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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CARLIN, n. A derogatory term applied to a man.Peb. 1865 R. Sanderson Poems and Songs 7:
The carlin's feckless, frail, an' auld, His cleadin's scant and thin.

[Prob. for Carle, n.1, + suff. -in(g) in pejorative sense, as in Littlan, Littlin, O.Sc. lytling, a child, Badlin', O.E. bǣdling, a worthless person. The word is also explained as a peculiar extension of Carline, n., 1.]

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