I'd never heard the word 'stale' until maggs mentioned it in Post #623. I looked it up immediately; it does exist. As the question of spelling has now come up, dictionary.com gives me 'stail' : A handle, as of a mop. It adds that the spelling in England is 'stale'. My New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (1993) does not list 'stail' or 'stayle', but defines 'stale' as 'the handle or shaft of a tool'. The same dictionary also tells me that 'stale' was once used to mean the rungs of a ladder; before that it meant one of the two uprights of a ladder.
Thanks for the new word, maggs. David