Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1956 (SND Vol. IV). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1787-1846, 1918
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FLEEP, n.1 Also †fleip, .†fliep; flipe, flype; †floip (Per. 1808 Jam.); fleeps (Cai. 1940 John o' Groat Jnl. (18 March)), cf. fleepus below. A lazy, stupid fellow, an oaf, a lout (Abd., Per. 1808 Jam.; Ork. 1920 J. Firth Reminisc. (1922) 151; Ork., Cai., ne.Sc. 1951); “a thriftless, selfish, slovenly fellow” (Mry. 1813 W. Leslie Agric. Nai. 455). Sometimes applied to “a tall, lightly-built person” (Cai.1 c.1920), or to “a feeble, useless woman” (Cai. 1940 John o' Groat Jnl. (18 March)). [fli:p, Abd. + fləip]Abd. 1787 J. Skinner Amusements (1809) 24:
Let gowkit fleeps pretend to skunner, An' tak offence.Mry. 1806 J. Cock Simple Strains 86:
Some dowf and dozent fleeps I ken, But wha they are, I'll nae be sayin'.Abd. 1824 G. Smith Douglas 44:
That cowardly fleip, that follow'd Norval here.Abd. 1846 A. Robb Poems (1852) 175:
An' may ilka' ane, ere again here she be, Ha'e a guidnatur'd flipe o' a husband, like me.Bnff. 1918 J. Mitchell Bydand 15:
Jock bein' a big gweed-humourt flype, Tholt aft the dird o' clash and clype.
Hence (1) fleepas, fleepus, “a loutish young man” (Abd. 1920 R. Calder Gleanings Deeside Par. I. 13; Abd.2 1943); (2) fleepish, silly, stupid (Bnff. 1866 Gregor D. Bnff. 48);
(3) fleepsy (Ork. 1929 Marw.; Cai. 1950), fleepy (Ork.1 1942), lazy, lacking in pluck or stamina.
[Orig. doubtful. Phs. an extended meaning of Flype, v.2, n.2 Cf. also O.Sc. floop-like, stupid, awkward.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Fleep n.1". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 2 Apr 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/fleep_n1>
