Caul
Cold. The Ulster Scots pronunciation of 'cold', written 'caul' to mark the dropped final 'd' and the vowel. 'It's caul out there' = it's cold outside. Used freely as an adjective; the noun 'a caul' (= a chill, a cold) is rarer.
Etymology
From standard English 'cold', via the Scots and Ulster Scots pronunciation pattern that drops final 'd' after 'l' and 'n' (the same drop that gives 'aul' from 'old', 'houl' from 'hold'). The Scots cognate 'cauld' is the parallel form; 'caul' is the Ulster spelling.
In a sentence
"Bring a coat - it's caul enough out there to freeze your nose off."
Historical notes
Caul is one of a small family of Ulster Scots pronunciations that drop the final 'd' from standard English: caul (cold), aul (old), houl (hold). All three are heard freely in everyday Ulster speech and represented in writing by the dropped-d spelling. Standard English 'cold' is heard too, especially in formal contexts; 'caul' marks the speaker as Ulster Scots.
Alternate spellings
cauld
Sources
- Dictionaries of the Scots Language (DSL), entry CAULD adj. · dictionary
- Macafee, Caroline. A Concise Ulster Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 1996. · dictionary