Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
TIPPERTY, adj. [′tɪpərte] 1. Unsteady, unstable, rocking on its base (n.Sc. 1808 Jam.). Hence tipperty-like, in phrs. to gang tipperty-like, “to walk in a flighty, ridiculous sort of way,” to teeter (Id.), to stand tipperty-like, to rock, to be unsteady and ready to topple over (Id.; Abd. 1905 E.D.D.).
2. Of a young woman: walking in a prim precise mincing manner, tripping daintily (Fif. 1825 Jam.). Cf. hippertie-tippertie s.v. Hippertie; prim in gen., old-maidish (Rxb. 1900).
[Deriv. of Tipper, v.]
