Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

HYPAL, n. Also -all, heypal, hyple, hipel; hypalt; and irreg. ne.Sc. forms heeple-, hupal, hyfal, heifle. [həipl; ne.Sc. + həifl] An uncouth, unkempt, broken-down or good-for-nothing person (Abd. c.1782 Ellis E.E.P. V. 773; Rxb. 1825 Jam., 1869 E.E.P. I. 290, hypalt; Ant. 1892 Ballymena Obs.; Kcb.⁴ 1900; Abd., Per. 1902 E.D.D.; Bch. 1919 Abd. Wkly. Jnl. (20 Jan.), heifle; Mry., Abd.⁷ 1925), or animal, in various specif. senses: a tatterdemalion (Gall., Dmf. 1825 Jam.); a sheep which has cast its fleece as the result of disease (Ayr. 1825 Jam.); a lean, old or starved horse (Rxb. Ib.); a hungry voracious creature (Slk. Ib.). Also attrib. = good-for-nothing, broken-down, tawdry (Abd.⁴ 1931).Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 176:
He was as mean a hyple as ere graced fools, And a hatefu'er wratch nane e'er knew.ne.Sc. 1909 G. Greig Folk Song xii. 1:
A muckle hypal haveless loon, Frae the Fite Steen cam' hoiterin' doon.Abd. 1915 H. Beaton Benachie 163:
I dinna like the luik o' the Nanny mear ava. She's ower hypel amo' th' legs.Bnff. 1951 Bnff. Herald (1 Dec.):
In describing some one not too good they would say “A hypal o' a chiel.”