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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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

GRAIP, n., v.¹ Also ‡grape; †graep (Dmb. 1817 J. Walker Poems 118; Fif. 1909 Colville 146), †greap (Sc. 1734 J. Spotiswood Hope's Practicks 542; Dmf. 1812 W. Singer Agric. Dmf. 233), grep (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928)), greip. [gre:p]

I. n. 1. An iron-pronged fork used in farming and gardening. Gen.Sc. Also in n.Eng. dial. Dim. graipie.Sc. 1711 J. Maidment New Bk. Old Ballads (1885) 38:
With rousty rappiers in our hands, Spades, forks, and graips, as we demand.Sc. 1721 J. Kelly Proverbs 3:
A begun turn is half ended; quoth the good Wife when she stuck the Grape in the Midding.Ayr. 1786 Burns Halloween xviii.:
The graip he for a harrow taks, An' haurls at his curpan.Slk. 1820 Hogg Winter Ev. Tales II. 202:
Getting hold of a graip . . . he attacked his adversary with such an overflow of dung, that his horse took fright.Sc. 1821 Scott Pirate xvii.:
Pit yoursell forward, man — there's a graip to ye.Ork. 1868 D. Gorrie Orkneys 316:
Farmlads . . . flourished . . . formidable three-pronged graips.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxxviii.:
The goodman 'imsel' was pirlin aboot the byre doors wi' a bit graipie in's han'.Kcb. 1897 T. Murray Frae the Heather 169:
We mean to plant the pratties here, And if ye're no in business prest, . . . Fetch ower a graip and mak it usefu'.Cai. 1916 J. Mowat Cai. Proverbs 9, Cai.⁷ 1954:
Aye strikin 'er graip in 'er neebor's midden.Arg. 1952 N. Mitchison Lobsters on the Agenda i.:
She poked the grating angrily with the prongs of the byre graip.Abd.²⁷, Ags.¹⁹ 1955:
To someone carelessly dressed: “Ye've thrown on yer claes wi' a graip the day.”ne.Sc. 1986 Peter Mowatt in Joy Hendry Chapman 43-4 155:
Each of us was then issued with a fork - or was it a grape? - and shown how to stab the earth at forty five degrees to a depth of a couple of inches, and heave out the couch grass and weeds. Sc. 1988 Scotsman 31 Dec 12:
He had put the graip through his foot when he was loading dung from the midden. Per. 1990 Betsy Whyte Red Rowans and Wild Honey (1991) 51:
Most of us knew how to build a hay stack but in the semi-dark, and with only one graip, it was no easy task. Abd. 1991 George Bruce in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 20:
As the sanle leapt
oor haunds flasht, and they like lichtnin
back to their sand hame, but agen and agen
the graips threw up sods o sand Cai. 1992 James Miller A Fine White Stoor 20:
The neeps were already plucked and cut free from earth and shaw, and lay in rows like dull, irregular bowls. With a greip it did not take long to fill the cart, or with sufficient to feed the cattle for a day or two.

Hence (1) graip(ie)fu(l), greipful, a forkful. Gen.Sc.; †(2) grape-hoe, a kind of pronged hoe or weeding fork; (3) graip shank, the handle of a graip (Cai., m.Lth., wm.Sc., Ayr., Kcb. 1955).(1) Sc. 1858 H. Stephens Farm Implements 500:
The graipful of earth thus obtained is turned over in the hollow of the drill.Rxb. 1918 Kelso Chron. (15 Feb.) 4:
Apply every graipful [of dung] you have in spring as shortly as possible before growth starts.Bnff. 1936 Abd. Press and Jnl. (8 June):
As I fess't a pucklie strae, A graipiefu' o' strae.Dundee 1991 Ellie McDonald The Gangan Fuit 33:
Man i the muin he's staunan an chauvan
wi a graipful o breers he's warslan awaa. Cai. 1992 James Miller A Fine White Stoor 121:
Och I suppose not, as long as the green shoots get the sun they dinna care how it comes, in bucketfuls or greipfuls or poured oot fae a thimble.(2) Sc. 1822 Farmer's Mag. (Feb.) 13:
Afterwards, I always use ‘The Grape-Hoe,' without which I do not know how I could keep the grass free from root-weeds.(3) Sc. 1843 Whistle-Binkie (1890) II. 238:
My mother cam' out in a hurry, And wi' the grape-shank o'er his head cam' a thwack.wm.Sc. 1854 Laird of Logan 256:
There wasna a graip shank in the hand o' ony body about the house.

¶2. A trident.Sc. 1728 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) II. 50:
Dis shook his Fork, Pallas her Shield, Neptune his Grape began to wield.

II. v. To fork up (ne.Sc., Ags., Fif., m.Lth., wm.Sc., s.Sc., Uls. 1955).Uls. 1924 North. Whig (5 Jan.):
Do you think I was going to tell them that it was graiping weeds and scaling dung developed my muscles?