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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

STRUISSLE, n., v. Also struisle, strussel, -le, -il; stris(t)le, strissle; struishle; ¶stroozle. [strøsl, -ʃl, strɪsl, ne.Sc. strʌʃl]

I. n. A struggle, strife, contention, toil, a hard, laborious or exacting task (w.Lth. 1825 Jam.; ‡Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., struishle; Bnff., Abd., Ayr., sm.Sc. 1971).Lnk. 1818 A. Fordyce Country Wedding 38:
A strussel ensues, “Let the lass get her will.”Sc. 1828 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) II. 159:
At the Old Bailey, making a fair strussle even with Adolphus.Slk. 1832 Fraser's Mag. (Sept.) 162:
When it comes to a fair striffle [sic] in standing cauld, the women aye beat.Ags. 1852 Montrose Standard (9 Jan.) 7:
Mony puir things had a strussil wi' want.Kcb. 1885 A. J. Armstrong Friend and Foe xix.:
I ken ane wha's in an unco stristle to be at the first named event.Lnk. 1910 C. Fraser Glengonnar 118:
I saddled the powney, and had a gey bit struissle afore I got to the en' o' the ten miles.Slg. 1925 Scots Mag. (Jan.) 263:
Efter a' this desperate strussel, it's a frien's pairt to stick by a frien' in distress.m.Sc. 1939 James Barke The Land of the Leal (1987) 225:
'I managed-though it was a sair strissle: I wouldna like to go through the same again.' Ags. 1988 Raymond Vettese The Richt Noise 74:
I gie this til ye, reader, gie thir words o mine,
wi a blessin. This is my strussel, my ain
inpit tae the risin, that we dinna tine
the words that spoke for us and wad speak yet.

II. v. To struggle, lit. and fig. (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 435, stroozle; w.Lth. 1825 Jam.), to wrestle with something bulky and unmanageable (Dmf. 1958), to try to make headway against great difficulties (Kcb. 1929).Sc. 1819 J. Rennie St Patrick III. xi.:
A' night stavin' at ane anither, and struislin' i' the dark.wm.Sc. 1837 Laird of Logan 135:
I heard a sair strusslin', fitterin', pechin', and grainin'.Lnk. 1880 Clydesdale Readings 122:
I wad be comin' strislin' hame wi' an' auld mear or a bull calf.Edb. 1916 T. W. Paterson Wyse-Sayin's xxviii. 19:
Wha struissles alang an' sticks in at the fermin'll pang his girnals fu'.