Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
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: 1728-1925
[0,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
HUM-DRUM, adj., n. Also hum-jum and shortened form hum.
I. adj. 1. Dejected, in low spirits; out of humour, sullen (Sc. 1710 T. Ruddiman Gl. to Douglas Aeneis Add. s.v. dram; Cai., em.Sc., Lnk., Kcb., Slk. 1957).Bch. 1804 W. Tarras Poems 115:
Or saw ye e'er a tear rin frae my e'e? Or wantin plaid, or bonnet leukit hum?Abd. 1898 J. R. Imray Sandy Todd 10:
Is there onything vrang . . . that ye're looking sae hum-drum like, Meggie?Rxb. 1925 E. C. Smith Mang Howes 18:
A heh thae thochts ti faa back on . . . whan A turn dowie an hum-jum.
2. Of workmanship, crops, etc.: of poor quality, second rate (m.Lth.1 1957).
II. n. 1. An apathetic, lazy-minded person (Gall. 1824 MacTaggart Gallov. Encycl. 277; ‡Kcb. 1957), a pompously solemn fellow.Rnf. 1852 J. Mitchell Grey Goose Quill 13:
See yon hum-drum, wha struts alang As bluffly as he ne'er had been The heddles an' the pirns amang, Nor "toom meal-pock" had ever seen.
†2. In pl.: fits of dejection or melancholy.Sc. 1728 Ramsay Poems (S.T.S.) II. 131:
Then, ilka Wanter wale a Wife, E're Eild and Humdrums seize ye.Abd. 1768 A. Ross Helenore (S.T.S.) 97:
His father says, "Lay by, man, thir hum drums, An' look na mair like Watty to the worm."
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Hum-drum adj., n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/humdrum>
