Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
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.

TRINKLE, v., adj., n. Also †trinckle. [trɪŋkl]

I. v. 1. To trickle, flow in small drops or streams, to drip (Sc. 1787 J. Elphinston Propriety II. 193, 1808 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Uls. 1953 Traynor; ne.Sc., Ags., Slg., Fif., wm.Sc. 1973), freq. connoting the sound as well as the motion of running water, to purl. Also in Eng. dial., and fig. Vbl.n., ppl.adj. trinklin, -an (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 198).Sc. 1724 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) III. 94:
The brynie Streme For Joy ran trinckling frae myne Eyes.Sc. 1795 Lord Thomas and Fair Annet in Child Ballads (1956) II. 197:
Don't you see my very heart's blood Coming trinkling down by my knee?Ayr. 1795 Burns Mally's Meek iv.:
Her yellow hair Comes trinkling down her swan-white neck.Wgt. 1804 R. Couper Poetry I. 129:
Sma' trink'ling oure thy pebbly bed, Thou'rt heard, wee burnie.Bwk. 1858 Lady J. Scott Songs (1911) 129:
The waters trinklin' down, amang the fern.Abd. 1883 W. Jolly J. Duncan 487:
He wished me to notice “hoo bonnily the watter trinkled!”Gsw. 1910 H. Maclaine My Frien' 25:
The sweat was trinklin' doon my nose.Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 7:
Yill Waeter, trinklin ti its treist wui Teiot.Sc. 1979 Maurice Lindsay Collected Poems 98:
The river squeezed dead liquid stone through backyard factories and mills.
A railway-bearing tunnel gulped what once had trinkled clean from hills.

2. To come singly at intervals to come in penny numbers (Abd.²⁷ 1952).

3. To besprinkle, scatter some granulated substance over (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 198; ne.Sc. 1973). Also in n.Eng. dial. Vbl.n. trinklin, the act of sprinkling, the substance so sprinkled (Id.).Gregor:
There was a trinklan o' snaw o' the grun.

II. adv. By drops (Gregor).

III. n. A trickle, a tiny stream, a drop (Gregor; Ork., ne.Sc., Ags., Slg., Fif., wm.Sc. 1973).Abd. 1949:
The spootie fell awa till a mere trinkle.