Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1960 (SND Vol. V). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

HOTTEREL, n. Also hot(te)ril, hotrel.

1. A crowd, a great number, a swarm (Bnff. 1957).Bnff.² 1900:
We got a perfect hotteril o' young rottans aneth the shaives.Abd. 1930 N. Shepherd Weatherhouse 239:
There'll be a hotterel o' folks in here afore the night's out.Bnff. 1953 Banffshire Jnl. (27 Oct.):
The bit gairdenie a hotrel o' weeds an' thristles an' dockens.Abd. 1998 Sheena Blackhall The Bonsai Grower 69:
... a hale breenge o bawds, a fleerich o mappies, a kirn o creepie-crawlies an a hotterel o mowdies, tods, brocks an bantam chukkens.

2. A mass of festering sores or chaps (Abd. 1957); one such sore (Abd.⁷ 1925, Abd. 1957).Abd.¹⁵ 1928:
It's that frosty win's; ma han's is a sad hotterel o' cankert hacks, an' picket.