Brewer's: Burl, Burler

In Cumberland, a burler is the master of the revels at a bidden-wedding, who is to see that the guests are well furnished with drink. To burl is to carouse or pour out liquor. (Anglo-Saxon, byrlian.)

“Mr. H. called for a quart of beer. He told me to burl out the beer, as he was in a hurry, and I burled out the glass and gave it to him.” —The Times: Law Reports.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
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