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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

LIPPER, v.¹, n.¹ Also lippir.

I. v. 1. Of water: to ripple, to be ruffled by tide or wind, break in small waves (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl.; Ork. 1929 Marw.; Ork., Cai., ne.Sc. 1961).Sc. 1853 G. Johnston Botany E. Borders 107:
A little burn, with scarce audible noise, runs lippering in the bottom.

2. To be full almost or quite to overflowing, to be brimming over, lit. and fig. (Cai. 1907 County of Cai. (Horne) 78; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.; Sh., Ork., ne.Sc., Fif., Peb. 1961).Edb. 1869 St Andrews Gazette (24 April):
Drink deep the jaups the burnie gies In lipperin' ower the linn.Sh. 1900 Shetland News (11 Aug.):
Da gutters awa' at Baltasund left da cran boxes, or faarlins, as they ca' them, lipprin' wi' herrin'.Sh. 1918 T. Manson Peat Comm. 10:
Is da kishie filled, haeped an runnin ower, as da Scriptur says, or is da paets just lipperin?Ags. 1930 A. Kennedy Orra Boughs 3:
Columns and half-columns and stickfuls of it lipperin' owre into the rest of the paper.Abd. 1932 D. Campbell Bamboozled 68:
I cam' toddlin' doon here lipperin' tae the brim tae wush abodie happiness for anither year.Sh. 1948 New Shetlander (Jan.-Feb.) 11:
He wis lipperin ower wi' fun.

3. Of a vessel floating in water: to be almost awash, to be sunk to water level.Sh. 1822 S. Hibbert Descr. Shet. 511:
Garbage, heads, and small fish are all thrown overboard, nor can these lighten the boat so much as that she will not appear, according to the phrase of the fishermen, just “lippering” with the water.Sc. 1844 W. H. Maxwell Sports (1855) 136:
The boat … being … sunk so far as just to lipper with the water.

II. n. A ripple, a broken or choppy sea (Cai. 1902 E.D.D.; Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.; Ork. 1929 Marw.; I. and n.Sc. 1961).Sh. 1877 G. Stewart Fireside Tales 31:
He wis hailin' his lines … wi a sooth lipper ida water.Ork. 1880 Dennison Sketch-Bk. 51:
De sea wus comin roond his taes, an comin noos an dans i peerie lippers tae his mooth.Sh. 1950 New Shetlander No. 20. 25:
Da bairn at saw a ocean a winder in every lipper o' a ebb pül.Cai. 1959:
Of the sea on a calm day: there was hardly a lipper.Arg. 1992:
She wiz loast on the Pentland Skerries, comin through fae Cape Wrath ... in a livin gale o win. An they hanna a lipper doon here.