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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

STILPERT, n., adj., v. Also -art, still-, stal-. [′stɪlpərt]

I. n. 1. A stilt (Abd. 1904 E.D.D.; ne.Sc. 1971). Phr. up on stalperts, fig., in a lofty abstruse fashion, above one's head.Mry. 1873 J. Brown Round Table Club 278:
Ye're up on stalperts, sir. I kenna fat kin' o' particles ye're spikin' aboot.Ags. 1880 J. E. Watt Poet. Sk. 81:
To gae upon stilperts as heigh as the hoose.Abd. 1889 Bon-Accord (7 Sept.) 18:
“Stilpert”-walking has also broken out with great severity in Peterhead.Abd. 1905 Banffshire Jnl. (28 March) 3:
Neist nicht on stillperts they'd gang stumpin'.

2. The act of walking with long lifted steps (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 182).

3. A tall lanky person, with long legs (Ib.; ne.Sc. 1971), freq. in phr. stilpert o a loun, quine, etc. Also of animals.Abd. 1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xlix.:
Half-a-dizzen stilperts o' cock chuckens.Abd. 1888 Bon-Accord (18 Feb.) 9:
A stilpert o' a quean he fee'd.Abd. 1929 J. Alexander Mains and Hilly 95:
Big stilperts o' quines on the leys, near up to be weemen.

II. adj., from attrib. use of n.: thin, lanky, long-legged. Also fig.Ags. 1881 Montrose Standard (30 July) 6:
His stilpert legs were lang an' bent.Bnff. 1933 M. Symon Deveron Days 14:
Owre the spurs o' Chanak Bahr gaed twa lang stilpert chiels.Abd. 1995 Flora Garry Collected Poems 28:
Cam clyack, rummlin cairts, the hairst meen.
Stilpert myrrh stalks bore their tines o seeds,
Stumps o shammelt teeth in aal men's heids.

III. v. To walk with long, stiff strides, lifting the feet high and awkwardly (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 182; Bnff., Abd., Kcd. 1971).