Toggle iron, a harpoon with a pivoted crosspiece in a mortise near the
point to prevent it from being drawn out when a whale, shark, or other
animal, is harpooned. — Toggle joint, an elbow or knee joint,
consisting of two bars so connected that they may be brought quite or
nearly into a straight line, and made to produce great endwise
pressure, when any force is applied to bring them into this position.
Toght (?), a. Taut. [Obs.] Chaucer.
{ To*gid"er (?), To*gid"res (?) }, adv. Together. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Togue (?), n. [From the American Indian name.] (Zoöl.) The namaycush.
To*hew" (?), v. t. [Pref. to- + hew.] To hew in pieces. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Toil (?), n. [F. toiles, pl., toils, nets, fr. toile cloth, canvas,
spider web, fr. L. tela any woven stuff, a web, fr. texere to weave.
See Text, and cf. Toilet.] A net or snare; any thread, web, or string
spread for taking prey; — usually in the plural.
As a Numidian lion, when first caught, Endures the toil that holds him.
Denham.
Then toils for beasts, and lime for birds, were found.
Dryden.
Toil, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Toiled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Toiling.] [OE.
toilen to pull about, to toil; of uncertain origin; cf. OD. teulen,
tuylen, to labor, till, or OF. tooillier, toailler, to wash, rub (cf.
Towel); or perhaps ultimately from the same root as E. tug.] To exert
strength with pain and fatigue of body or mind, especially of the body,
with efforts of some continuance or duration; to labor; to work.
Toil, v. t. 1. To weary; to overlabor. [Obs.] "Toiled with works of
war." Shak.