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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

‡GILPIN, n. Also gulpin, gelpin and variant †gwilkin (Abd.⁶ 1916). [′gɪlpən, ′gʌ-, ′gɛ-]

1. A big, stout or well-grown person, gen. applied to young people, a young child (Ags. 1825 Jam., gulpin; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 62; Rs., Bnff. 1916 T.S.D.C. II.; Cai.⁷, Kcb., Dmf. 1954). Sometimes used with derogatory force implying loutishness or immaturity (Abd.⁸ 1917; Kcb.¹⁰ 1954); “a thick-witted, stubborn fellow” (Uls.² 1929, gulpin).Bch. 1832 W. Scott Poems 111:
How this gilpin' may be kend By looking at.Gall. 1843 J. Nicholson Tales 365:
I mind her weel when I was a gilpin of a lassie.Ags. 1882 Brechin Advertiser (12 Dec.) 3:
A muckle glaiket gilpin, clattin' neeps an' forkin' hay at Broomknowe.Bnff.⁶ c.1920:
Jamie's growin a great gilpin o' a loon.Abd.¹⁵ 1948:
Like mony a idder gulpin, he cudna thole bein' contirt.Uls. 2004:
He's jist a stupid gulpin.

2. Extended to animals: (1) “the young of any animal when large and fat” (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 62); “a young bird” (Mry.¹ 1916; Abd.⁸ (Upp. Deeside) 1917, gelpin); an unfledged sparrow (Cai. 1975); (2) a young coal-fish, Gadus virens (Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl.).(2) Uls. 1944 E. E. Evans Irish Heritage 145:
In the north of Ireland the fish most commonly caught from the rocks or from small boats inshore is the dark coal-fish, variously called, according to its age and size, cudden or gelpin, . . . stanlock, black jack, and so on.