Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
DIDDER, Dider, v. and n. Cf. Dither.
1. v.
(1) To move jerkily (Sh.10 1949; w.Sc. 1887 Jam.6 s.v. dilder; Ayr.4 1928, obsol.).Abd. 1923 J. R. Imray Village Roupie 30:
I've jogged alang my daily roun's Wi' meal cairt didrin' at my tail.Ags. 1924 A. Gray Any Man's Life 79:
I see his light Come diddering through the silent night.
(2) “To dribble, ooze, trickle, glide” (w.Sc. 1887 Jam.6).
(3) To trifle, to dawdle (w.Sc. 1887 Jam.6).Ayr.4 1928:
He's just didderin' aboot.
‡2. n. “A smart jerk, shake, jolt” (w.Sc. 1887 Jam.6; Ayr.4 1928, obsol.).
[O.Sc. has diddir, to tremble, shiver, a.1400, Mid.Eng. dyder, c.1440. Prob. a freq. from an onomat. root did-: cf. Dad, v.1, n.2, with similar meanings, n.Eng. dial. dadder, Eng. dodder, etc.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Didder v., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 22 Nov 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/didder>
