hantle en · NOUN
Etymology
Of obscure origin. Perhaps from Middle English *antel, *antæl, from Old English *antæl, *andtæl, equivalent to and- + tale (“number”); or more likely of North Germanic origin, related to Swedish antal, Danish antal (“a number, multitude”), Dutch aantal (“a number, a great many”), and German Anzahl (“a number, quantity, multitude”). The addition of initial h is believed to be due to influence from Middle English handfull (“handful”).
Meanings
-
(Northern, Scotland, UK) A considerable number or quantity; a great many; a great deal.
An Irish creature, Erbert Ellison was the name, ran the place for the trustees, he said, but if you might believe all the stories you heard he ran a hantle more silver into his own pouch than he ran into theirs.
1932, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Sunset Song (A Scots Quair), Polygon, published 2006, page 15:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hantles | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| hankle | alternative | lexicographic | |
| hancle | alternative | lexicographic | |
| hontle | alternative | lexicographic | |
| hantill | alternative | lexicographic | |
| hauntle | alternative | lexicographic | |
| hantel | alternative | lexicographic |
Synonyms
hecatomb · horseload · many · heap · spadeloads · crapload · shitton · tun · muckle · load · hantle · mampus · abundance · butt-ton · mountain · arseload · bucketful · bellyload · wagonload · multiplicity · pile · buttload · trainload · bucketload · lot · deal · shitflood · fuckload · metric fuckton · lashings · assload · truckload · fuckwad · gob · cartload · sight · brimful · shedload · mass · ream · superflux · vaultful · crapflood · mickle · shitload · busload · ton · shitful · fuckton · great deal · bumload · sum · metric shitload · helluvalot · slew · multitude · boatload · battalion