Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
CADDLE, Caddel, Cadle, Caudle, n.1 and v. Also in reduced form ‡cad (Slk. 1946).
‡1. n. A set of four (or two) cherry stones in the game of cherry-pit or Papes, q.v. Slg.1 1938 says: “common in Edb. c.1870.”Edb. 1905 E.D.D. Suppl.:
About Portobello, the forfeits in games were always paid in cherry stones, which were counted not singly, but in pairs or “caddels.” The boy who lost was mulcted in so many “caddels o' pips.” [Also spelt caddle (se.Sc. Ib.).]Edb. 1912 C.R. in Scotsman (6 Jan.):
A set of four paips was called in Edinburgh and Mid-Lothian a “cadle,” which may possibly be a form of quatuor, four.s.Sc. 1931 Game of “Paips” in Border Mag. (April) 64:
The game consisted in placing a number of “paips,” called a “caudle” or “caudles,” held in the hollow of the hand, into a hole from a certain distance. A “caudle” consisted of four “paips,” and there was no limit to the “caudles” that might be played, except the capacity to hold.
†2. v. Also cad. “To lift up (a cherry stone or ‘chuck') within a given brief time in certain games” (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).
[Based on *quad-, four, as in quadratic, quadrille, etc., the form may be a child's corruption of Eng. †cater, quater, the four at dice, Fr. quatre, or direct from Lat. quattuor.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Caddle n.1, v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 May 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/caddle_n1_v>
