Gallet

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A small fragment of stone pushed into mortar joints to fill gaps in walls ; in Scots dialect, to startle or frighten someone badly
2. A tiny chip of rock wedged into building joints for support ; a Scottish verb meaning to terrify or put someone into a fright
3. A little splinter of stone used to pack the spaces between masonry blocks ; a Scots word for scaring or alarming a person

Etymology: Stonemasons use gallets as wedges: small chips of stone pressed into mortar joints or slid beneath a larger block to bring it level. The noun names the fragment itself, and the verb describes the work of filling a joint or surface with such chips, so a wall can be said to have been galleted. The word comes from French "galet", which still means a pebble or beach stone. Its ultimate origin is uncertain, and it may be of Celtic or Gaulish origin. English kept the stony sense and narrowed it to the small splinters that building trades produced as a by-product of cutting and dressing stone.