Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
DEFEECKWALT, Defeeckwult, Deffeckwalt, Diffiquilt, adj. Sc. forms of Eng. difficult. Known to Bnff.2 (defeeckwult), Abd.19, Ags.2, Slg.3, Kcb.1 1940. [dɪ′fikwəlt]Ags. 1859 C. S. Graham Mystifications 62:
It's no sae lang syne nor diffiquilt to mind.s.Sc. 1835–40 J. M. Wilson (ed.) Tales of the Borders (1857–59) VII. 137:
I wad match ony coo I hae in my byre against ye at a defeeckwalt point o' law.Dmf. 1998 Jilly Hawker in Neil R. MacCallum Lallans 51 13:
Life for her fowk was sair deffeckwalt the noo. Eilidh's faither was richt badly an bedfast these past weeks.
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"Defeeckwalt adj.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 21 Nov 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/defeeckwalt>
