Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
‡DINGLE-DOUSIE, -doozie, -doosy, -douzie, -dowzie, n. comb. [′dɪŋl ′du:zi]
1. A stick, peat, etc., ignited at one end and waved rapidly so as to form an arc of light, used as a plaything by children (Lnl. 1900 (per Abd.27); Gsw. 1932 Daily Mail (23 Dec.); Dmf. 1808 Jam.; Tyr. 1932 (per Uls.2)).Peb. a.1835 J. Affleck Waes o' Whisky (n.d.) 4:
In comes John's camshachell hizzy, Like a dingle dowzie too.Lnk. 1893 J. Crawford Sc. Verses 18:
Till mam chaps up the rakin' coal To mak' a dingle doozie.Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 172:
She accompanies this pleasant show to her bairns with the following rhyme: — Dingle dingle-dousie, The cat's a lousy.Dmf. 1845 J. W. Carlyle New Letters (1903) I. 160:
Then he was out and in, in and out, at all hours, like a dingle-doosy sight-seeing.e.Dmf. 1894 J. Cunningham Broomieburn 91:
The bairns playing “Dingle doosy” with a bit of burning peat.
2. Fig.: an active bustling person (Dmf. 1856 J. W. Carlyle New Letters (1903) II. 89, foot-note); “a wee stirring lassie” (Dmf. 1925 W. A. Scott in Trans. Dmf. and Gall. Antiq. Soc. 23).w.Dmf. 1915 J. L. Waugh Betty Grier iii.:
He's an awfu' dingle-doozie in the mornin', is the doctor.
