A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)
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First published 1963 (DOST Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1587-1605, 1699-1700
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Kekling, Keckling, ppl. a. Cackling, chattering (jackdaws, crows, soland geese). — a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 19 (Wr.).
The craiking crawes, the keckling kayes 1587-99 Hume 30/153. c1590 Fowler I. 193, § lvii. 12.
I mak thir verse … Disturbd with youling hounds … and kekling crawes ? a 1700 Prince of Tartaria his Voyage to Cowper 1.
The keckling militia [of soland geese] assaulted the Tartarian fleet
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"Kekling ppl. adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 13 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/dost/kekling>
