Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1928
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DIRRYDAN, n. In phr. to play dirrydan, to behave in a riotous disputatious manner, to be at high jinks.Edb. 1928 A. D. Mackie In Two Tongues 5:
Na! since the beginnin' O' sapient man Hae reason and instinct Played dirrydan.
[The word is borrowed from Dunbar's In Secreit Place ix., where it is used of sexual intercourse. Cf. also O.Sc. dirrye dantoun, the name of a dance or caper, c.1500.]
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"Dirrydan n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snd00088637>
