Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1976 (SND Vol. X).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
WHEERIORUM, n. Also whereaorum. A trifle, toy, gew-gaw; a “thingummyjig” or object of which the function is not immediately apparent, hence a complicated piece of mechanism (Bnff., Abd. c.1930; n.Sc. 1974).Bnff. 1891 W. Grant Anecdotes 107:
Moore got a lady's muff to announce at the Kirk, and not knowing what to call it, shouted to the immense amusement of the crowds of people who heard him — “Who's lost his whereaorum?!”Abd. 1925:
Any complicated machine will have a lot of wheeriorums about it which puzzlcs the lay mind.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Wheeriorum n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 26 Nov 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/wheeriorum>
