Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1971 (SND Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
SCRIM, v.1, n.1 Also skrim and deriv. forms scrimmage, skrim-, skreem-, skrum(Gregor); scrumsh.
I. v. 1. tr. To beat, strike or knock about with vigour (Sc. 1825 Jam.; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 163, skrim(mage)); to smack the bottom, spank (Kcd. 1825 Jam.). Vbl.n. scrimmin (Jam.).Abd. 1780 Ellis E.E.P. V. 772, 775:
Aa the young chiels gathert to the Ley o Mamore to the baa, an I can tell ye they scrimmed it up . . . Gin Shanks hadna been a fushionless stram, he widna latten Breece skrim him that day.
2. To rub or scrub energetically (Lnk. 1825 Jam.; Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 163, skrim(mage)). Vbl.n. scrimman.Jam.:
To scrim the cogs — to rinse the milk vessels.
3. To hunt about for, to acquire by a thorough bustling search (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 163, skrim(mage); Abd. 1904 E.D.D.).
4. intr. To work vigorously and effectively, to bustle about (Bnff., Cld. 1825 Jam.); to move quickly, scud or scurry along, of a ship.Sc. 1808 Jam.:
To scrim along the sea.
II. n. In forms skrimmage, skreemage, skrummage, the act of scrimmaging in the various senses of the v. above, rubbing, beating, searching noisily, the forms skreemage, skrummage, implying “a deeper sound and slower motion” than skrimmage (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 163); a raid on the marbles staked during a game (Lnk. 1927, scrumsh).
[O.Sc. scrym, to skirmish, 1375 skrym, to dart, rush at, 1450, O.Fr. scrimir, to skirmish. The Eng. scrimmage derives through the earlier scrimish from the Fr. participial stem scrimiss-.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Scrim v.1, n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Apr 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/scrim_v1_n1>
