Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
KENNLE, v. Also ken'l (Bch. 1891 Trans. Bch. Field Club II. 13), kenle, kennel (Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl.), kin(n)le, kinnel; kendle. Gen.(exc. I.)Sc. forms of Eng. kindle, to set fire to, ignite, begin to burn, to inflame, lit. and fig. See P.L.D. §§ 58, 64, and D, 2. [kɛnl]Sc. 1699 Edb. Gazette (19–23 Oct.):
It was happily Extinguished, without doing much Damage, Except the consuming the Laigh Seller, wherein it kendled.Per. 1716 A. G. Reid Auchterarder (1899) 152:
“Up! to your arms! Fire the house!” and that moment Cameron with his own hands kendled the house.Edb. 1773 Fergusson Poems (S.T.S.) II. 135:
The hiney's still as sweet that flows Frae thristle cald or kendling rose.Slg. c.1790 Trans. Slg. Nat. Hist. & Arch. Soc. (1884) 25:
O! Johnnie the mason ye'll gang up, And ken'le the flames on them.Bwk. 1823 A. Hewit Poems 66:
An' let the auld forsaken dame Wi' youthfu' dress set out her crame, That she may kinnle am'rous flame.Gall. 1888 G. Sproat Dalma Linn 69:
She kennel'd a guid fire o' peats in the hole.Fif. 1896 G. Setoun R. Urquhart viii.:
I kin'le ours [fire] every mornin'.m.Sc. 1922 J. Buchan Huntingtower vii.:
We kinnled their claes, and they fell back swearin' and stampin' to get the fire out.Abd. 1928 J. Baxter A' Ae 'Oo' 27:
Like a star i' the lift, Her kendlin' e'e.Gsw. 1987 Peter Mason C'mon Geeze Yer Patter! 15:
A'm aye the wan tae hiv tae kennle the fire. I always have to kindle the fire. Sc. 1995 Scotsman 20 Jan 12:
It wis intae this vaucuum that the leeterarie genius o Robert Burns kythed tae cled the thochts an greenins o the ordnar fowk in hamelt wirds, an kennle a fire o pride in thair Scottish nationheid an cultur that his brunt bricht fur ower twa hunder year. Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 1:
Auld Attie hochered and spat, syne dichtit his mou wi the back o his nieve afore crackin anither spunk tae kinnle a fag ... Ayr. 1999:
Ti kennle a fire.
Hence kenler, a piece of kindling wood, with transference to an object of the agent suff. -er (Bch. 1932 Dieth 101, 145); also pl. kinnlers (Abd. 1993); kennlers (Ayr. 1999); ¶kinlie, adj., burning.Sc. 1857 H. S. Riddell Psalms cxl. 10:
Let kinlie cools fa' apon thame: let thame be thrawn intil the fire.Abd. 1998 Sheena Blackhall The Bonsai Grower 18:
Forkietails an wyvers crawled ower the kinnlers that war hackit an riven frae muckle logs gaitherit frae the fairm widdie.
Vbl.n. ken(d)lin, kennlin', †kenlen, kendling, kin(d)lin(g) (Sc. 1782 J. Sinclair Ob. Sc. Dial. 122), 1. “live coals sufficient to start a fire” (Cld. 1880 Jam.), pieces of wood or other material used for lighting a fire (Ayr.4 1928; Bch. 1932 Dieth 75; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Rxb. 1942 Zai; Sh., Cai., Abd., sm.Sc., Uls. 1959). Also in pl. (Abd., Fif. 1959); 2. the act of banking up a fire with ashes to keep it in overnight (Cai. 1959).1. Dmf. 1770 Session Papers, Stewart v. Nicolson (21 Nov.) 32:
The deponent went and put the kendling into the grate of Lady Maxwell's room.Sc. 1825 Anon. Writer's Clerk I. 34:
A kindling, or, to use plainer words, a piece of red coal, or peat, or some such combustible, to enable him to light a fire in his shop.Sc. 1881 A. Mackie Scotticisms 41:
The word kindling is used to denote the paper, wood, and coals used in lighting a fire.Cai. 1907 County of Cai. (Horne) 76:
A peat fire is “rested” at bedtime to “keep kenlin”, i.e. the glowing peats are laid flat on the hearth and covered with ashes. In the days before lucifer matches it was a serious matter in a remote house to “lose kenlin”.Lnk. 1910 C. Fraser Glengonnar 138:
It's no lucky to tak' a can'le licht or a kinlin oot o' a hoose on New Year's mornin'.Bnff. 1927 E. S. Rae Hansel fae Hame 51:
The kennlin' tae brak' an' tae beek for the morn.Kcb.1 1942:
We aye start the kiln fire in the morning wi' a kenlin' frae the kitchen fire.kinnlers. Abd.31 1958:
Awa an chap some kenlins for the fire.Abd. 2000 Sheena Blackhall The Singing Bird 46:
That self-same chapel, caad "The Pity Vault",
Jyled witches catched invokin dreid occult;
Keepin them close till they war cairtit roon
As kinnlin - human bonfires in the toun.
Ppl.adj. kinlit, of wind: artificially stirred up, unsteady, erratic (Ork. 1920 J. Firth Reminisc. Gl.).Ork. 1929 Marw.:
The word was used in connexion with the winnowing of grain. In the old barn there were two doors — one on each side, opposite each other. . . . If, however, the wind were on the end of the house (at right angles to the required direction) it could be diverted through, by placing a wooden door or some such thing at an angle outside one doorway, and placing another outside the other door at such an angle as to keep any wind from blowing in there. Such a wind was of course unsteady and was called a kinlit wind.
