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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 and 2005 supplements.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

CRUIVE, CRIV, Craive, Crave, n. and v. Also crove, croove, cruve, crive, creeve, crieve; ¶crof(t). Cf. Crue. [krøv m., w. and s.Sc., but Edb., Fif. + krev; krɪv n.Sc.; kri:v (see E, letter.]

I. n.

1. A hut, hovel, cottage; a temporary shed put to various uses during the fishing season" (Inv. 1905 E.D.D. Suppl., crof(t)). Also dim. croovie (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 148).Sc. 1725 Ramsay Gentle Shepherd Act V. Sc. iii. in Poems (1728):
. . . . I that very Day Frae Roger's Father took my little Crove.Abd. 1787 A. Shirrefs Jamie and Bess Act IV. Sc. ii.:
A bra' young lad came rinning thro' the heath, Wi' dog and gun, and as luck sair'd, was fain, Within my Cruive, to shelter frae the rain.Hdg. 1902 J. Lumsden Toorle, etc. 156:
. . . ane dour censor, a cynic, and whig, Wha lived in a cruive by himsel' at Stockbrig.Rxb. 1942 (per Lnk.¹¹):
There's a cruive ower the hill that the tinklers whiles use in the summer.

Comb.: croovie-skool, a small country school.Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 111:
But ha! The croovie-skool is seen In loop o' yonder burn.

2. An enclosure for animals, esp. for poultry or pigs (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D.Bnff. 31, criv; Bnff.², Abd.⁹, criv; Fif.¹⁰, craive, Fif.¹³, crüve 1941; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; Abd. 1990s, criv); “the rack, or an ox's stall” (Bch. 1825 Jam.², criv); a sheepfold. Cf. Crue, n., 1. Cf. Sh. kruff, a lamb's crib (Jak.).Sc. 1926 A. Muir in Scots Mag. (June) 192:
An' ye paid nae mair heed than a swine in its crive.Cai. 1773 Weekly Mag. (28 Oct.) 146:
Ae antran morn I met her at the creeve.Abd. 1748 An Abd. Estate (N.S.C. 1946) 74:
To mending the whole breast of the Hen's Crove . . . 1.0.0.Fif. 1895 “G. Setoun” Sunshine and Haar 133:
I tumled heels ower head into the crave amon' Isbl's swine.Edb. 1895 J. Tweeddale Moff 29:
She bustled out to where stood the sow's craive.Bwk. 1714 Stitchill Court Bk. (S.H.S.) 171:
Keiping of swyne . . . within crooves and clos houses.Rxb. 1923 Kelso Chron. (6 April) 4/2:
Ye snuffy, shauchlin', auld wratch; come oot o' that cruive.

Hence dim. cruivie, (1) = 2; (2) (see quot.).(1) Edb. 1866 J. Smith Poems 23:
She's tumlin' i' the cruivie, An' lauchin' to the soo!(2) Fif. 1895 “S. Tytler” Macdonald Lass ii.:
[It] was finished off and completed by a painted wooden gate . . . whereas the “cruivies” or cottage gardens had nothing better than a gap in the “feal dyke.”

Comb.: plantie cruive, see Plantie.

3. A wicker salmon trap in a river or tideway (Sc. 1905 E.D.D. Suppl., croove; Abd., Per., w.Sc. 1887 Jam.⁶, cro(o)ve). Now in legal and gen. use also in Eng. in form cruive (see N.E.D.).n.Sc. c.1730 E. Burt Letters North Scot. (1754) I. 146:
They . . . clipped their [salmon-fry] Tails into a forked Figure like that of a Swallow, and found them with that Mark, when full grown and taken out of the Cruives. Rs. 1795 Stat. Acc.¹ III. 4:
Though there are cruives on the river.Abd. 1892 J. Smith Hame-spun Rhymes 31:
Excellent fresh water fish, That is tae'n here by means o' crieves.Fif. 1699 in D. Beveridge Culross (1885) II. 207:
They report they waited on Lord's night at the croves, with design to have kept them from being fished.Wgt. 1845 Stat. Acc.² IV. 88:
'Twixt Wigton and the town of Ayr, Portpatrick, and the Cruives of Cree.

Comb.: cruive-dyke (dike), the rubble dyke extending across a river to hold the wicker traps. Known to Bnff.² 1941.Sc. 1812 D. Boyle in W. Buchanan Reports Remarkable Cases (1813) 316:
It [Act of Parliament] talks of cruive-dikes stretching across the Solway.Sc. 1847 T. T. Stoddart Angler's Companion 345:
A cruive-dyke extends across the Teith at Doune Castle, fitted with boxes for catching salmon.

4. A crab or lobster-trap or cage (Bwk. 1960, cruive;  Bwk. 1980s, crave). Bwk. 1839 Proc. Bwk. Nat. Club (1885) 228:
These creeves or cases are drawn up once aday, the fish taken out, and fresh bait put in.

II. v. To shut up animals or birds in a pen or stall (Bnff.², Abd.⁹ 1941).Abd. 1928 J. Baxter A' Ae 'Oo' 9:
Wi' stirkies aye criv't i' the byre.