Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
FAIPLE, n. Also faple, faipil, phaple, fipple, fuppul. [Sc. fepl, fɪpl, Fif., Lth. + fipl, Per. fʊpl]
1. A loose drooping underlip, of men or animals (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 204; Cld. 1825 Jam.; Kcb.1 1900, fipple; Fif., Lth. 1926 Wilson Cent. Scot. 241; Fif., Dmf. 1952); of horses (Lth. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.). Freq. in phrs. doon i' the faiple, down in the mouth, to hang the (a) faiple, to look glum or sour (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Per. 1915 Wilson L. Strathearn 183), to pit on a faiple, id. (Bwk. 1950).Rxb. 1805 A. Scott Poems 23:
Or else condemned to hang a faple, Some dowy get.Sc. 1819 J. Rennie St Patrick I. v.:
The King jumpet in wi' him at ance, and sent the ither coon-sellors a' away hingin their faiple.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xxv.:
She was lanely, wretched, doon i' the faiple an' sae furth.Hdg. 1899 J. Lumsden Poems 4:
“Edinburgh Toun!” Wha'd hing his faiple here an “dee”, Haith, he's a loon!Sc. 1928 Scots Mag. (May) 145:
Johnie Smert, the poustie, wis “hingin” his fuppul'.
†2. Hence by extension: (1) “anything loose and flaccid hanging from the nose” (Cld. 1825 Jam.); (2) “the crest of a turkey, when elated” (Ib.).
[O.Sc. has feppil, fippill, v., to put out the lower lip (c.1500). Etym. doubtful. The word has affinity of meaning with Flype, v.1, n.1, q.v., and may represent a freq. form flepple, flipple with the loss of the first l by dissimilation.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Faiple n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 22 Dec 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/faiple>
