Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

†CRANK, n.³, adj.¹, v.¹

1. n. A harsh or grating sound; applied in the following quot. to unpolished verse.Ayr. 1786 Burns Sc. Drink xviii.:
When wanting thee, what tuneless cranks Are my poor Verses!

2. adj. Grating, rough, inharmonious.Knr. [1886] “H. Haliburton” Horace in Homespun (1925) 246:
An' aye the “r,” tho' crank awee, Gaed birlin' aff the mooth-ruif free.

3. v. To make a harsh noise. Also found in Eng. dial. (E.D.D.).Ags. 1879 G. W. Donald Poems 6:
For here's the very trotter-board And there's the crook that crankit.Edb. 1852 D. M. Moir Poet. Wks. II. 388:
Voiceless, except where, cranking, rings, The skater's curve along, The demon of the ice.