Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CURPIN, CURPON, CURPAN , CURPEN, n. and v. Also courpon (Sc. 1776 D. Herd Sc. Songs II. 170). [′kʌrpən]

I. n.

1. The rump (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Abd.⁴ 1929).Sc. 1722 W. Hamilton Wallace 9:
Oh had I but Ten thousand at my Back, And were a Man, I'd gar their Curpons crack.Abd. after 1768 A. Ross Fortunate Shepherd (S.T.S. 1938) ll. 557–559:
Sicklike, when gentles fa' in a mistake, Or in their curpin sud there prove a crack, That sair, wi' a' our art, will never heal.Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems, Gl.:
Your curpin paid, your skin paid, you got a drubbing.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xvi.:
Cupid, the little sinner, wi, bow in hand, an' quiver on curpin.Lnk. c.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 221:
Now Eppie had a daughter, called Lingletail'd Nancy, because of her feckless growth, her waist was like a twitter, had nae curpen for a creel.Ayr. 1786 Burns Halloween xviii.:
The graip he for a harrow taks, An' haurls at his curpan.Ayr. 1824 A. Crawford Tales of my Grandmother (1825) I. 276:
The fool fearlessly managed to keep his seat on the curpin of the sow.Rxb. 1808 A. Scott Poems 219–220:
Syne aff in a fury he stumpled, . . . At's curpin auld Janet too humpled, Awa' to the next neighb'rin town.

2. The crupper of a horse (Bnff.², Abd.², Abd.⁹ 1941).Abd.⁴ 1930:
Some call this the “curpin.” It passes under the tail and keeps the “saiddle” in place.Ags. 1816 G. Beattie John o' Arnha' (1826) 22:
Without a curpin, bit, or saddle, Upon a broom-stick ride astraddle.

3. Comb.: ape's curpon, “a designation applied to a child, when meant to express displeasure and contempt” (Ags. 1825 Jam.²).

II. v. Found only as ppl.adj. curpon'd in comb. ill-curpon'd s.v. Ill, VI., q.v.