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Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CRUMMIE, CRUMMY, CROM(M)IE, CROMBIE, Crum(by), n.¹ A cow with crooked horns; often used as the name of a pet cow (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Bnff.², Abd.⁹, Ags.¹⁷, Fif.¹⁰ 1941; Arg.¹ 1929, crummy, Lnk.¹¹ 1941; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 149). Also in n.Eng. dial. (E.D.D.). Cf. Crummock, n.¹ [krʌm(ɪ̢), ′krɔmɪ̢]Sc. 1724–27 Ramsay T. T. Misc. (1733) 114:
My Cromie is an useful cow.Sc. ? 1820 Scott Letters (1934) VI. 147:
I would put crombie up to public auction.Ags. 1879 J. Guthrie Poems 20:
The crummies stand weel pleased in shady nook, Till Mysie frae their pocks the rich stream draws.Ags. 1999 Valerie Gillies in Moira Burgess and Donny O'Rourke New Writing Scotland 17: Friends and Kangaroos 56:
Ma crommie sall hae girse an fauld
she sall hae hicht an howe an white grun
she sall hae blawgress, windlestrae an stibble
she'll hae a sowf o mountain dew frae the stey braes
O ho the stey braes!Edb. 1798 D. Crawford Poems 97:
They had Crumby by the horn.Hdg. 1892 J. Lumsden Sheep-Head 17:
Within his byre, aff coat he flings, An' binds ilk Crum wi' wicked strings.Ayr. 1880 W. Aitken Rhymes, etc. 154:
Anither crummy fills the sta' where “Brooney” use[d] tae feed.Gall. 1824 Song in MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 257:
And ay she cries “Hurlie Hawkie, String awa, my crommies, to the milking loan.”