Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1952 (SND Vol. III). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1929-1956
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DRILT, v., n. Cf. Drult.
1. v.
(1) To carry something that is very heavy or clumsy (Ork.2 1950).Ork. 1929 Marw.:
Have I to drilt a' that "kubby" o' fish heem wi' me?
(2) To walk slowly and lazily (Ork.1 1940; Ork.2 1950). Ork. 1956 C. M. Costie Benjie's Bodle 187:
If they geung onywey taegither he's mairchan on a peece afore her, an' her coman driltan ahint.
2. n.
(1) "Heavy trudge, laborious effort in carrying" (Ork.2 1950).Ork. 1929 Marw.:
What a drilt I had, gettan it heem.
(2) A person who loiters or drags behind in walking, or at work (Ork.2 1950). Hence drilty, sometimes applied to the boy at the bottom of a class (Id.), also formerly applied to the man who brought in the last load at harvest-time (Ork. 1924 P. Ork. A.S. II. 82).Ork. 1929 Marw.:
In Sanday in olden days the man who brought in the last load of grain in harvest was presented with a straw "dog", and was termed "Drilty in the yard slap."
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"Drilt v., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 17 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/drilt>
