a long discourse or essay, esp. a diatribe.

an informal letter, account, or other piece of writing.

Building Trades .

a strip of plaster or wood applied to a surface to be plastered to serve as a guide for making a true surface.

a wooden strip serving as a guide for making a true level surface on a concrete pavement or the like.

a board or metal strip dragged across a freshly poured concrete slab to give it its proper level.

British Dialect . a fragment or shred, as of cloth.

Scot.

a tear or rip, esp. in cloth.

a drinking bout.

Scot. to tear, rip, or shred, as cloth.