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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Quotation dates: 1935-1985

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BREEL, v.1 “To move with rapidity; as, to breel down the brae, always, or at least generally, applied to the motion of a carriage, and thus implying the idea of the noise made by it” (Border 1825 Jam.2); “to make a noise” (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 91).Per. 1935 W. Soutar Poems in Scots 40:
She breisted like a puddy-doo; She tirl'd upon her tipper-taes; And, in a whup, her whurlywas Breel'd owre the caller braes.
Slk. 1985 Walter Elliot Clash-ma-clavers 30:
She roonded by them in a shot
An breeled awae richt oot o sicht.

[Origin uncertain. Phs. a met. form of Birl, v.1, (2), but the vowel change is not easily explained.]

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"Breel v.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 9 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/breel_v1>

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