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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

HAP, v.², n.² Also haap (Per. 1819 J. Duff Poems 133; Sc. 1825 Jam.), haup, hawp. Cf. Hip, v.¹, n.² See P.L.D. § 54.

I. v. Pa.t. and pa.p. happit, hapt, hapet, happed.

1. To hop, jump (Cai., Kcd., Ags., Slg., Gsw., Uls. 1956); to walk with a limp (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Ags., Uls. 1956); also fig. Hence vbl.n. happin, “a trailing, ungainly walk” (Abd.¹⁹ 1930).Sc. 1700 Culloden Papers (1815) 27:
Corserig naked, with a Child under his Oxter, happing for his lyffe.Sc. 1728 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) II. 40:
Master Monky with an air Hapt out, and thus harangu'd the Fair.Ayr. 1786 Burns A Winter Night iv.:
Ilk happing bird — wee, helpless thing!s.Sc. 1793 T. Scott Poems 359:
Clocks and paddocks roun' him hapet.Sc. 1824 Scott St Ronan's W. viii.:
A poacher may just jink ye back and forward like a flea in a blanket, (wi' pardon) — hap ye out of ae country and into anither at their pleasure, like pyots.Sc. 1827 G. R. Kinloch Ballads 19:
He cam hauping on ae foot.Abd. 1865 G. Macdonald Alec Forbes iii.:
An' it [a leg] wad come happin' ower the Paceefic, or the Atlantic, to jine its oreeginal stump — wad it no?Ags. 1882 Brechin Advertiser (7 March) 3:
At times my muse may hotch and haap.Gsw. 1910 H. Maclaine My Frien' 20:
The new fashion's to hap on the electric caur.Lth. 1928 S. A. Robertson With Double Tongue 46:
When Sandie set a girn, the very shilfas seemed to ken That the hair-loops wadna grip them, tho' they happed frae en' to en'.

2. Of tears etc.: to trickle, drop down in quick succession.Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 166:
Now Nereus rising frae his watry Bed, The Pearly Drops hap down his lyart Head.Sc. 1757 Smollett Reprisal (1786) i. ii.:
It made my heart wae, to see the saut brine come happing o'er her winsome cheeks.Ayr. 1788 Burns To H. Parker 22:
While tears hap o'er her auld brown nose!Slk. 1852 Hogg Songs & Ballads 79:
Till tears cam happing like rain.Kcb. 1895 Crockett Bog-Myrtle 174:
Wi' the water happin' off her cheeks, like hail in a simmer thunder-shoo'er.

3. To plash, bob up and down.Ayr. 1823 Galt R. Gilhaize II. xxxi.:
We came to a mill that stood in the hollow of the glen, the wheel whereof was happing in the water with a pleasant and peaceful din.

4. To miss, pass over, to skip (n.Sc. 1808 Jam., hap). Cf. Hip, v.¹, 2., id.

5. Combs. and Phrs.: (1) hap i' my thoomb, hop o' my thumb, a small person; (2) hap-the-beds, the game of hopscotch (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 253; ‡Rnf., Gall., Dmf. 1956). Cf. Beds, id.; (3) happin-cavie, “a boy's game in which the players from opposite bases or cavies hop singly against a single opponent and by pushing with their hands against the other's hands try to knock their opponents off their balance” (w.Lth. 1947). Cf. (5); (4) happin' deil, ? = (5); (5) happin Toby, see quot.; (6) hoppin beds (Abd. 1926 Buchan Observer (23 April); Fif. 1956), — beddies (Abd. 1956) = (2); (7) hoppin Cherlie, a hopping game, ? = (5).(1) em.Sc. 1898 H. Rogers Meggotsbrae 77:
She was a bit wee hap-i'-my-thoomb o' a cratur.(3) w.Lth. 1894 A. M. Bisset He's no Born Yet iii.:
He never glooms nor greets Nor plays at happin-cavie.(4) Hdg. 1876 J. Teenan Songs 54:
Great in the imitation hunt, The ba', or happin' deil.(5) Ags.²⁰ 1955:
Happin Toby. The game of hopping on one foot and trying to upset another by bumping into him.(7) Gsw. 1948 Glasgow Herald (13 Sept.):
In one form or another the present generation doubtless play Barleydoor, Birds, Beasts, and Fishes, and Hoppin' Cherlie.

II. n. A hop, dance. Dim. happie.Sc. 1716 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 68:
Then for a Hap to shaw their Brands, They did their Minstrel bring.Sc. 1806 R. Jamieson Ballads I. 313:
They danced as weel as they dow'd Wi' a knack o' their thumbs and a happie.Lnk. 1877 W. McHutchison Poems 52:
[A craw] close tae my side cam wi' a hap.Ags. 1894 J. B. Salmond My Man Sandy (1899) xviii.:
He up wi' his niv an' took a hawp forrit.ne.Sc. 1953 Mearns Leader (25 Dec.):
He kwid see his booler furl away ben the causeway, gie twa licht-heartit haps.

III. Phrs.: 1. hap and sten, = 2.; 2. hap, stap (and) lowp, — fling, — jump (Uls. 1956), used as a n., of the game (Ayr. 1789 D. Sillar Poems 40; Sc. 1808 Jam.; ‡Arg.¹ 1931; Cai., Ags., Slg., Fif., Peb., Ayr. 1956), also as v., adj., adv. as in the Eng. phr. hop, step and jump.1. Kcb. 1789 D. Davidson Seasons 35:
Baith, wi' a brainge Sprang, hap an' sten out owre a nettle An' cry'd, “Revenge.”2. Sc. 1721 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) I. 188:
Frae Chiels that sing Hap, Stap and Lowp.Ayr. 1786 Burns Holy Fair iii.:
The third cam up, hap-step-an' loup, As light as ony lambie.Sc. 1826 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) I. 180:
Sic a lang-backed, short-thee'd . . . hap-and-stap-jump o' a bouncin body.Slk. a.1835 Hogg Tales (1876) 281:
O that you would leave off the vulgar pursuits of the quoits, and pitch the bar, and hap, step, and loup.Edb. 1840 Whistle-Binkie (Ser. 2) 116:
Wha dares to brave the piercing sting O' Scotia's thistle, Soon scamper aff, hap stap an' fling, Wi' couring fustle.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin v.:
I wad juist skip ower my adventures between the cradle an' the schule in a hap-stap-an'-loup sort o' style.Kcb. 1897 T. Murray Frae the Heather 34:
To cheer him, in hap-step-and-loup Their wee hearts ne'er seem larger, O.Edb. 1928 A. D. Mackie Poems 23:
Hap step and lowp she was doon the dell.ne.Sc. 1954 Bon Accord (28 July):
So aff I set at a kine o' hap, step an' loup.