Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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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.
Quotation dates: 1879-1952
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NORALEG, n. Also norraleg (Sh. 1899 Shetland News (25 March)); reduced form norle (Jak.).
1. A needle (Sh. 1866 Edm. Gl., 1908 Jak. (1928)), often one with a broken eye (Sh. 1964); a large pin, an awl (Jak.).Sh. 1879 Shetland Times (16 Aug.):
Ye maun gie me a auld noraleg.Sh. 1899 J. Spence Folk-Lore 123:
To cross witches above the breath, i.e. on the forehead, so as to draw their drörie with a steel noraleg, deprived them of their power to hurt.Sh. 1914 Angus Gl.:
As blind as dee ee av a noraleg.Sh. 1952 J. Hunter Taen wi da Trow 135:
Tho da peerie waand wis little — Biggar dan a norra-leg.
†2. The lower leg-bone of a pig, used in the making of a Snorick (Sh. a.1838 Jam. MSS. XII. 155, 1866 Edm. Gl.).
[Orig. uncertain. Jak. suggests *nálarleggr, from O.N. nál, a needle + leggr, a leg, with dissimilation of l; 2. may be a different word, from Nor, to snore, from the noise produced by a Snorick, + leggr.]You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Noraleg n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 10 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/noraleg>
