windle
windle — noun
1. A traditional regional unit whose value varied from one place to another, employ
A traditional regional unit whose value varied from one place to another, employed historically in the north of England and in Scotland for measuring wheat, barley, and similar grains before standard metric weights were introduced.
Wei's grandfather measured wheat in windles, but the young farmer used kilograms instead.
historical measure replaced by metric system
Old farm ledgers show how many windles of barley tenants brought to the mill each year.
recorded in historical farm ledgers
One windle of grain in Durham held more than a windle of the same grain in Hexham.
Historians convert windles into modern units to compare old Scottish harvest records.
用法筆記
This term is now obsolete or historical. It is mostly found in old documents, court records, and agricultural ledgers rather than in modern speech or writing.
常見錯誤
2. A small migratory thrush with a pale stripe above each eye and reddish-brown pat
A small migratory thrush with a pale stripe above each eye and reddish-brown patches under its wings, found in Europe and northern Asia. It visits gardens, hedgerows, and open woodlands in winter, often in mixed flocks. Also called a redwing.
Fatima saw a windle on a birch branch, its red under-wing bright in the light.
identifying feature: red under-wing patch
During winter, flocks of windles visit gardens to eat berries from holly trees.
winter garden visitor, feeds on berries
Diego heard a windle's soft call before he saw the bird on the fence post.
The guide calls the windle a thrush that breeds in Scandinavia and winters in Britain.
- redwing
the standard modern name for the same species (Turdus iliacus)
用法筆記
Windle is an uncommon alternative name for the redwing (Turdus iliacus). Most modern bird guides and field references use redwing rather than windle.