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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

LIP, n., v. Also lipp. Sc. usages:

I. n. 1. (1) The edge or brink of a stream, pool or the like. Gen.Sc. Sometimes in place-names as Lochlip, Waterlip.Ayr. 1821 Galt Annals ii.:
On the lip of this whirlpool of iniquity.Sc. 1849 H. Stephens Bk. Farm II. 575:
The remainder should be placed on the ditch lip on the headridge.Ayr. 1868 A. M'Kay Lilts 8:
When lane I seek the burnie's lip.Ayr. 1890 J. Service Notandums 45, 102:
The seggan waving at the water-lip … A bit mailin' on the lip o' the moss.Abd. 1922 Swatches o' Hamespun 60:
As gin some warlock hid made a reemice amon' the breem busses on the lip o' the burn.Abd. 1950 Buchan Observer (22 Aug.):
Gin the puddock croot be at the lip o' the stank, it'll be a weet spring.

(2) The broad brim of a soft hat (Sc. 1911 S.D.D. Add.; Ags., Fif., Dmf. 2000s). 

2. A notch on the edge of a blade, of a knife, sword, etc. (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Lth., s.Sc. 1961). Cf. v.

3. Phrs. and combs.: (1) lip-and-laggin, see Laggin, I. 2.; (2) lip-f(o)u, full to the lip(s), quite full, brimming over (Sh., ne.Sc., Ags. 1960), also adv.; (3) lip-la(a)bour, empty or useless talk, prating, chatter (Sh. 1914 Angus Gl., Sh. 1961). Obs. in Eng.; (4) to bite apo da lip, to bite the lip with annoyance. Obs. in Eng.; (5) to let or pit down the lip, to let one's face fall with vexation, look dismayed, pout (Sh., ne., m. and s.Sc. 1961); (6) to set up one's lip, to look haughtily or contemptuously, to sneer (m.Sc. 1961).(2) Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin iv.:
Twa or three pats an' kettles o' lesser capacity, the haill regiment o' them lip fou o' water.Fif. 1872 Mrs Cupples Tappy's Chicks 244:
I keep going back whiles to thae days, and oh, but they were grand! fu', lip fu', o' happiness.Lnk. 1873 A. G. Murdoch Doric Lyre 92:
Lip-fou the waur o't.Abd. 1923 R. L. Cassie Heid or Hert x.:
The burn wis lip-fu' tae the taps o' the banks.Abd.⁴ 1928:
Your tongue's aye i' the tilly, tho' 't war lip-foo o' dirt, of a terrific talker.(3) Ags. 1826 A. Balfour Highland Mary I. 236:
Hout, billies, lat's ha'e nae mair lip labour; we mith a been ha'f o'er by this time.(4) Sh. 1899 Shetland News (9 Sept.):
Doo'l mebbe bite apo da lip whin doo hears o' twartree 80 or 90 crans shot at da station da moarn.(5) Uls. 1929 M. Mulcaghey Ballymulcaghey 15:
When wee Samuel James saw what was afut, he let down the lip, an' he stharted to screetch fair tarrible.(6) Kcb. 1911 Crockett Rose of the Wilderness xxii.:
When Tamson gangs doon to get the ponies shod or for a pleugh-iron fettled or ony bit thing like that, they will be settin' up their lip at him!

II. v. 1. As in colloq. Eng., to touch with the lips, to taste (Fif., Lth. 1923 Wilson Cent. Scot. 253). Gen.Sc. Hence lippin, a “tasting”, something to drink.Slk. 1822 Hogg Perils of Man III. 39:
I wad rather deal wi' the thankless that neither gies coup, nievefu' nor lippin than wi' him.m.Lth. 1864 A. Johnston Lays of Edina 22:
The first milk we lipp'd did with freedom abound.wm.Sc. 1907 N. Munro Daft Days xxix.:
I never lip it; I'm — I'm in the Band o' Hope.Sh. 1949 J. Gray Lowrie 9:
Bit da Loard bliss me, I wisna lippit me tae afore I tocht da hoose wis comin' doon.

