Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1828, 1897-1923
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CEEPHER, n. A Sc. form of Eng. cipher, used in its fig. sense in the following quots. Known to Abd.9, Fif.10, Lnk.3, Kcb.10 1939. See P.L.D. §45. [′sifər]Sc. 1828 Wilson Noctes Amb. (1855) II. 60:
Ane o' the auld Covenanters wad hae rowted him doun intil a silent ceepher on the hill-side, makin him fin' what eloquence is.Kcb. 1897 A. J. Armstrong Robbie Rankine 32:
An' ye wad gang an' be a County Councillor, ye guid-for-naething auld ceepher ye.Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.:
Ceepher, a troublesome person, especially one of little or no account; a mischievous urchin.
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"Ceepher n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/ceepher>
