Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1917-1939
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CHIFFIN, CIFFIN, n. A small particle of anything, a crumb; "a fragment of bran" (Abd. (Garioch) 1916 T.S.D.C. II.); "a mote" (Abd. (Rayne) Ib., ciffin). [′tʃɪfɪ̢n, ′kɪfɪ̢n]Abd.8 (Upper Deeside) 1917:
When Jamie Nicol, the missionar' minister o' Skene, got the brose with a mixture of sids in them, and stirred up with a tallow candle, he said, "they're fine, bit jist some ill wi' chiffins."Abd.2 1939:
"Tak yer brush noo, lassie, and sweep up the chiffins," a mistress might say to her maid in asking her to sweep up the crumbs. Proverbial saying: "Throw yer chiffins far yer love lies" = Eng. "throw your rubbish where you throw your love" (Abd.8 1917; Abd.2 1939), referring to the throwing of a scrap of anything to attract attention, presumably an overture of love (Abd.2).
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"Chiffin n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 18 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/chiffin>
