They were brought to London all railed in ropes, like a team of
horses in a cart.
Bacon.
Rail, n. [F. râle, fr. râler to have a rattling in the throat; of
German origin, and akin to E. rattle. See Rattle, v.] (Zoöl.) Any one
of numerous species of limicoline birds of the family Rallidæ,
especially those of the genus Rallus, and of closely allied genera.
They are prized as game birds.
The common European water rail (Rallus aquaticus) is called also
bilcock, skitty coot, and brook runner. The best known American species
are the clapper rail, or salt-marsh hen (Rallus longirostris, var.
crepitans); the king, or red-breasted, rail (R. elegans) (called also
fresh-water marsh-hen); the lesser clapper, or Virginia, rail (R.
Virginianus); and the Carolina, or sora, rail (Porzana Carolina). See
Sora.
Land rail (Zoöl.), the corncrake.
Rail, v. i. [F. railler; cf. Sp. rallar to grate, scrape, molest;
perhaps fr. (assumed) LL. radiculare, fr. L. radere to scrape, grate.
Cf. Rally to banter, Rase.] To use insolent and reproachful language;
to utter reproaches; to scoff; -- followed by at or against, formerly
by on. Shak.
And rail at arts he did not understand.
Dryden.
Lesbia forever on me rails.
Swift.
Rail (rl), v. t. 1. To rail at. [Obs.] Feltham.