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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

QUEEL, v., n. Also qweel, cweel, kweel. ne.Sc. forms of Eng. cool, used in all Eng. senses (Abd. 1790 A. Shirrefs Poems 335, 1867 A. Allardyce Goodwife xxxii., 1881 W. Paul Past and Present 35, 1940 C. Gavin Hostile Shore xiv.). See P.L.D. § 128.

I. v.

Sc. form of Eng. cool.Abd. 1996 Sheena Blackhall Wittgenstein's Web 1:
Attie likit a dram in a drap o tarry tea - a Birse cup he caad it. He likit his sark weel-aired ilkie mornin afore the fire fyle he cweeled his parridge wi a jeelip o cream, syne suppit it doon afore stridin ootower the coort tae sort the nowt, the roch, reid, snocherin breets that chinkit and clinkit in their chynes oot in the Coutts' byre at Blaefauld. Abd. 2000 Sheena Blackhall The Singing Bird 25:
A duntin breeze that shook the leaves
Gart aa the birds gae wingin.
The shady chestnut cweeled the road
Wi blossoms heavy-hingin.

Combs., phrs. and derivs.: 1. queeler, n., a vessel for cooling milk, a milk cooler; 2. queelie, (1) n. coolness (Bnff. 1967); (2) adj. cooling; soothing; †3. queelin stane, see quot. and cf. Cooling Stone; 4. to (lat ane) queel in the skin he het in, to (let someone) calm down after a fit of anger, to (leave someone to) “stew in his own juice” (Abd. 1903 E.D.D., Abd. 1967).1. Abd. 1922 G. P. Dunbar Whiff o' Doric 21:
There wis queelers an' churns.2. (1) Abd.¹⁵ 1928:
The loonie's brunt's finger, an' he's rowed it in a wee bit soapy cloot for cweelie.(2) Abd.¹⁵ 1928:
A drink o' milk is queelie kin', but it disna slocken like a sup caul water. Hiv ye ony cweelie saw for a frostit heel?3. Abd. 1910 J. Kerr Sc. Education 204:
A school appliance probably known only in Aberdeenshire is perhaps worthy of mention, viz. the “queelin stane”. This was a smooth flat stone upon which offenders were made to sit after their unprotected and overheated cuticle had been subjected to the discipline of the birch or tawse. . . . Cooling stones are no longer in use, but they existed in some Aberdeen schools till the 19th century.

II. n. A coldness, a cooling down, a chill (Bnff., Abd. 1967); also in pl. (Abd. 1921 T.S.D.C., queels).Abd. 1922 Swatches o' Hamespun 52:
Up stiff braes he'll hae t' plod Wi' mony a heat an' qweel.