Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1807-1931, 1987-2000
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TREMMLE, v., n. Also trem(m)el, tremmil, tremle; trim(b)le, trimmel, -il, -le; trum(b)le, trummel, -le; thrumle (Cai. 1934 John o' Groat Jnl. (9 Nov.) 6). Sc. forms and usages of Eng. tremble. [trɛml, trɪml, trʌml; Cai. + þrʌml]
I. v. 1.
Sc. forms of Eng. tremble: Abd. 1987 Sheena Blackhall in Joy Hendry Chapman 49 56:
A springtime snawdrop, derkened b' an aik
She's spukken for langsyne - yet, incomplete
His sun's her pleisure, mindin on his maik
Is pure delicht, her trimmlin sap repleteDundee 1991 Ellie McDonald The Gangan Fuit 44:
Syne he maun spik lik sae - "lassies" - or "bonnie lassies" - "I want ye" - or - "I wad prig at ye" - or - "for onie sake dinnae be feartit an trummle. Gin ye think I come forrit as a lion than peity help us for I'm nae sic thing. ..."Dundee 1991 Ellie McDonald in Tom Hubbard The New Makars 83:
Man i the muin he's staunan an chauvan
wi a graipfu o breers he's warslan awa.
sic a wunner it is he disnae gang skitan
wi joukan an trummlan sae feart gin he'll faa.m.Sc. 1998 Lillias Forbes Turning a Fresh Eye 32:
A' soun', as weel, is stappit
By yon siller quine -
A' clash fae byre and barn
A' scart an scauld an girn
An warsel o' weary men
Their darg and dolour pit by -
Nowt but a hoolit's skreich i' the mirk
An the trummlin o' beddit kye.em.Sc. 1999 James Robertson The Day O Judgement 7:
Oceans an bens will flee awa,
Deaved wi the dour trumpet's rummle,
The deid will coor aneath the mools;
The quick in fear will trummle.Dundee 2000 Matthew Fitt But n Ben A-Go-Go 17:
It wis the third name still untrauchled by Spike an Alaska's brawest legal minds that gart Paolo's granite Klog hert tremmle wi dreid.
Sc. usages in vbl.n. and ppl.adj. tremmlin: a type of virus paralysis with tremor and spasms affecting sheep (Slk. 1825 Jam.; Per., wm., sm. Sc. 1973). Combs. (1) tremmlin axies, -exies, ague (Lth. 1808 Jam.). See Aixies; (2) tremmlin fevers, id. (Ags. 1808 Jam.); (3) trembling ill, = tremmlin above; (4) trummlin Jamie, a table jelly; (5) tremmlin Tam, id. See Tam, prop.n., 4.(21); (6) tremmlin tree, the aspen, Populus tremula (Mry., Abd., Slg., Lth., wm. Sc., Wgt. 1973).Sc. 1902 Trans. Highl. Soc. XIV. 17:
Louping-ill is widely known in Scotland as "trembling."Per. 1920 Scottish Farmer (13 March):
Trembling has been on two neighbouring farms since Mr Campbell remembers.Dmf. 1920 J. L. Waugh Heroes 15:
The hill lan' to the west gets a bad name for the trimmlin'.(1) Sc. 1819 Scott Bride of Lamm. xi.:
The cookmaid in the trembling exies.Sc. 1827 Scott Journal (1891) I. 380:
I had some of my flutterings, my trembling exies, as the old people called the ague.m.Lth. 1894 P. H. Hunter J. Inwick 190:
Shiverin an' shakin like a man wi' the trem'lin aixies.(3) Slk. 1807 Trans. Highl. Soc. III. 385:
Trembling, Thwarter, or Leaping Ill.(4) s.Sc. 1887 Fishing Gazette (2 July) 3:
Yitmeal Brose, Pedder's Brose . . . Trumlin' Jamie, Lantern Broth.(6) Abd. 1931:
Local rhyme from Dinnet: There's the easter bog, an' the wester bog, An' the bog o' the trimlin' tree.
2. Of straw: to shake with the weight of grain in the ear. Hence trimmlin strae, unthreshed corn (Bnff., Abd. 1973).Abd. 1920 A. Robb MS. vi.:
They lookit to see gin the strae wis clean threshen and they had to confess they couldna get ony o't to trimmel.Bnff. 1930:
Tremmlin straes mak trottin owsen, Trottin owsen mak baulkit grun.
II. n. Sc. form of Eng. tremble.Ags. 1988 Raymond Vettese The Richt Noise 64:
The airt you gie me's aye the north.
Heid tae the wun or dowp tae yirth,
nae maitter, the harns pirl roon
an' wi a shoogle an' a trummle syne settle doon
and point me whaur I'd be.m.Sc. 1998 Alex Laird in Donny O'Rourke and Kathleen Jamie New Writing Scotland 16: The Glory Signs 73:
Leanin back in his chair
He flicked a fag fae its packit.
Ahh, bit whin he wis lichtin it
The tremmil in his haun
Telt me the truth o it.Dundee 2000 Matthew Fitt But n Ben A-Go-Go 2:
There. Feel it. The ghaist o a tremmle dinnlin throu the kist. That the day current clickin in.
Sc. usages: in pl., the ague; paralysis in sheep (Gall. c.1780 J. Walker MS. (Edb. Univ. Lib.)). Cf. I. 1. Comb. yowe(s') tremmle, see Yowe. Adj. tremmlie, trummlie, trembly, shaky. Gen.Sc. Comb. shaky tremmlies, quaking-grass. See Shak, n., 1. (2).Sc. 1860 W. G. Stewart Lectures on the Mountains I. 202:
She may just bring twa bottles wi' this half-crown to see and cure me of the trimmles.
