid me.

1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) To Tustle, to rumple, ruffle, or touze.

1775 S. J. Pratt Liberal Opinions (1783) III. lxxii. 34 The maid opened the door..and then we tussel'd her against the door-post.

1858 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia I. vii. vi. 253 His Majesty hustled and tussled the unfortunate Crown-Prince.

2. intransitive. To struggle or contend in a vigorous and determined way; to wrestle confusedly; to scuffle.

a. in physical sense.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > fight [verb (intransitive)]

fightc900

deal993

wraxlec1000

skirm?c1225

makec1275

mellc1300

to fight togethera1400

meddlec1400

match1440

wring1470

cobc1540

toilc1540

strike1579

beat1586

scuffle1590

exchange blows1594

to bang it out or aboutc1600

buffeta1616

tussle1638

dimicate1657

to try a friskin1675

to battle it1821

muss1851

scrap1874

to mix it1905

dogfight1929

yike1940

to go upside (someone's) head1970

1638 in J. A. Picton City of Liverpool: Select. Munic. Rec. (1883) I. 232 Wee present..Iane Ireland and Elizabeth Ireland for tusling and scolding one uppon another.

a1697 J. Grubb in Reliques Anc. Eng. Poetry (1775) III. 321 These sons of him, that hurls the bolt trisulcate..did tustle [1719 bustle] with red-ey'd pole-cat.

1836 F. Marryat Japhet II. ii. 14 I tussled with the man until my coat and shirt were torn.

1852 Fraser's Mag. 46 95 When..fairly hooked, he shakes his head, tuzzles a little at the line, and..slips away.

b. in figurative use.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > dissent > contention or strife > contend [verb (intransitive)]

winc888

fightc900

flitec900

wraxlec1000

wrestlea1200

cockc1225

conteckc1290

strivec1290

struta1300

topc1305

to have, hold, make, take strifec1374

stightlea1375

debatec1386

batea1400

strugglec1412

hurlc1440

ruffle1440

warc1460

warslea1500

pingle?a1513

contend1529

repugn1529

scruggle1530

sturtc1535

tuga1550

broilc1567

threap1572

yoke1581

bustle1585

bandy1594

tilt1595

combat1597

to go (also shake, try, wrestle) a fall1597

mutiny1597

militate1598

combatizec1600

scuffle1601

to run (or ride) a-tilt1608

wage1608

contesta1618

stickle1625

conflict1628

stickle1647

dispute1656

fence1665

contrast1672

scramble1696

to battle it1715

rug1832

grabble1835

buffet1839

tussle1862

pickeer1892

passage1895

tangle1928

1862 H. Marryat One Year in Sweden I. 425 The Catholics tustled with the Reformed clergy for the pulpit.

1864 John Greswold I. 187 That..bitter thought..tussles hard with ones fortitude.

1897 N.Y. Voice 18 Mar. 8/2 The new tariff bill with which the extra session of Congress will tussle and pass, is said to be in the main a restoration of the McKinley tariff of 1890.

Derivatives

ˈtussling n. and adj.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > [noun]

fightOE

skirmingc1275

medleyc1330

mellinga1375

strugglingc1386

mellayc1400

meddlinga1450

skirmerya1500

stightlinga1500

debatea1533

camping?1549

scrambling1598

scuffling1599

duel1764

tussling1844

scrapping1891

bopping1958

1844 A. W. Kinglake Eothen xxvii. 397 Forest trees, tall, and stately..yet lead a tustling life of it below.

1858 T. Carlyle Hist. Friedrich II of Prussia I. iii. xvi. 337 The innumerable sanguinary tussellings of this War.

† ˈtusslement n. an act of tussling, an assault (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