See Also: beagle(dictionary)
beagle(encyclopedia)
Beagle, HMS(dictionary)
beagle(dictionary)
Beagle Channel(encyclopedia)

beagle (iou)



beagle noun & verb. L15.
[Perh. from Old French beegueule having the mouth open, from beer open wide (cf. BAY noun4) + gueule throat (see GULES).]
A. noun.
(An animal of) a breed of usu. small hound, used for hare-hunting when the field follows on foot. L15.
legal beagle: see LEGAL adjective.
fig. A spy, an informer; a constable. M16.
b. verb intrans. Hunt with beagles. Freq. as beagling verbal noun. E19.
beagler noun M19.