2. To break or make jagged the edge of a blade, etc., to notch, chip (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; em. and s.Sc. 1961). Hence lippit, chipped; fig. damaged, tarnished.Sc. 1821 Blackwood's Mag. (June) 323:
That broth pot ladle, sorely lipped, and riven.Sc. 1828 Scott F. M. Perth viii.:
It were worth lipping a good blade before wrong were offered to it.Sc. 1832 Chambers's Jnl. (March) 43:
What with a lippet character, and a hanged sweetheart, you see she looks somewhat dismal on it.Rxb. 1847 J. Halliday Rustic Bard 144:
'Tis Scottish steel, sae little fear o't lipping.Peb. 1877 Chambers's Jnl. (2 June):
One [razor] from Bowed Davie; it's sair lippit, but it will stand grunden.Kcb. 1904 Gallovidian No. 22. 74:
Broken was Balfour's lippit sword.

3. (1) To fill to the lip or brim, to give full measure in a container (Sc. 1880 Jam.).

(2) To be full to the brim, or overflowing, to be level with the edge, to brim over, sometimes with ower. Gen.Sc. Freq. in ppl.adj. lippin(-fou) (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 319; Kcd., Rxb. 1825 Jam.; Cai. 1902 E.D.D.). Gen.Sc.Sc. 1703 D. Williamson Sermon 49:
The Wrath of God lipping in over their Souls.Edb. 1779 Weekly Mag. (30 Dec.) 15:
A lippind mug wi' ale that's stout.Ags. 1795 Session Papers, Arbuthnott v. Scott (11 March) 261:
The water was just lipping with the lintel of the gainshot.Ayr. 1847 Ballads (Paterson) II. 92:
A' are nearly fou, Lippin' wi' the brink.Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 106:
The burn wisna our the flow-dyke, bit it wiz jist beginnin' t' lip.Abd. 1868 W. Shelley Wayside Flowers 104:
While friendship fills a lippin' cappie.Ags. 1872 J. Kennedy Jock Craufurt 19:
Nae mair the sturdy pleuchmen noo Get a' their flagons lippin' fou.Sc. 1883 Stevenson Silverado Squatters 231:
To carry [the waterpail] with the water lipping at the edge.Dmf. 1894 R. Reid Poems 82:
Bonnie lads, that are lippen-fou o' siller.Fif. 1902 D. S. Meldrum Conquest of Charlotte iv. vi.:
News, Mr Shirra. I'm fair lippen wi' news.Ork. 1908 Old-Lore Misc. I. v. 173:
Weel, it wis chüst daebrak, and the sun was lipping abune the scrüf o' the waater.Lth. 1915 J. Fergus The Sodger 30:
An' the river be lippin' fu' wi' saumon an' troot on the run.Abd. 1929 J. Milne Dreams o' Buchan 17:
Ye're mine! let fickle fortune's creel Lip ower wi' joy or wae.s.Sc. 1938 Border Mag. (Jan.) 13:
He filled his spoon lippin' full.

(3) Of a boat, vessel, etc.: to be sunk in water to the very edge or rim, “so that the water is on the eve of entering” (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 106; Fif. 1961).

4. To fill up the joints of a wall with mortar level with the surface of the stone, to point.Sc. 1805 R. W. Dickson Pract. Agric. I. 115:
Walls … may frequently be made either more durable, or more ornamental, by being dashed, lipped, or harled with lime.Sc. 1829 G. Robertson Recollections 61:
The fences, too, were generally dry stone dykes, or at the most these walls were only harled on the outside with lime mortar, in some cases improved into a more firm state, by being lipped in an inch or two with the mortar.Per. 1845 Stat. Acc.² X. 307:
Stone dikes of more than nine miles in length, lipped and pointed with lime.