Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1806-1990
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GOMEREL, n. Also gom(m)eril, -al, gomerel, -al, ‡gam(me)rel; obs. forms gomrel(l), -al, gowmeril, gaumeril, gammoral, gummeril, gumral; and corrupt or erroneous forms gomerkal, grummerat. [′gɔm(ə)rəl]
1. A fool, a stupid person (Ayr. 1823 Galt Entail xxxi., gaumeril; Sc. 1829 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) II. 176, gowmeril; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 71, gummeril; Uls. 1896 M. Hamilton Across an Uls. Bog 17, gomerkal). (Cai., Bnff., Abd., Ags., Edb., Dmb., Ayr., Dmf., Rxb. 2000s). Gen.Sc. Common in n.Eng. dial.Sc. 1806 Scots Mag. (Sept.) 696:
Drauntin' gomrals — in a swarm, Oure the hip o' Whigray's hill.Sc. 1816 Scott O. Mortality xxxviii.:
Halliday's a liar, and ye're a gomeril to hearken till him, Cuddie.Ayr. 1834 Galt Lit. Life III. xiv.:
Very few young men departed this life in it, which, I thought with other gammorals, must be owing to not a doctor biding in all the bounds.Slk. 1835 Hogg Wars Montrose III. 104:
It is best to pit sic a gomerel out o' pain.Mry. 1873 J. Brown Round Table Club 86:
Ye haiverin' gomeral! D' ye want me tae lat an 'oman brak 'er neck?Fif. 1893 "G. Setoun" Barncraig v.:
The gommeril kens neither law nor Latin.Gall. 1901 Trotter Gall. Gossip 36:
He wus sic a gomeral nae lass wud tak him.Uls. 1927 St J. Ervine Wayward Man 92:
Robert looked after him until he was out of sight. "You oul' gomeril!" he said under his breath.m.Sc. 1944 Scots Mag. (Nov.) 121:
Look whaur you're goin', you damned gomeril, or you'll burst your bloomin' tyres on the broken gless.e.Lth. 1983 Mollie Hunter The Dragonfly Years (1989) 30:
'As for you bein' a writer,' she said genially, 'that might be true and it might no'. But you're still a right daft wee gomeril, because the only kind o' Queen I'll ever be is Queen o' Hearts to my bairns; and to my man, my John!' m.Sc. 1986 Colin Mackay The Song of the Forest 172:
"Uruisg!" she shouted again in a moment's lull. "The Soldier! He has the strength of twenty! Call the Soldier, you gaping old gomeril!" Uls. 1987 Sam Hanna Bell Across the Narrow Sea 33:
'There's gommerils that have crossed into Ireland whose only ploughing has been a furrow across some guid Christian thrapple.' wm.Sc. 1988 Robin Jenkins Just Duffy 37:
It shouldn't be difficult to talk a gomeril like Duffy into cashing this slip. Abd. 1990 Stanley Robertson Fish-Hooses (1992) 47:
Aifter aa is said and deen, her faither, big Jake wis a proper gomeral and her mither wis twopence short of the shilling.
2. Used attrib. = foolish, stupid.Slk. 1818 Hogg Wool-gatherer (1874) 70:
We dinna believe in a' the gomral fantastic bogles an' spirits that fley light-headed fock.Cai. 1829 J. Hay Poems 137:
Unto the room the young folks bruised Wi' gumral sport and chatter.Lnk. a.1832 W. Watt Poems (1860) 329:
Wi' whittles Jamie ne'er was rash, Our legs and arms to cut and slash; . . . Now we maun thole ilk gamrell hash, Since Jamie's gane.s.Sc. 1838 Wilson's Tales of the Borders IV. 276:
Kists and coffins, ye gomeril woman! — why, that's a packman.
3. "One whose lower front teeth project beyond the upper when the mouth is closed" (Ork.1 1943). Also attrib.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 31:
Tae buy heevin wi' a grummeral sheep or a auld coo wus a aisy wey nae doot, bit wus hid a seur wey?
