quirled ppl adj Also quarled, querled [ quirl v]
1 also with up: Formed in a coil or spiral; hence fig, tangled up.
1784 Allen Reason 424 VT, A snake quirled (a position common to that venomous reptile) was an emblem of eternity. 1830 in 1912 Thornton Amer. Gloss. 2.716 ceNY, We come out of the [canal] lock, all quirled up in a h—l of a twist.—Northern Watchman, Nov. 30 (Troy, N.Y.). 1850 Bennett Prairie Flower 31/2 Rocky Mts., Thar he was—the cussed Injin—jest as plain as the nose on your face, and a-comin full split right at me, with his rope quirled in his hand, jest ready for a throw. 1893 Shands MS Speech 52, In Mississippi a snake is nearly always said to be quirled or quoiled up, instead of curled or coiled up.. 1903 Yellow-Jacket (Moravian Falls NC) [1 Oct 4]/4, [Letter:] Tomland told the devil that he would take all the hogs that had quirled tails . . and give the devil all that had straight tails. 1917 Survey 37.630 seKY, The path is picturesque, even to the extent of an occasional rattlesnake “quarled” in the middle of it. 2005 Williams Gratitude 517 wNC (as of 1940s), A bean vine was quirled around the cornstalk.
2 usu with up; Of a person or animal: lying in a compact posture with the limbs drawn up.
1848 Buffalo Daily Courier (NY) 6 Oct [2]/3, He [=a train passenger] w[r]iggled about until he got ‘quirled’ up into about the same attitude in which he had been reposing, and went at it again. 1860 Street Woods & Waters 152 neNY, Old Ramrod looked at ’im, as he lay down there all quirled up in a heap, . . and, s’ze, ‘Landlurd,’ s’ze, ‘gimme suthin’ to drink,’ s’ze, ‘I’m dry!’ Well, after a while, Foxtail got up with his shoulder out o’ j’int, and you may believe he let Old Ramrod alone after that. 1899 (1912) Green VA Folk-Speech 341, Quirl. . . Curl. “The dog was quirled up on the mat.” 1913 Keowee Courier (Pickens SC) [5 Mar 3]/2, Some one, in crawling up to the creek, had crawled on to this old deer hound that was ‘quirled up’ in the leaves fast asleep beside a log. 1979 Logan Leader (Russellville KY) [26 Mar 2]/1 cTX, Back when she was just a little dumpling all quirled up in my arms, I would down into the trusting eyes of our infant daughter Jenny and mistake all this good stuff for her overwhelming attraction to dear ole dad.
3 Twisted, deformed. Cf quirl v 6
1875 Beecher Plymouth Pulpit new ser 4.229, Byron was born club-footed, or was early made so; and it wrought, through his whole life, upon his disposition. . . [H]e had to carry that querled ankle all his life long.