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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

TIRRIVEE, n. Also tirrievee, tir(r)yvee, -vie, tir(r)avee, -vie, tyrrivee, tire(e)vie, -vee, tirrovy, ter(r)ivee, teryvee, turrivee, turryvee, and deriv. or irreg. forms tirreveoch (Sc. 1858 Sc. Haggis 78), tilavie, tirriewhee (Dnf. 1957), tivee. [tɪrɪ′vi]

1. A fit of rage or bad temper, a tantrum (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Per., Fif., Lth. 1915–26 Wilson; Bwk. 1942 Wettstein; m. and s.Sc. 1972); a wild, extravagant mood, a strange turn, an odd notion or fancy. Also fig. of an erratic mechanism.Slk. 1813 Hogg Queen's Wake 342:
He suspected his spouse had taken some of her tirravies.Sc. 1814 Scott Waverley lxix.:
A very weel-meaning, good-natured man when he wasna in ane o' his tirrivies.e.Lth. 1824 Love Letters Carlyle (Carlyle 1909) 335:
Say that you love me not a whit the less for my yesterday's tirevee.Fif. 1832 Fife Herald (15 Nov.):
The auld Town-house Bell has taken a strange tyrrivee of late.Per. 1879 P. R. Drummond Bygone Days 83:
The wrath, not quite cooled since the morning's tirrie vie.Lnk. 1880 Clydesdale Readings 84:
He took ane o' his turryvees the day, an' lockit himsel' ben the room.Kcb. 1901 R. Trotter Gall. Gossip 441:
They fun the man in an awfu tivee, dancin aboot the hoose wi the poker.Lth. 1920 A. Dodds Songs of Fields 5:
Ye ey maun mak' allooance for the terivees o' men.Gsw. 1947 H. W. Pryde 1st Bk. McFlannels ii.:
Ah hope tae goodness it [clock] disnae take yin o' thae turryvees an' stop strikin' for a week.

2. A state of excitement or bustle, a stir, commotion, disturbance, fight (Kcb. 1900; n., m. and s.Sc. 1972).Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 420:
At length the faught began in earnest, — what a tirrivee and stramash.m.Lth. 1857 Misty Morning 222:
If he's clean gane, as looks like, it'll mak a gie terrivee again.Gsw. 1884 H. Johnston Martha Spreull 14:
What a tiravee wis raised ower the discovery of pairts o' a human body and skull.Per. 1896 I. Maclaren Auld Lang Syne 124:
A' wud raither hae Peter gaein' aboot at his wark, instead o' a' this tiravee.Sc. 1936 J. G. Horne Flooer o' Ling 37:
A gey tirrievee 'Mang the hens in the yaird.Abd. 1955 W. P. Milne Eppie Elrick xxx.:
'E wid be wisest tae haad geylies oot o' sicht ur 'e tirrivee blew ower.