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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

SKRULT, v., n. Also skroolt, scrult; skrootle, scrootle, skrut(te)l, skrot(te)l (Jak.); and reduced forms (chiefly Sh.) skroot, skrut, skrutt, skrott. [Ork. skrult; Sh., Ork. + ′skrut(əl)]

I. v. To make a scraping, rasping, squeaking sound, to scrape, to grate (Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928), 1914 Angus Gl.; Ork. 1929 Marw., Ork. 1970); to write badly, to scrawl. Hence vbl.n. skrutlins, scribblings (Jak.).Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 57:
I find [the rope] skrultan' on the been'.Ork. 1956 C. M. Costie Benjie's Bodle 99, 146:
Mansie spat wae a slerp on the fleur, an' scrulted hid wae his tae. . . . They wad a' cough and scrootle thir feet.

II. n. A harsh, rasping, grating noise, a scraping sound or sensation (Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 224; Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928); Ork. 1970).Ork.1 1950:
Scroolt is the frightful noise you make with the edge of a knife on stone . . . [which] gives some folk a nasty feeling in their teeth.

[Etym. doubtful. There appears to have been some confusion between various Scand. words, e.g. Norw. dial. skrotl, a screaming of birds, skrotla, to screech, make a confused din, Icel. skrǫlt, a jolting, jarring sound, Norw. dial. skrolla, to yell, shriek (see Skroil, Skruil).]

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