Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1934 (SND Vol. I).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1715, 1827-1908
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BEVEL, Bevil, Bevvel, n. and v. Used as in St.Eng. but note the following:
1. n. †(1) A lump, unevenness.Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928):
Der'r a b[evel] upo de wa'.
(2) A strong push, a staggering blow (disturbing one's balance).Fif. 1827 W. Tennant Papistry Storm'd 154:
Naething gain but . . . baffs, and bevels.Edb. 1715 A. Pennecuik Poems 93:
With that Truth took him by the Neck, And gave him their [sic] as some suppone, Three Bevels till he gard him beck.
2. v.
(1) “To fit or apply” (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl. s.v. bevvel); to arrange.Cai. 1872 M. McLennan Peasant Life (Second Series) 17:
Wi' ye, Saiterday nicht shud maist be lik' Sunday morn, if ye bevil it richt.
†(2) To work assiduously but awkwardly.Sh. 1908 Jak. (1928):
To b[evel] atill ony kind o' wark.
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"Bevel n., v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 6 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/bevel>
