Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1820, 1908-1909, 1998
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COWDLE, COUDLE, v. To float; to bob up and down on the waves (Rxb. 1825 Jam.2; 1923 Watson W.-B., obs.). Ppl.adj. cowdlan', coudlin'.Abd. 1998 Sheena Blackhall The Bonsai Grower 73:
... the fowk o Tom na Fuar cairriet the murdered Sassenach doon tae the River Dubh an haived it in, far it cowdled doon tae Loch an Dav tae a pike's bellyrive.Cld. 1820 Marmaiden of Clyde in Edb. Mag. (May) 424:
The cowdlan' bells on the weelan' flude Are the ships whilk we sail in.w.Dmf. a.1909 A. Anderson “Surfaceman's” Later Poems (1912) 214:
Glaur frae very heid to fit wi' rinnin', micht an' main, Efter coudlin' paper boats.
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"Cowdle v.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/cowdle>
