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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.

HABBLE, v., n. Also habbell, ¶habul. Sc. forms of Eng. hobble; see P.L.D. § 54. Cf. Hobble, v., n.¹, Hubble and Habber. [hɑbl]

I. v. 1. intr. To move unsteadily, limp about (Sc. 1818 Sawers; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 249; Ayr., Gall. 1825 Jam.; Ags. 1956). Also fig.Rnf. 1788 E. Picken Poems 132:
Some, habblan on, without a leg.Lnk. 1893 J. Crawford Sc. Verses 71:
There's noo a fecht, baith dour and steive, That habbles ticht 'tween mouth an' neive.Sc. 1928 Scots Mag. (July) 272:
At last Luckie could abide it nae langer, but waitit for the laird, and as he passed by ae day, habbled oot on him.

Hence †habblie, adj., of cattle: “having big bones, ill-set” (Sc. 1808 Jam.); of ground: soft, quaking, boggy (Sc. 1911 S.D.D.).

2. tr. To confuse, perplex, nonplus, embarrass, to impede, hamper or foil in the performance of anything (Rxb. 1825 Jam., 1923 Watson W.-B., Rxb. 1956), to mismanage (Sc. 1808 Jam.).Slk. 1829 Hogg Shep. Cal. (1874) vii:
Are we to be habbled out o' house and hadding by this rapturous young lawyer o' yours?Hdg. 1896 J. Lumsden Battle of Dunbar 5:
A panic mob — recruits an' men — A priest-led and sair habbled gang!s.Sc. 1897 E. Hamilton Outlaws iii.:
I canna be habbled i' the wark I hae to do.Slg. 1954:
“The game's habbled,” said when something happens to put a stop to it.

3. To tangle (thread, etc.) (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Fif., Kcb. 1956).

4. intr. To stutter, to talk confusedly (Sc. 1808 Jam.); tr. to repeat (something) in a stammering or confused way.Fif. 1806 A. Douglas Poems 121:
Sic habblin' an' gabblin', Ye never heard nor saw.Edb. 1821 W. Liddle Poems 43:
The builders o' the babel tow'r, . . . Was never sae confus'd wi' lear, As what they're here, Wi' habblin, a' wi' ane anither.

5. To quarrel, wrangle (s.Sc. 1825 Jam.; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 72; Slk. 1956). Hence habbler, one who causes or delights in a squabble (Cld. 1880 Jam.); also, to snap at anything like a dog, to make a growling noise when eating voraciously (Sc. 1808 Jam.).Rxb. 1808 A. Scott Poems 145:
Some trump the fauts o' ither fouk, Some habblin on religion.Slk. 1893 J. Dalgleish W. Wathershanks 21:
Tam was at this time habblin' away wi' the big Englishman.

6. To hustle, to shove or jostle roughly or unceremoniously. Slk. 1827 Hogg Tales (1874) 323:
Are we to be habbled out o' house an hadding by this rapacious young lawyer o' yours?

II. n. 1. A difficulty, state of muddle or perplexity, “fix”, tangle (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Per. 1915 Wilson L. Strathearn 198; Bnff.¹² 1930; Fif., m.Lth., Peb., wm.Sc., Kcb., Rxb. 1956; Rxb., Uls. 1990s; Ayr. 2000s).Gsw. 1797 J. Strang Gsw. Clubs (1856) 577:
Tak' care o' yoursel; and if the habble should turn out to be mair than you jaloused, just do as I would do.Rnf. 1807 R. Tannahill Poems 41:
Else, like the Hero of our fable, We'll aft be plung'd into a habble.Rxb. a.1860 J. Younger Autobiog. (1881) 92:
Be the morning what it will, ye're in a habble ony way, ma man.Gall. 1889 H. M. B. Reid Gall. Folk 61:
When the “mistress” in a farmhouse does not appear, but sends an apology that she is “no' fit to be seen,” or that she is “in a habble” . . . you are in small favour for the time.Ags. 1901 W. J. Milne Reminisc. Old Boy 161:
She was much excited, declaring I “was aye in a habble.”Arg. 1907 N. Munro Daft Days xiv.:
I'm thinking we would have been in a bonny habble wanting him.Edb. 1915 T. W. Paterson Auld Saws 70:
It's easy tellin lees to meet a pinch, Or jink a habble that ye've gotten in.Kcb. 1923 W. D. Lyell Justice Clerk 177:
How in the name of a' that's deevilish did you get into a habble like yon?Bnff. 1924 Swatches o' Hamespun 11:
The oongratefu' wretch, leavin's in a habble in the heid hurry o' the hey, efter siccan a drabbly simmer.Gsw. 1950 H. W. Pryde McFlannel Family Affairs 83:
We're in a bit o' a habble — the wife's no' weel, but you'll be used wi' seein' folk in bed.

