Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1798-1953
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HUMPLE, n. Freq. in dim. forms humplock (wm.Sc. 1957), -lick, -lug (Tyr. 1929 M. Mulcaghey Ballymulcaghey 28).
1. A small heap or mound, gen. of earth, mud or stones, a hillock (Rnf. 1825 Jam.; Uls. 1880 Patterson Gl.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.; Slg., Fif., wm.Sc., Kcb., Rxb. 1957); a lump.Edb. 1798 D. Crawford Poems 109:
Ne'er stan' at mountain, hill, or humple, 'Tween you an' fame.Sc. 1812 Popular Opinions 87:
Their hurdies o'er wi' ugly humplocks clad.Slg. c.1860 Trans. Slg. Nat. Hist. Soc. (1924) 23:
Ye dash! dash! dash! Regairdless through humplock an' gott, For the gangers on fit your splairges get.Ayr. 1887 J. Service Dr Duguid 82:
In a park near to the house was a round humplock, or hill.s.Sc. 1904 W. G. Stevenson Glen Sloken ii.:
"Get on that humplock an' I'll bring the stap fornenst ye," and Mrs MacPherson mounted a dry mound of road scrapings.Edb. 1928 A. D. Mackie Poems 56:
Black thochts like mowdies delve their oorie wey, And noo and then and here and there they h'ist Their weary humplicks in the mind that stey.Lnk. 1953 Bulletin (19 June):
Compared to the like of Everest, Caledonia's highest mountain is not much more than a humplock.
¶2. A big awkward or clumsy fellow (Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.).
[Hump + le + -ock, -ick dim. suffs.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Humple n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/humple_n>
