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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

RINGUM, adv. Only in reduplic. combs. ringum-craggum, through and through; ringum-tringum, helter-skelter, in haste and disorder.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 144:
We hid fair spaill o' the hail feedle, an' we geed ringum-craggum fae side t' side o't.Abd. 1955 W. P. Milne Eppie Elrick xxviii.:
Fleein ringum-tringum like five-'ear aals.

[Orig. uncertain, phs. purely fanciful, with some allusion to ringin, s.v. Ring, v.3, 3. Ringum-tringum may be due to a misunderstanding of Hingum-Tringum, 2.]

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