Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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About this entry:
First published 1965 (SND Vol. VI). Includes material from the 1976 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

NABBLE, v. 1. To nibble (Sh. 1963). Also in Eng. dial. Found in reduplic. form neeb, neeb, nabblin', continually nibbling.Sc. 1906–11 Rymour Club Misc. 47:
That dog . . . sits afore the pu'pit neeb, neeb, nabblin' at his cods.

2. Of workers in a cloth-making factory: to work fast in getting threads together (Ags. 1919 T.S.D.C.); more gen., to use the fingers deftly (Ags., Per. 1963); to earn bonus wages on a productivity basis (Ags. 1975).Ags. 1962 Scots Mag. (Oct.) 9:
The operator's concern here is to keep the process as continuous as possible by tying all breaks, and girls can become very adept at this. When they “nabble ” they are working speedily.