Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: SND

About this entry:
First published 1960 (SND Vol. V).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Quotation dates: 1768

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¶HAMSTRAM, n. Difficulty.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore 81:
Wi' gryt hamstram they thrimbl'd frae the thrang, An' gae a nod to Nory furth to gang.

[A nonce reduplic. formation, phs. from ham- as in ham-per + stram, as in Stramash, Stramullion.]

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"Hamstram n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 12 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/hamstram>

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