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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 2005 (SND, online supplement).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

BRAMMER, n. Add variant bramar
Term of approbation, something very good (of its kind).Gsw. 1970 George MacDonald Fraser The General Danced at Dawn (1988) 28:
"Darkie's got a rare hatchet on", meaning that Darkie was in a bad temper, "yon Heinie's a wee bramar", which was the highest sort of compliment,...Gsw. 1985 Michael Munro The Patter 13:
brammer Anything excellent: 'Your new suit's a brammer.'Gsw. 1987 Peter Mason C'mon Geeze Yer Patter! 63:
Yon lassie next door's a right wee brammer. The girl who lives next door to me is very attractive.Gsw. 1987 Matt McGinn McGinn of the Calton 125:
In new games we'll produce some brammers Hallelujah
Catching the javelin and heiderin the hammers HallelujahGsw. 1988:
That last goal wis a brammer.Gsw. 1989 City Lights (BBC TV comedy) :
A wee brammer o a story.Arg. 1992:
... a very beautiful woman — elsewhere a 'stoater' — here could be a 'brammer'. A new car could be a 'brammer' etc. It wiz bright in the west — I thought we wir gonny get a brammer the day. [a warm sunny day]Gsw. 1993 Herald 17 Jul 6:
Names of companies now, ... Mr Finlayson comes out with what we in Glasgow know as a brammer. The firm PIFCO, founded in Manchester in 1900, is in fact the Provincial Incandescent Fittings Company.m.Sc. 1999 Christopher Brookmyre One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night 150:
Lisa turning out to be gay was a brammer of a punchline, ...Sc. 2001 Herald 21 Feb 16:
"Fiona Henderson cam oot wi a richt brammer whan she spake o the Forth Estuary. Whit kinna map did she confear wi tae come up wi thon yin? ... Sc. 2004 Evening Times 19 May 52:
As for Henrik's display on the day, well, it's so typical of the man that, just as I was saying 'what a diddy, look at all the sitters he has missed today' he bags two brammers.
I'm just surprised Dundee United didn't let him take the penalty so that he could get the hat-trick.