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trolling

 [trohl]   Origin

troll

1   [trohl]
verb (used with object)
1.
to sing or utter in a full, rolling voice.
2.
to sing in the manner of a round or catch.
3.
to fish for or in with a moving line, working the line up or down with a rod, as in fishing for pike, or trailing the line behind a slow-moving boat.
4.
to move (the line or bait) in doing this.
5.
to cause to turn round and round; roll.
EXPAND
6.
Obsolete. to hand around, as a bowl of liquor at table.
COLLAPSE
verb (used without object)
7.
to sing with a full, rolling voice; give forth full, rolling tones.
8.
to be uttered or sounded in such tones.
9.
to fish by trolling.
10.
to roll; turn round and round.
11.
to move nimbly, as the tongue in speaking.

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Trolling is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
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noun
12.
a song whose parts are sung in succession; a round.
13.
the act of trolling.
14.
a lure used in trolling for fish.
15.
the fishing line containing the lure and hook for use in trolling.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English trollen to roll, stroll < Middle French troller to run here and there < Middle High German trollen walk or run with short steps

Related forms
troll·er, noun
un·trolled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To trolling
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

troll
"ugly dwarf or giant," 1616, from O.N. troll "giant, fiend, demon." Some speculate that it originally meant "creature that walks clumsily," and derives from P.Gmc. *truzlan, from *truzlanan (see troll (v.)). But it seems to have been a general supernatural word, cf. Swed.
EXPAND
trolla "to charm, bewitch;" O.N. trolldomr "witchcraft." The old sagas tell of the troll-bull, a supernatural being in the form of a bull, as well as boar-trolls. There were troll-maidens, troll-wives, and troll-women; the trollman, a magician or wizard, and the troll-drum, used in Lappish magic rites. The word was popularized in Eng. by 19c. antiquarians, but it has been current in the Shetlands and Orkneys since Viking times. The first record of it is from a court document from the Shetlands, regarding a certain Catherine, who, among other things, was accused of "airt and pairt of witchcraft and sorcerie, in hanting and seeing the Trollis ryse out of the kyrk yeard of Hildiswick." Originally conceived as a race of giants, they have suffered the same fate as the Celtic Danann and are now regarded in Denmark and Sweden as dwarfs and imps supposed to live in caves or under the ground.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

troll definition


  1. n.
    an ugly person; a grouchy person. : Gee, that dame is a real troll. What's her problem?
  2. n.
    an internet user who sends inflammatory or provocative messages designed to elicit negative responses or start a flame-war. (As a fisherman trolls for an unsuspecting fish.) : Don't answer those silly messages. Some troll is just looking for an argument.
  3. n.
    a message sent by a troll (sense 2). : Every time I get a troll, I just delete it.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

trolling

method of fishing in which a lure or a bait is pulled behind a boat at varying speeds and depths according to the nature, habitat, and size of the fish being sought. Trolling is practiced in both freshwater and salt water and with all kinds of craft; power boats that carry varied tackle and big-game gear are usually used at sea but may also be used on inland waters, where legal. Trolling permits the fisherman to cover a wide area, making it the method of choice among sport anglers in pursuit of such highly mobile species as walleye and muskellunge (muskie) in large freshwater lakes and rivers. Trolling for sport is usually done at relatively low speeds using strong rods equipped with stout lines and heavy reels. The fisherman sits facing the stern, sometimes in a specially equipped fighting chair. Troll lines are also used by trawler fishermen for commercial catches, principally salmon and tuna.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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