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.
HAIL, n.2 Sc. usages:
1. In combs. hail puckle, a hailstone (Sh. 1956); haily-buckie, id. (Ork.5 1956); hailsteen, Sc. form of Eng. hailstone.Sh. 1931 Shetland Times (14 March) 7:
Shö kum awa' wi a flyin' horrikan frae da nor-waast, wi hail-puckles da size o' shukkin's' eggs baalin' wis aboot i' wye an' anidder. Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 8:
Davie's faither wis a larry driver an aince in an awfa nicht o blindrift an hailsteens as big as fitbas he'd stukken jist ooto Knockandhu an taen an ill-will at the place sinsyne ...
2. Small shot, pellets. Also sparrow-hail, see Sparrow.Wgt. 1697 Stat. Acc.2 (1845) IV. 226:
A single wound in the leg, by a shot of small hail.Ayr. 1786 Burns Ep. to J. Rankine x.:
By my gun, o' guns the wale, An' by my pouther an' my hail.Edb. 1821 W. Liddle Poems 69:
They canna eithly miss their aim, The wail o' hail they use for game.Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl.:
The whole charge of hail went into his back.Arg. 1901 N. Munro Doom Castle xxv.:
I wad pit an end to your argy-bargying wi' hail frae a gun!
3. A small quantity of any liquid (Cai. 1909 D. B. Nicolson in County of Cai. 74, Cai.1 c.1920). Cf. drop.Cai.7 1955:
A wis chist takken a wee hale o' tea.
