Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
FAIPLE, n. Also faple, faipil, phaple, fipple, fuppul. [Sc. fepl, fɪpl, Fif., Lth. + fipl, Per. fʊpl]
1. A loose drooping underlip, of men or animals (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 204; Cld. 1825 Jam.; Kcb.1 1900, fipple; Fif., Lth. 1926 Wilson Cent. Scot. 241; Fif., Dmf. 1952); of horses (Lth. 1825 Jam.; Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.). Freq. in phrs. doon i' the faiple, down in the mouth, to hang the (a) faiple, to look glum or sour (Sc. 1808 Jam.; Per. 1915 Wilson L. Strathearn 183), to pit on a faiple, id. (Bwk. 1950).Rxb. 1805 A. Scott Poems 23:
Or else condemned to hang a faple, Some dowy get.Sc. 1819 J. Rennie St Patrick I. v.:
The King jumpet in wi' him at ance, and sent the ither coon-sellors a' away hingin their faiple.Fif. 1864 W. D. Latto T. Bodkin xxv.:
She was lanely, wretched, doon i' the faiple an' sae furth.Hdg. 1899 J. Lumsden Poems 4:
“Edinburgh Toun!” Wha'd hing his faiple here an “dee”, Haith, he's a loon!Sc. 1928 Scots Mag. (May) 145:
Johnie Smert, the poustie, wis “hingin” his fuppul'.
†2. Hence by extension: (1) “anything loose and flaccid hanging from the nose” (Cld. 1825 Jam.); (2) “the crest of a turkey, when elated” (Ib.).
[O.Sc. has feppil, fippill, v., to put out the lower lip (c.1500). Etym. doubtful. The word has affinity of meaning with Flype, v.1, n.1, q.v., and may represent a freq. form flepple, flipple with the loss of the first l by dissimilation.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Faiple n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 3 May 2024 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/faiple>
