Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

DELL, n. The goal in games (Abd. 1825 Jam.²; Abd.⁹, Fif.¹⁰ 1940); “a marked off corner of the playground within whose confines was safety” (Abd. 1938 A. Keith in Abd. Press and Jnl. (26 March) 6). Cf. Dool, n.², v.²Arg. 1901 R. C. Maclagan Games Argsh. 16:
There is a “dell” or “den” formed by making any convenient number of holes in the ground, usually four, each forming the corner of a square about eight yards.