2. Confusion, uproar, disturbance, hubbub (Ayr. 1811 W. Aiton Agric. Ayr. 690; Mry.¹ 1925; ne.Sc., Fif., Ayr. 1956); a quarrel, squabble, fight (Sc. 1818 Sawers; Lth., Cld., Ayr. 1825 Jam.; Peb. 1902 E.D.D.); a mob (Sc. 1818 Sawers).Abd. 1795 A. Shirrefs Sale Catalogue 20:
Still hating tumults, broils, and squabbles, For cripples ne'er were made for habbles.Sc. 1824 Royal Sc. Minstr. 126:
They'll deave his honour wi' their din, And may be raise a habble.Nai. 1828 W. Gordon Poems 102:
Yet in every habble since I gaed awa, I bang'd up my chanter for cheering them a'.Rxb. 1847 J. Halliday Rustic Bard 317:
Then . . . welcome to habbles aye on the increase — To yerkings and yells frae a loose lither tongue.Arg. 1914 N. Munro New Road xii.:
We were in a habble of our own last night on Laggan-side, and 'twixt a small Doune pistol and the pair of us we killed a man.m.Sc. 1917 J. Buchan Poems 60:
But in a' that habble o' smoke and bluid My mind was far awa'.Gsw. 1924 J. H. Bone The Crystal Set 29:
If I could just get tae ma bed, oot o' this habble.

3. The act of snapping (Sc. 1808 Jam.); a convulsive gulp, a gobble.Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond My Man Sandy (1899) iii.:
The metrolopis, as Sandy ca'd it [Edinburgh] to the fowk in the train. He garred me start twa-three times sayin't; I thocht he'd swallowed his pipe-shank, he gae sic a habble.

4. A lout, a coarse or uncouth person; one who is awkward, slow-moving (Ant. 1924 North. Whig (14 Jan.)); or slovenly in dress, appearance or habits (Tyr. 1931 Ib. (15 Dec.), habul). Also fig.Bwk. 1821 W. Sutherland Poems 29:
Altho' my muse be but a habble, A rough-spun thief, a hackney scribble.Bwk. 1823 A. Hewit Poems 128:
How faithfully ye Symie serve, Ye druken habble, While I hae breath, as ye deserve, Ye's get a swable.

5. A strip of leather sewn across the sole of a shoe as a protection against slipping. Arg. 1722 Arg. Justiciary Rec. (Stair Soc.) II. 378:
The person whose track it was had two habbells upon one of his shoes pretty closs upon one another and upon the other shoe had a habbell sowed squint upon the soal thereof.

III. Combs.: 1. habble-gabble, a tumult, uproar (Slg. 1956); 2. habble-hobble, id.; 3. habble-jock, a turkey-cock (Ags. 1956); 4. habble-tree, a lumpish, awkward person, lit. a piece of wood for hobbling a horse.2. Gall. 1900 R. J. Muir Mystery of Muncraig iv.:
“Hoot” said the foreman, “what's a' the habble-hobble about?”3. Ags. 1875 J. Watson Verse Samples 51:
The habble-jocks took fleg an' ran.Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond B. Bowden (1922) 81:
Sandy gaed peengin' aboot . . . liftin' his legs like an onweel habble-jock.Ags. 1946 Forfar Dispatch (4 July):
At this meenit Mary Ann cam tee door, glowerin like a habble-jock.4. Dmf. 1826 Carlyle Letters (Norton) II. 342:
Wondering “how that poor habbletree was fenning ava.”