f. pl. [the etymology and exact sense of this word is not certain, perh. akin to þylja, referring to a lost strong pret. þaul, þulu]:—a long-winded and complex thing; it is, however, only used in metaph. phrases; svá lízk mér sem mínir menn muni hafa mælt sik í þaular um þetta mál meirr enn þú, would have talked themselves into troubles, Fb. i. 348; rekum af oss tjöldin, róum út ór þessum þaular-vági, reisum viðu ok siglum norðr undan, let us row out of this winding creek, hoist sail and stand out northwards! Fms. viii. 130: the mod. phrase, læra, lesa í þaula = læra í belg, to learn, read by rote; as also, þaul-lesinn, adj.; hann er þaullesinn, one who has read a thing through and through, got through a weary task: þaul-reið, f. a riding steadily on like a log, plodding wearily on: þaul-sætinn, adj. sitting log-like without stirring.