skafl

snowdrift

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m.

1) steep snow-drift;

2) toppling sea;

3) beygja skaflinn, to make a wry mouth, of one crying.

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n. [from skafa], a snow-drift, a mass of snow, Fas, i. 116; standa sumir á skaflinum, Sturl. ii. 118; skafl var lagðr af hamrinum niðr á jöfnu, Þórð. 44; var kominn snjár á jörð í skafla á fjöllin, Fbr. 36; hann tók spjót sín ok rak í skaflinn, Sd. 163; snjó-skafl, passim; metaph. of waves white as drifted snow, báru-skafl, Hallfred; sjóvar-skaflar þeir sem brökuðu öllu megin at skipinu, Fas. ii. 76.

II. the pointed end of a sharp horse-shoe: skafla-járn, n. a sharp shoe: skafla-járna, að, to sharpen a shoe: skafla-járnaðr, adj. sharp-shod: hence the metaph. phrase, beygja skaflinn, to turn up the mouth in the shape of a horse-shoe, make a wry mouth, hence to cry (in mod. popular phrase, gera skeifu = make a horse-shoe, of children), Fb. i. 566, beygja af; skafl beygjattu skalli, þótt skúr á þik falli, Sturl. iii. (in a verse); hence,

2. the tusk of wild beasts; sökk tann-skaflinn djúpt, og reif með sér mikit af holdinu, Od. xix. 451.