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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SKLIFF, v., n., adj., adv. Also scliff; skleff; skluif(f), sklufe, scloof, ¶schloof; skluff; sklouff (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 161), skloof. Also in deriv. form skliffer, skleffer; sliffer. [sklɪf; Bwk. sklɛf; Rxb. skløf; ne.Sc. sklʌuf, Ags. skluf]

I. v. 1. To walk with a heavy shuffling step, to drag the feet in walking, to scuffle (Bnff., Lnk., Slk. 1825 Jam.; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 161; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Dmf. 1925 Trans. Dmf. and Gall. Antiq. Soc. 17, schloof; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Rxb. 1942 Zai; ne.Sc., m.Sc. 1970). Hence adj. skluiffy, shuffling in gait, and subst. as a nickname. Combs. skluiffy-feet, shuffling or splay feet, one who has such (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.), -fittit, splay-footed (Per., m.Lth. 1970). Vbl.n. scliffan, -in, sklouffin, shuffling (Gregor; Abd., Ags. 1970); a thin useless shoe (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 422).Dmf. 1824 Carlyle Early Life (Froude) I. 222:
In walking he does not tread, but shovel and slide. My father would call it “skluiffing”.Slg. c.1860 Trans. Slg. Arch. Soc. (1923) 23:
Aye she sang as she skliffed alang.Slg. 1893 Trans. Slg. Nat. Hist. Soc. 7:
“Skliffy”, a nickname due to a peculiarity of gait as he shuffled about in his slippers.Arg. 1898 N. Munro John Splendid iv.:
There was a skliffing of feet on the road outside.Abd. 1909 R. J. MacLennan In Yon Toon 130:
Miss Macpherson “skliffed” in bauchled feet to answer the summons.Kcb. 1921 T.S.D.C.:
What are ye slifferin' alang there for? Lift yer feet.Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 20:
Skluiffin shuin wurn inti bauchels.Ags. 1929 Scots Mag. (May) 149:
Jeck had haen a licht, sklifferin' kind o' a fit.Gsw. 1935 F. Niven Flying Years 163:
They scliffed through a golden pool of crisp leaves.Gsw. 1966 Archie Hind The Dear Green Place (1984) 37:
They went into the close and up the stairs, scliffing their feet, opening their coats, full of officious cheery noise. wm.Sc. 1990 John Byrne Your Cheatin' Heart 51:
You don't want to be scliffin' your feet in them. Sc. 1997 Herald 8 Dec 20:
Thanks to director Jack Smight's eye for detail, the unusual method with which pianist Thelonious Monk kept time was captured for posterity: we see him scliff his foot along the floor as he played his most famous number, Blue Monk. Ayr. 2000:
We must not skliff our feet instead of walking properly.

2. To strike with a dull heavy or flat glancing blow (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 161), to scuff, rub against (Cld. 1880 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Slg., Lth., w. and sm.Sc., Rxb. 1970).

3. To cut away the upper surface or covering of anything, to pare, slice (Sh., Slg., Lth., wm.Sc., Gall. 1970). Cf. n., 3.Sc. 1946 Scots Mag. (Sept.) 430:
You with a few diagonal spade strokes scliff off grass and bracken to leave a bare piece of earth.

4. To make (a flat stone) skip over water (Ags., Ayr. 2000s). Also skliffin stane.

II. n. 1. (1) A shuffling trailing way of walking or the noise made by this (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 161; Cld. 1880 Jam.; em.Sc.(a), wm.Sc., Gall. 1970); a dull heavy tread (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Ayr. 1928), also in reduplic. form skliff-skliff; a big, clumsy foot.Ags. 1921 T.S.D.C.:
Haud in thae big skloofs o' yours.Rnf. 1928 G. Blake Paper Money 243:
The skliff of slippers [over linoleum].Ags. 1929 Scots Mag. (May) 149:
She heard the skliff-skliff o' his fit.m.Sc. 1999 Stewart Conn in Moira Burgess and Donny O'Rourke New Writing Scotland 17: Friends and Kangaroos 21:
The only sounds, other than the scliff of shoes on the stone flags of the courtyard, were sharp intakes of breath and a sporadic 'Ja' or 'Jawohl!'

(2) a clumsy or worn-out shoe, esp. one used as a slipper (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 161; Cld. 1880 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Mry. 1925, gen. in pl.; Lth., Ayr., Kcb. 1970).

(3) transf.: an easy-going, untidy, slatternly person.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 161:
She's nae an ill sklouff o' a dehm.

2. A blow with a flat surface, a scuffing glancing blow, a swipe in passing, the noise of such (Bnff., Cld. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B., skliff, skluff; Lth., wm.Sc., Rxb. 1970).Sc. 1949 Scottish Field (Jan.) 18:
A hare crossing a hummock [of snow] usually makes a scliff with its fud.

3. (1) A thin slice, shaving or paring (Sh. 1914); a segment of the moon, of an orange (Rnf. 1938 Daily Record (23 June); Per., Lnl., w. and sm.Sc. 1970), etc. Also fig. Deriv. skliffer, skleffer, a flake, a thin sheet or layer (Kcb.⁴ 1900). Hence skleffer-thin; sklifferie, sklefferie, of rock, etc.; separated into laminae or flakes, schistose (Lnk. 1825 Jam.). Cf. sclaffery s.v. Sclaff, n., 4.Kcb. a.1902 Gallovidian (1913) 109:
Wha's shillin maist-like skliffer-thin shall be Wi' meal ootcome, nae bygane day did see.Gsw. 1948:
Russian tea has a skliff o' lemon in it.wm.Sc. 1964 Scotsman (14 Dec.) 8:
In the red flush before darkening, with a scliff of moon heralding frost.wm.Sc. 1985 Liz Lochhead Tartuffe 33:
Wee skliff o' a lassie - och he did mention
The ghost o' the idea, but Ah've nae intention -
Confidentially, elsewhere than in a mairriage wi' a wean
Lies the Blissful Ecstasy I hope I micht attain. Arg. 1993:
A scliff each [of pie].

(2) Used contemptuously of a large mouth (Abd., Lnk. 1921 T.S.D.C., a skluff o a mou).

III. adj. Of the feet: flat, splay. Cf. I. 1.s.Sc. c.1830 Proc. Bwk. Nat. Club (1916) 56:
A person who had scloof-feet (that is, plain-soled) or ringlet-eyed (cat-eyed) or long lipit (projecting thick lips), or from the Elleree or seer; they being reckoned all unlucky.

IV. adv. With a dull heavy sound, plump!; also in reduplic. form scliff-sclaff, in reference to the gait or tread, flat-footedly.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 161:
He geed sklouff through the wet closs. He fell sklouff on's back.Gsw. 1873 A. G. Murdoch Lilts 43:
When, scliff-sclaff, up the wooden stair The factor's foot was heard ascendin'.Edb. 1965 J. K. Annand Sing it Aince 16:
Tammie Norie o' the Bass . . . Gangin scliff-sclaff ower the sea.