Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1908-1922, 1995
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GRIMLINS, n.pl. Also grimm(e)lings (Ork. 1922 J. Firth Reminisc. 77), grimplins, grumlins. Twilight, the "first or last gleams of daylight" (Ork. 1929 Marw., grim(p)lins, Ork. 1955; Cai.3 1931, grimmelings). [′grɪm(ə)lɪnz, ′grɪm(p)lins (Marw.)]Ork. 1908 Old-Lore Misc. I. vi. 224:
Bit alis, alis, whin da grimlins cam' an' he gaed tae geong hame feinty sheep nor shoon fand he.Ork. 1922 J. Firth Reminisc. 114:
In the "grimmelings" the youngsters were employed to strip the green peel off [the rushes], leaving the white pith, "as saft as silk," which, swimming in sillock oil, barely made darkness visible.Ork. 1995 Orcadian 21 Dec 9:
I was walking home along the shore in the grimlins when, from the Burn of Gairsty, I saw a flash of light at the end of our house where my father was lighting his pipe.
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"Grimlins n. pl.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 5 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/grimlins>
