Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1906-1911, 1962
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NABBLE, v. 1. To nibble (Sh. 1963). Also in Eng. dial. Found in reduplic. form neeb, neeb, nabblin', continually nibbling.Sc. 1906–11 Rymour Club Misc. 47:
That dog . . . sits afore the pu'pit neeb, neeb, nabblin' at his cods.
2. Of workers in a cloth-making factory: to work fast in getting threads together (Ags. 1919 T.S.D.C.); more gen., to use the fingers deftly (Ags., Per. 1963); to earn bonus wages on a productivity basis (Ags. 1975).Ags. 1962 Scots Mag. (Oct.) 9:
The operator's concern here is to keep the process as continuous as possible by tying all breaks, and girls can become very adept at this. When they "nabble " they are working speedily.
