Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1776-1825, 1897-1921
[0,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
†GELL, adj., adv., n.3
I. adj. 1. Of the weather: sharp, chilly. Also gelly.Upp.Cld. 1825 Jam.:
"A gell frost", a keen frost.Lnl. 1921 per A. M. Bisset:
"It's a gey snell mornin', Peter." "Aye, it's geyan gelly."
2. Of trade: "brisk, as applied to a market, when goods are quickly sold" (Upp. Cld. 1825 Jam.).
3. Of persons: "keen, sharp; applied to one who is disposed to take advantage of another in making a bargain" (Dmf. Ib.).s.Sc. 1897 E. Hamilton Outlaws i.:
He's just a wee gell is Master Lancie when it comes to couping.
II. adv. Briskly, nimbly.Sc. 1776 D. Herd Sc. Songs II. 1:
For their evil evil tongues are going so gell, That I must kiss and go my way.
III. n. Briskness (of trade).Dmf. 1825 Jam.:
"There's a gey gell in the market the day", there is a pretty quick sale.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Gell adj., adv., n.3". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/gell_adj_adv_n3>
