Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1929-1930
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RIVVLE, n.1 Also reduplic. form rivvle pivvle (Marw.).
1. A mess or state of confusion, esp. of clothes; dishevelment, rags, tatters. Hence rivly, shabby, worn out, of clothes.Ork. 1929 Marw.:
His claes war a' in a rivvle aboot him.Ork. 1930 Orcadian (13 Feb.):
Not my best clothes, only auld rivly poogs.
2. Nonsense, balderdash (Ork. 1929 Marw.).
[? Cf. Norw. dial. (v)ravla. Dan. vrevla, vrøvla, to talk rubbish, to work in a slovenly manner, but phs. simply a variant of Raivel.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Rivvle n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/rivvle_n1>
