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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

HEDDLE, n. Also hedle, headle, heddel, haidle; hid(d)le; ¶haddle. Gen. in pl. The small cords or wires, with the shafts suspended from them, through which the warp is passed in a loom, and which raise and sink a proportion of the threads alternately so as to allow the passage of the shuttle bearing the weft (Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis, headles, 1808 Jam., heddles, hiddles; Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 259, Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl.; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl., heddels; Ags., s.Sc., Uls. 1956). Also used attrib. and fig. Used also in Eng. weaving areas.Slk. 1706 Weavers Incorporation Minutes MS. (21 Sept.):
Ane broad loome hidle board in the custody of the present deacon.Lnk. c.1779 D. Graham Writings (1883) II. 215:
John . . . fell asleep upon his loom with his candle in his hand, and so set the web, heddles, reed, and treadle cords in a fire.Ags. 1821 D. Shaw Hum. Songs 26:
Wi' waft an' warp, an shears sae sharp, My rubbin bane, my reed an haddles.Sc. 1846 Whistle-Binkie 81:
Keep Providence aye on ae side o' ye, and a consistent life on the ither — and you'll work your last thrum into the very heddles wi' comfort to yoursel'.Sh. 1898 Shetland News (26 Feb.):
A'm no tinkin' 'at Sandy Williamson 'ill set him apon a lüm, or grip a heddle, bi da time 'at we get waaft an' yarn reddy.Uls. c.1920 J. Logan Ulster in X-Rays viii.:
The weaver's beam contained a long roll Of threads, 50 to 70 yards in length and spread over about four feet of breadth; these passed through “heddles,” then through a “reed.”Fif.³ 1930:
A set of heddles for a web is called a caum.

Combs: (1) heddle-shaft (Lnk. 1805 G. McIndoe Poems 11); (2)¶heddle-threadle, tr., to be associated with (a great many societies or the like), to "weave" about from one company to another; (3) heddle-twine, the strong thread from which heddles were formerly made (Rnf. 1812 J. Wilson Agric. Rnf. 257). (2)Ags. 1965:
She's ane that's aye heddle-threadlin clubs.

Deriv. heddler, the operative who draws the yarn in a loom (Ayr. 1956).