Foiling

foil ¹  (foil)

tr.v. foiled, foil·ing, foils

1. To prevent from being successful; thwart.

2. To obscure or confuse (a trail or scent) so as to evade pursuers.

n. Archaic

1. A repulse; a setback.

2. The trail or scent of an animal.

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[Middle English foilen, to trample, defile, variant of filen, to defile; see file³.]

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foil ²  (foil)

n.

1. A thin, flexible leaf or sheet of metal: aluminum foil.

2. A thin layer of polished metal placed under a displayed gem to lend it brilliance.

3. One that by contrast underscores or enhances the distinctive characteristics of another: "I am resolved my husband shall not be a rival, but a foil to me" (Charlotte Brontë).

4. The reflective metal coating on the back of a glass mirror.

5. Architecture A curvilinear, often lobelike figure or space formed between the cusps of intersecting arcs, found especially in Gothic tracery and Moorish ornament.

6.

a. An airfoil.

b. Nautical A hydrofoil.

tr.v. foiled, foil·ing, foils

1. To cover or back with foil.

2. To set off by contrast.

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[Middle English, from Old French foille, from Latin folia, pl. of folium, leaf; see bhel-³ in Indo-European roots.]

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foil ³  (foil)

n.

1. A fencing sword having a usually circular guard and a thin, flexible four-sided blade with a button on the tip to prevent injury.

2. The art or sport of fencing with such a sword. Often used in the plural: a contest at foils.

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[Origin unknown.]

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

foiling - an act of hindering someone's plans or efforts thwarting, frustration interference, hinderance, hindrance - the act of hindering or obstructing or impeding