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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1968 (SND Vol. VII). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

PALMER, n., v. Also pam(m)er, pawmer, paumer. Sc. forms and usages. [′pɑ:mər, ′pǫ:m-]

I. n. 1. A shabbily-dressed person, one who goes about looking like a tramp (Sc. 1808 Jam., pawmer).

2. The great shag or cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo (Ork. 1891 Harvie-Brown and Buckley Fauna Ork. 157); also palmer-scarf, id. (Cai. 1887 Id. Fauna Cai. 179), the guillemot, Uria aalge (‡Cai. 1965).

3. Awkward, clumsy walking (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 122).

4. Anything large or outstanding of its kind, a “whopper”, ? one that “bears the palm (of victory)”.Ork. 1929 Marw.:
A descriptive term for something specially big or fine: e.g. “palmer of a duck”. I have heard it applied once to a big binding-stone in a building.

II. v. 1. To walk about in a leisurely, aimless manner, to saunter, “drift around” (Sc. 1808 Jam.), ppl.adj. pawmerin, -an, aimless, vagrant, idle (Sc. 1880 Jam.); also fig. as in 1827 quot. Also in n.Eng. dial.Sc. 1816 Scott Antiquary xxix.:
Ony auld palmering body that was coming down the edge of Kinblythemont.Sc. 1827 C. I. Johnstone Eliz. de Bruce I. i.:
The Clam-shell land, signifying the Palmer's land, as Mr. Gideon Haliburton, a stickit Seceder minister, tells me frae the Pilgrim's palmerin to the Holy Land lang syne. But what am I palmerin here aboot?Abd. 1873 P. Buchan Inglismill 60:
Whaur was he? Paumerin' at his ain hoose-end.Abd. 1915 H. Beaton Benachie 48:
In case we be in sic a plisky, I'll awa' tae the Kirktoon, an' some fouks wull be pamerin' aboot likely.

2. To move or walk clumsily and noisily, to stamp around, blunder about (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 122; ne.Sc. 1965). Hence pawmerer, n., a clumsy, heavy-footed person (Gregor); ppl.adj. pawmerin', awkward, bungling (Ib.); vbl.n. pawmeran, heavy-footedness, the act of moving clumsily and noisily (Ib.) Cf. Pamberade.Abd. 1875 W. Alexander My Ain Folk 208:
Up an' paumerin aboot the toon' o' the seelence o' the nicht.Sc. 1897 Stevenson W. of Hermiston i.:
“Ye daft auld wife!” returned his lordship. “A bonny figure I would be, palmering about in bauchles!”Abd. 1923 Banffshire Jnl. (8 May) 10:
Our dialect positively teems with direct expressions of the most cutting description . . . “Ye pammerin trypel.”.Abd. 1925 R. L. Cassie Gangrel Muse 18:
On the steens their [horses'] huivs fyles paumer.ne.Sc. 1956 Mearns Leader (24 Feb.):
At lang last “The Staiger” pammer't intae Molie's kitchie.Abd. 1998 Sheena Blackhall The Bonsai Grower 20:
Ae nicht Nell wis wakkened o a suddenty bi the soun o fitsteps pammerin intae the ben room - the parlour far her mither's ain cabinet stude, stappit fu wi cheenie.