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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

FEEL, n.², adj.² Also feil (Abd. 1922 P. MacGillivray Bog-Myrtle 26). nn. and mn.Sc. forms of Fuil, a fool, foolish, silly, half-witted (n.Sc. 1825 Jam.; Cai. 1845 Stat. Acc.² XV. 144; Mry. Ib. XIII. 11, n.Sc. 1951). Also adv. in comb. feel-fond (Abd.⁴ 1929). Hence feelish, foolish, feelness, foolishness; feel-like (ne.Sc. 1951).Abd. 1706 in Sc. Antiquary XII. 102:
We'er na sick Feels but we ken how tee make our own vantage of sick a game.Abd. 1828 P. Buchan Ballads II. 103:
When Lizie came into the shielen, She look'd as if she'd been a feel.Bnff. 1844 T. Anderson Poems 68:
How some puir quean has been sae feel As lat some chiel lie owre near han'.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxx.:
We're a' feelish mair or less fan menfowk comes i' the wye.Bnff. 1900 E.D.D.:
Feel-like. Compared feeler-like, feelest-like. “It's the feelest-like thing a ivver saw deen.”Abd. 1903 W. Watson Auld Lang Syne 46:
There were three “feel” Jocks, each of whom had his own peculiar kind of “feelness,” and to whom the word “feel” was not applied in derision, or with any opprobrious meaning attached to it, further than to differentiate them from men of normal intelligence.Cai. 1909 D. Houston 'E Silkie Man 8:
Fat's 'at ye're sayan, ye feel stirk!Abd. 1929 J. Alexander Mains and Hilly 49:
He kent ye wis ready to be made an Awprile feel o'.Abd. 1995 Flora Garry Collected Poems 19:
Cam ye fae some idder warl,
Mysterious, oonchancy cat,
A speerit-craiter athoot faat,
To me, a feel, roch human carl? Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 15:
I did thon at schule an Miss McTavish wis in a fine rage an said, "Bobby Ross, You stop thon! It's nae clivver tae makk a feel a big leddies."